Conservatives Derail Democrat’s Bill on Rare Earth Minerals

Conservatives in the U.S. House revolted yesterday against a taxpayer-funded program on rare earth minerals, defeating a bill that was expected to quickly pass without much debate. Because the measure came up under suspension of House rules, two-thirds of lawmakers needed to approve it. The bill failed when 142 Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. It received 260 votes; it needed 269. The defeat dismayed the Democrat sponsor of the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act, which Heritage Foundation economist Nick Loris described in The Daily Signal as a government “handout” and unnecessary. In a press release, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, decried “extreme right-wing groups, Heritage Action and Club for Growth” for their opposition. “This bill was the product of a year’s worth of cooperation between me and Republican leadership,” Swalwell said. “Unfortunately, this hard work was derailed by puppeteering from right-wing groups.” Heritage Action spokesman Dan Holler said, “Conservatives in the House deserve credit for defeating a bill that would have expanded the government’s role in this important industry.” The bill sought to “address price volatility for rare earth” elements by creating additional programs within the Department of Energy to research and develop new extraction and recycling methods...more