Strategic Technology and Resilient Alliances Act of 2026
A BILL
To establish the Critical Minerals Innovation Partnership, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
critical minerals are essential inputs for a wide range of advanced and emerging technologies, including energy systems, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and defense applications, and continued innovation in their use and production is vital to United States technological leadership;
innovation in critical minerals extraction, separation, processing, refining, recycling, and substitution technologies remains insufficient to meet projected United States demand and requires accelerated research, development, and commercialization efforts;
cooperation with United States partner countries possessing complementary scientific, technological, and industrial capabilities enhances the ability of the United States to advance innovation across the critical minerals value chain;
joint research and development initiatives with partner countries can accelerate breakthroughs in cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable approaches to critical minerals production and use;
allied collaboration in materials science, mineral production and extraction technologies, mineral processing technologies, and advanced manufacturing can reduce dependence on legacy methods and enable the development of next-generation technologies;
innovation in recycling, recovery, and reuse approaches for critical minerals presents a significant opportunity to expand supply while reducing environmental impact and resource constraints;
the development of substitute materials and alternative technologies can mitigate reliance on scarce or supply-constrained critical minerals and enhance long-term technological resilience;
shared research infrastructure, data, and scientific expertise among partner countries can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of innovation efforts related to critical minerals;
public-private partnerships involving governments, research institutions, and industry are essential to advancing innovation and scaling new technologies in order to bridge the “valley of death” in the critical minerals sector;
strengthening collaboration among universities, national laboratories, and private-sector entities across partner countries enhances talent development and supports a robust, market-responsive innovation ecosystem;
establishing formal bilateral and multilateral mechanisms for cooperation in critical minerals innovation enables sustained, long-term collaboration and more rapid response to emerging technological challenges;
dedicated funding and streamlined authorities for joint innovation initiatives reduce barriers to collaboration and enable more agile development and deployment of critical minerals technologies so as to accelerate the transition of technologies in research and development phases to operational deployment, government integration, and commercial application;
advancing innovation in critical minerals technologies is essential to maintaining United States leadership in critical and emerging technologies and supporting long-term economic and national security; and
activities under this Act should be aligned with existing critical mineral and energy security initiatives.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act—
the term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate;
the term “country of concern” means—
the Russian Federation;
the Republic of Cuba;
Burma;
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;
the Islamic Republic of Iran; and
the People’s Republic of China;
the term “country of concern entity” means—
a foreign entity subject to the jurisdiction of, or organized under the laws of, a country of concern;
a foreign entity that is more than 25 percent owned, directed, controlled, financed, or influenced directly or indirectly by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, or the Chinese military, including any entity for which the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, or the Chinese military has the ability, through ownership of a majority or a dominant minority of the total outstanding voting interest in the entity, board representation, proxy voting, a special share, contractual arrangements, formal or informal arrangements to act in concert, or other means, to determine, direct, or decide for the entity in an important manner; or
a foreign entity owned, directed, or controlled by a foreign entity described in subparagraph (A) or (B);
the term critical mineral—
means any mineral on the list of critical minerals required by section 7002(c)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(c)(3)) on or after January 1, 2026; and
includes—
Helium-3; and
Helium-4;
the term Director means the head of the program appointed under section 101(b);
the term program means the Critical Minerals Innovation Partnership Program established under section 101(a); and
the term Secretary means the Secretary of State.