Executive Order 14241: What It Means for Domestic Mineral Projects

Understand the significance of critical mineral funding outlined in Executive Order 14241 to boost U.S. mineral extraction efforts.

Executive Order 14241: What It Means for Domestic Mineral Projects
Advanced Technology & Defense March 28, 2025

On March 20th, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14241 “Immediate Measures To Increase American Mineral Production”. The EO is designed to greatly boost domestic critical mineral supply by invoking national emergency powers. Most importantly, the order provides agency leads with new authorities to attract investments and establishes the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC). Headed by Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, NEDC is charged with overseeing the expansion of critical mineral extraction across the federal government.  

While the order primarily focuses on permitting reform to attract investments and fast track current projects, it also modifies existing funding mechanisms to include critical mineral project eligibility. The order requires the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense to identify suitable federal lands for projects and utilize leases and other financing authorities to advance domestic mineral production. 

The order instructs the Departments of Energy and Defense to collaborate with the Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration to “utilize as many favorable terms and conditions as are available under public assistance programs for these purposes.” To this end, funding programs, especially in the form of loans, can be expected across several agencies. 

The executive order provides 15-, 30-, and 45-day timelines for agencies to establish timelines and guardrails for future funding announcements – given this short opportunity window, now is the time to prepare for the anticipated federal investment. McAllister & Quinn’s team of agency and Capitol Hill insiders, proposal development specialists, and federal funding experts can equip you with the necessary tools to take advantage of this opportunity.  

The President invoked the Defense Production Act, what does this mean for critical mineral funding?  

The Department of Defense has the broadest funding authority to boost critical mineral extraction and processing. The EO invokes the Defense Production Act (DPA) to address the earlier declared National Energy Emergency. This allows the Secretary of Defense to make rapid investments to advance mineral production and identifies mineral production as a priority industrial capability development area for the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program. Additionally, the order expands DPA authority to allow the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to give out loans “that create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore domestic mineral production”. 
 
Within 30 days of the order, the CEO of DFC, the Chair of the NEDC, and the Secretary of Defense must create a plan for the DFC to use DOD’s investment authorities. This includes leveraging the Office of Strategic Capital to implement the EO’s goals Defense Production Act funding is designed to rapidly boost industrial capacity in times of national emergencies, and the order establishes tight turnarounds for agencies to announce funding. Given the speed at which the Trump administration is moving to expand domestic production, prospective applicants must act quickly to prepare for this funding.   

Does this executive order prioritize small businesses or make changes to the Small Business Administration (SBA)? 

The EO has several implications for SBA’s work with small businesses. In addition to being one of the collaborating agencies within the NDEC framework, the EO specifically instructs the SBA Administrator to prepare legislative recommendations within 45 days that enhance public-private partnerships.
  
This could include changes to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The congressional authorization for the SBIR/STTR programs is set to expire in September 2025. Several competing pieces of legislation are currently under consideration to reauthorize the program. Now is the time for companies to engage with key agencies and congressional stakeholders to influence the next iteration of these programs. 
 
The order also requires SBA to examine existing funding mechanisms that may be used to boost domestic mineral production.  

Outside of the invoking of the DPA, what changes does this order bring to Critical Mineral funding? 

President Trump’s order extends beyond invoking DPA. Within 30 days, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy will convene buyers and end-users of critical minerals to form a bid request for domestic supply.
  
Furthermore, the Secretary of Defense is empowered to utilize the newly created “National Security Capital Forum” to achieve the order’s goals. This fund was established by the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act to bring together domestic and international finance experts, capital providers, and investors to exchange relevant information to support US national security.  

How does the order impact the definition of “critical minerals” and the critical mineral lists maintained by DOD, USGS, and DOE? 

The EO expands upon the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) critical mineral list (outlined in 30 USC. 1606(a)(3)) to now include uranium, copper, potash, gold, and other elements deemed necessary by the Secretary of Interior. 
 
USGS’ critical mineral list includes over 50 elements including cobalt, lithium, gallium, nickel, graphite, and magnesium.  

Does this order mention the recently established Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) or other EXIM Programs? 

Yes, the order specifically instructs the President of the Export-Import Bank to release program guidance for the SCRI program. SCRI is the first of its kind program that allows foreign mineral extraction companies to receive funding for overseas mining projects with off-take agreements with US companies. EXIM must also utilize the Make More in America Initiative to support this effort. 

About McAllister & Quinn: McAllister & Quinn is a leading Federal grants consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations secure funding for impactful projects and initiatives. Based in Washington, DC, McAllister & Quinn’s unique approach has helped clients secure over $16 billion in competitive grant funding from across a broad spectrum of federal agencies, foundations and other sources.

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