President Donald Trump announced this Friday at an event at the White House that he will invest more than 2 billion dollars in critical mining and add another 180 million dollars to train young people in mining schools, ensuring the workforce for this sector of the economy.
The schools funded by the Department of Defensewill also train students in metallurgy and will be distributed throughout the United States. Additionally, technology innovation centers will be built and partnerships between students and the defense industry will be formed.
Together with the Pentagon, the Department of Energy will be investing 100 million dollars in 14 mining schools to rejuvenate the workforce of the next generation and double the number of graduates with knowledge and training in mining, minerals, and associated supply chains.
Trump bets big on mining: He will invest 2 billion dollars in this sector and will train engineers en masse
Trump's vision for the country's mining future
Of the 2 billion dollars budgeted for critical mining projects and manufacturers that the Pentagon will invest, 1.4 billion will be allocated to the California company Sila Nanotechnologies to expand the production of silicon-carbon batteries and build a lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility.
"President Trump is ensuring that the critical materials and critical supply chains of the United States are strong and secure to reduce dependence on hostile foreign countries, protect our national security, and strengthen the economic resilience of vital industries," the White House reported in the announcement document.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025 to fulfill a second term, Trump has signed or approved 160 agreements on minerals totaling nearly 40 billion dollars, emphasizing how important it is for the president that this sector grows and that foreign dependence is reduced.
Trump announcing the measure today at the White House