President Donald Trump ordered a probe into new tariffs on “critical minerals” amid a push to reduce America’s reliance on imported goods, particularly those from China.
Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to investigate the possibility and feasibility of new tariffs on “critical minerals” such as cobalt, lithium, nickel and others crucial to production of advanced goods like computer chips. The national security probe falls under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the same law Trump used to enact a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum.
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