Federal Policy

China Controls 85 Percent of Critical Mineral Refining, Washington Responds

Federal efforts to fund domestic battery-material processing reflect a direct supply-chain dependency that current US production capacity cannot resolve without sustained policy intervention.

The Congressional Times · August 17, 2026

China controls more than 85 percent of global critical-mineral refining capacity, a figure cited by Nth Cycle CEO Megan O'Connor in a Bloomberg Open Interest interview published August 17, 2026. That concentration gives a single foreign government the ability to restrict access to materials essential for US electric vehicle batteries, defense systems, and consumer electronics manufacturing.

Washington has responded through several legislative and executive channels. The Inflation Reduction Act (Pub. L. 117-169), signed in August 2022, included tax credits under Section 45X for domestic production of battery components and critical minerals. The Department of Energy has separately allocated funds under Title XVII loan guarantee authority to support domestic processing projects, with awards listed in public records at USASpending.gov under agency code 89.

Nth Cycle, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company, states that its electrochemical refining technology can bring domestic processing capacity online faster than conventional hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical methods. The company has not disclosed the full terms of any federal contracts or grants in the Bloomberg interview. What financial support, if any, Nth Cycle has received from federal programs would be disclosed in USASpending.gov award records or Department of Energy loan program records, neither of which was cited in the source material.

The broader legislative picture includes the CHIPS and Science Act (Pub. L. 117-167), which addressed semiconductor supply chains, and ongoing Senate discussions around a standalone critical minerals bill introduced in the 119th Congress. Specific bill numbers and vote tallies for any 2026 legislation remain unconfirmed in the available source material. The Congressional Record would contain floor votes and committee markups for any such legislation.

What remains unknown is the precise federal funding amount directed to private domestic refining companies in fiscal year 2026, the specific contracts or grants Nth Cycle holds with any federal agency, and whether Congress has passed standalone critical minerals legislation beyond the provisions included in earlier appropriations. USASpending.gov award searches under NAICS code 331410 (Nonferrous Metal Refining and Alloying) and Department of Energy loan program office public disclosures would provide those answers.

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