Amid rising global demand for critical minerals, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) are pushing to increase U.S. mining production and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers through the training and recruitment of miners.
The two lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that seeks to bolster education and workforce development in the critical minerals sector, arguing that rebuilding the workforce is key to competing with China’s dominance in mineral processing.
Olszewski said the measure is designed to address what he described as a looming workforce crisis in the mining industry.
“More than half of the mining workforce in this country—over 200,000 people, 221,000 is the estimate— are going to retire by 2029, and we do not have any sort of sufficient talent pool to fill those gaps,” he said in an interview with Capital News Service.
“When you talk about almost a quarter of a million jobs that are high quality and high paying and that meet a critical national security interest, it’s good not just for Marylanders, but it’s good for our country,” he added.
The United States currently graduates roughly 300 mining engineers per year, far short of what would be needed to replace retiring workers. The number of mining engineering programs nationwide has declined from 25 in 1982 to 14 in 2020.
The legislation, titled the Critical Mineral Mining Education Act of 2026, would establish two new programs: one to send U.S. undergraduate and graduate students overseas to study mining and mineral processing, and another to send foreign academics and professionals to U.S. institutions to build and strengthen current programs. The legislation would also commit $10 million annually for the next 10 years to the two exchange programs.
The workforce shortage comes at a time of growing concern in Washington, D.C. about supply chain issues and reliance on China for critical minerals. According to the International Energy Agency, China controls an average of 70% of the 19 out of 20 strategic critical minerals and accounts for around 91% of global rare earth processing.
Critical minerals, like lithium and copper, are vital in the development of semiconductors, batteries, fiber optic cables and energy infrastructure.
What is a critical mineral?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a mineral is considered critical if:
It is essential to the economic or national security of the United States.
It serves a key function in manufacturing, and its absence would have significant consequences.
Its supply chain is vulnerable to disruption due to foreign political risk, trade restrictions, conflict or rapid demand growth.
Nevada, Rosen’s home state, stands to benefit more directly from expanded mining activity. Nevada ranks first in the nation in total nonfuel mineral production by value, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
Maryland, by comparison, ranks 31st and accounts for 0.47% of total U.S. nonfuel mineral production. Most of Maryland’s production consists of non-critical minerals like concrete. However, a 2020 Maryland Geological Survey map identified 14 geologic areas across the state that have the potential for critical mineral occurrence.
Olsweski said the bill has attracted support from both Republicans and Democrats because it addresses what he called “two critical imperatives”: workforce development and national security.
“If there are opportunities to fill jobs that are family sustaining, we want to do that,” he said. “It also really benefits the national security interests of America.”
In addition to Olzewski and Rosen, the legislation is co-sponsored by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Ami Bera (D-Ca.) and Young Kim (R-Ca.), as well as Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).