Burgum to Newsmax: 'Mine, Baby, Mine' to Counter China

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Trump administration is moving to build a critical minerals trading bloc with U.S. allies and use tariffs to prevent China from undercutting global prices, arguing that decades of offshoring and environmental restrictions have left the United States dangerously dependent on Beijing for materials vital to energy, technology, and national security.

Speaking on Newsmax's "National Report," Burgum said China has exploited its dominance in mining and refining, leaving the United States vulnerable.

"We definitely don't do any mining in America that somehow getting a reliance on other countries like China, who then go exploit the world with the whether it's with child labor or with no reclamation practices, that somehow becoming dependent on them was going to drive policy that was positive for the U.S.," Burgum said. "But it was it was a win for China. It was a huge loss for America. American consumers, American manufacturers."

Burgum said the administration's strategy would coordinate with partner nations to establish secure supply chains while using trade tools to protect domestic production and investment.

"We have to get back to being able to build great things in America," he said.

Echoing President Donald Trump's energy slogan, Burgum called for expanding domestic mining and refining.

"President Trump says, you know, he says drill, baby, drill famously," Burgum said. "We also need to mine, baby mine. to do the mining and the refining of these minerals here."

Burgum said reliance on adversaries for key materials poses a national security risk.

"We have to have secure supply chains," he said. "We can't be dependent on our adversaries for the minerals we need for nuclear energy, for the modern economy, for technology, for missile defense. We just can't. I mean, it's absolutely essential."

He blamed years of U.S. environmental restrictions and offshoring for giving China an advantage, arguing that production was pushed overseas to countries with weaker labor and environmental standards.

Burgum said China's recent threats to impose export controls on critical minerals created an opening for the United States to lead an international response.

"And then when China threatened those export controls, they threatened them on everybody," Burgum said. "That created the opportunity for us to be the leader. Under President Trump, to bring together all these nations, to say, let's work together to develop our own secure supply chain so that no one in this room is reliant on China. There's a lot of momentum."

The administration's push comes as critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements have become central geopolitical concerns, viewed as essential for nuclear energy, advanced electronics, missile defense systems, and industrial manufacturing.

The effort is unfolding amid heightened tensions between Washington and some U.S. allies over President Trump's territorial ambitions — from Greenland to Canada — and his moves involving Venezuela, which have strained diplomatic relationships.

Burgum said the proposed bloc would focus on expanding mining and refining capacity outside China's orbit and supporting stable prices through tariffs designed to protect investment from sudden market swings.

Burgum also highlighted a new federal stockpiling initiative announced this week.

"President Trump again, innovative new approaches," Burgum said. "On Monday, we announced in the Oval Office the first ever United States strategic critical minerals reserve, similar to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve."