The Trump Administration’s executive order is aimed at addressing the threat to national security from imports of copper, which is a critical material for various industries including defense, infrastructure and emerging technologies such as clean energy, electric vehicles and advanced electronics. The United States has ample reserves of copper but faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain due to increasing reliance on foreign sources, with over 50 percent of global smelting and refining capacity dominated by a single producer.
The executive order directs the Secretary of Commerce to initiate an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine whether imports of copper, scrap copper and derivative products threaten to impair national security. The investigation will assess factors including domestic demand for copper in defense, energy and critical infrastructure sectors, ability to meet domestic demand through domestic production, smelting, refining and recycling, concentration of United States imports from a small number of suppliers and associated risks, impact of foreign government subsidies, overcapacity and predatory trade practices on industry competitiveness, artificially suppressed copper prices due to dumping and state-sponsored overproduction, potential for export restrictions by foreign nations, feasibility of increasing domestic mining, smelting and refining capacity to reduce import reliance and impact of current trade policies on domestic production.
The Secretary of Commerce is required to consult with the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Interior, Secretary of Energy and heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies as determined by the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate national security risks associated with copper import dependency. Within 270 days of the date of the order, the Secretary of Commerce is required to submit a report to the President that includes findings on whether United States dependence on copper imports threatens national security, recommendations on actions to mitigate such threats including potential tariffs, export controls or incentives to increase domestic production and policy recommendations for strengthening the United States copper supply chain through strategic investments, permitting reforms and enhanced recycling initiatives.
The order is not intended to create any right or benefit enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States or its agencies but will be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to availability of appropriations.
Read the full text of the order at the whitehouse.gov website.