Sec. Rubio on Mining: That We Never Depend on Other Countries for Things to Prosper and Defend Ourselves as a People

RUSH EXCERPT:
RUBIO: "Mr. President, thank you for being here. Thank you for your leadership on this topic. It’s a challenge we face in this domain that actually goes to the very survival of the country and thank you for giving it a priority in your presidency. This has been going on for 25 years. We’ve been walking away from the importance of this and now we’re trying to make up for 25 or 30 years of mistakes under your presidency so we appreciate your presidency valuing this when other presidents did not. The group people who are here today represent the whole of nation effort that’s involved in this. Because at core, this is our industrial strength but also are national sovereignty-that we never depend on other countries for things We need to prosper and defend ourselves as a people so you see here today As you’ve already pointed out leaders not just from government universities private industry students who are going be future of this industry wanted briefly very briefly touch with state departments done earlier This year critical minerals ministerial brought him country all over world To , and announced the creation of something called forge which is an international partnership chaired by us in United States to leverage public finance and coordinate diplomatic support security supply chains around The world at that meeting we signed 11 new critical minerals agreements with countries adding To ones already existed today under your administration We’ve already sign 27 Critical mineral agreement With other country”