US industry struggles to meet Trump's 2027 minerals deadline

President Donald Trump's push to end US reliance on Chinese critical minerals by January 2027 faces significant hurdles as domestic miners and processors are unprepared. Projects like Ucore Rare Metals' processing facility are delayed until at least 2027, and a $12 billion stockpile plan will initially buy from anywhere, including China. Analyst Chris Berry says infrastructure will take many more years to build, making the deadline unlikely.