No Section 232 Tariffs on Critical Minerals as President Seeks Agreements

The Trump administration has elected not to impose Section 232 tariffs on imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products while it seeks to negotiate agreements with other countries to address the threatened impairment of U.S. national security that a Bureau of Industry and Security investigation concluded is presented by imports of such goods. A related presidential proclamation states that in such negotiations the U.S. will consider price floors for trade in PCMDPs as well as other trade-restricting measures.

A White House fact sheet warns that tariffs and other actions deemed necessary to adjust imports may be taken if agreements are not entered into within six months, are not being carried out, or are ineffective. Further, the secretary of commerce is directed to continue to monitor imports of PCMDPs and inform the president of “any circumstances that might indicate the need for further action under Section 232.”

According to the proclamation, a Section 232 investigation concluded in October 2025 that processed critical minerals and their derivative products are “indispensable to almost every industry” and are “embedded across defense and commercial supply chains.” The investigation also determined that the U.S. “is too reliant on foreign sources of PCMDPs, lacks access to a sufficiently secure and reliable supply chain to PCMDPs, is experiencing unsustainable price volatility with respect to critical mineral markets, and is suffering from weakened domestic manufacturing and production capacity of PCMDPs.”