Trump Orders Restrictions on Export of Spent Batteries and E-Waste to Curb China’s Access to Critical Minerals

Trump Orders Export Restrictions Using DPA
"National Defense and Security Risk"
Reducing Dependence on China

U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed the Department of Commerce to come up with measures to restrict the export of recycled products containing critical minerals, such as spent batteries and end-of-life electronic devices.

In a memorandum sent to the Secretary of Commerce on the 30th (local time), President Trump stated that recyclable critical minerals and materials (CMM) are industrial resources essential for strengthening national defense capability, adding, "The shortage of CMM in the United States is increasingly posing great risks to our defense and national security."

He further pointed out that the United States is heavily dependent on imports from overseas for certain critical minerals and warned that such a structure could lead to severe and long-term supply chain disruptions.

President Trump said, "The United States must take immediate action to secure a supply of recycled CMM," and ordered the Secretary of Commerce to prepare appropriate response measures under the Defense Production Act (DPA) enacted in 1950.

In the memorandum, CMM was defined to include "black mass," which is a powder containing nickel, cobalt, and manganese produced by shredding or crushing residues generated from battery manufacturing or spent batteries, as well as end-of-life rare earth permanent magnets and other recycled products that have completed the manufacturing process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.