Search for members, bills, votes, committees, hearings, and nominations
H.R. 3617 would direct the Department of Energy to conduct ongoing assessments of the nation's supply chains for critical energy resources, including critical minerals and rare earth elements that are essential to energy systems and technology development. The bill would require the agency to identify vulnerabilities in these supply chains and develop strategies to strengthen them, particularly where the U.S. is heavily dependent on foreign sources or vulnerable to disruption. The legislation would also task the Department of Energy with facilitating the development of substitutes for critical minerals, improving recycling and reuse technologies, and examining how adversarial nations may be exploiting critical mineral markets through anti-competitive practices or price manipulation.
The bill passed the House on February 11, 2026, with a vote of 223-206, and is now in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for consideration. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would result in no new budget authority or tax expenditures, with only minimal costs for reporting requirements. Supporters argue the legislation would help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign adversaries for critical minerals needed for energy infrastructure, while critics have raised concerns about how the bill's language on increasing domestic production might be applied across different energy sectors.
AI-generated summary
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Feb 12, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Feb 12, 2026