America's Push to Break China's Rare Earth Grip

The U. S. is making big moves to reduce its dependence on China for rare earth minerals. These minerals are super important for things like smartphones, electric cars, and even military tech. Right now, China controls most of the world's supply, which puts other countries at risk if something goes wrong with the supply chain. Investors are really interested in this area. In 2025, they poured over $628 million into U. S. startups working on rare earth minerals. That's a huge jump from the year before! Even big companies like Apple are getting involved, buying rare earth products from U. S. manufacturers. The U. S. government is also stepping in to help. They're offering support to make investing in rare earth startups less risky. This is good news for green tech companies that need these minerals for things like electric vehicles and defense technologies.One startup, Phoenix Tailings, is doing something cool. They're recycling mining waste to make rare earth minerals. They just opened a new facility in New Hampshire that doesn't rely on anything from China. Even though they're not producing as much as China yet, they're already supplying products to customers. There are some challenges, though. It's expensive to get started, and it takes a long time to get all the permits needed. Plus, with so many investors interested, there's a risk that the market could get too heated. But some people are optimistic. They point out that the U. S. oil and gas industry went from small to global leader in just 15 years. If that could happen, maybe the rare earth industry can too.