controlled by the Taliban. Mr Chairman, in 2010 the Department of fence identified $1 trillion worth of undeveloped mineral deposits in Afghanistan. They are now estimated to be worth $3 trillion and referred in the department events referred to the countries of Saudi Arabia, and lithium and lithium is a key ingredient batteries for electric vehicles grid storage solar powers wind turbines, and other energy technologies. But you know, the withdrawal of US troops ramekins jammed last month left that country in the control of the Taliban, as well as its mineral deposit and just hours after the Taliban, took control China stated they were ready for quote friendly cooperation with Afghanistan. Just remember, China, dominates the global market for these minerals. They mined over 70% of the world's rare earths, and are responsible for, for 90% of the processing. China already has a 30 year lease on Afghan covered pauses in China's interest in in Afghan minerals will continue to grow. Mr Chairman, eliminating the US reliance on the Chinese and Taliban for minerals is a bipartisan issue that all of us should be able to support kind of previously threatened to cut off supplies of the rare earth elements, the United States in 2019, and Congress should never, never let the United States be vulnerable, like that again. As your chairman, I urge adoption of my amendment and request a recorded vote.
Anyone else want to speak on the McKinley. This gentleman from Delaware Miss blunt Rochester is recognized for five minutes.
Thank you Mr Chairman, I moved to strike the last word gentleman is recognized. Mr. To all of my colleagues, no one on this side of the aisle, disagrees that the issues we must address regarding the extraction of critical minerals. However, these are challenges with solutions. Throughout this Congress Democrats have been working to develop these solutions. The bipartisan infrastructure bill for instance, includes vital measures championed by members of this committee that will develop a domestic supply chain for critical minerals, processing, manufacturing, recovery and recycling. Given my colleagues interest in addressing critical minerals supply chain issues. I look forward to his vote in support of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In addition, this administration has taken decisive action to stop the import of goods whose components were produced under forced labor. This critical decision sends a clear signal that the United States does not, I repeat does not tolerate harmful labor practices abroad. I look forward to working with my colleagues who are eager to address this topic, but this amendment is nothing more than a distraction from what we're trying to do here today, make vital long overdue investments to tackle the climate crisis. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, share this sense of urgency and join me in opposing this amendment. I yield back.
Thank you for a woman Miss Rogers is recognized for five minutes.
Thank you Mr Chairman, I moved to strike the last word was recognized. We've all witnessed with sadness and anger. The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has resulted the failure of the Biden Harris administration, almost immediately following the Taliban's takeover the reaction by the People's Republic of China was to strengthen and commercial relationships there. We closed our embassy, China and Russia have theirs open, We've heard testimony a number of hearings detailing the growing reliance on critical minerals and related processing from China and its affiliates as the United States uses more solar, wind, battery technology. Technologies and related components. This rush to green in many ways is a rush to trade our energy security, energy security that we finally gained energy independence in 2020 for reliance on China and other adversaries. News in recent weeks at the Taliban are sitting on an estimated $1 trillion in minerals including critical minerals explains the Chinese Communist Party's rush to to close, close, the relationship with the new regime. This subtitle, spend some 10s of billions of dollars in a slush fund for renewable technologies and if we're not careful those funds will enrich our adversaries and increase our energy and economic security risk. A vote for this amendment is a vote for American supply chains and against the Taliban and Chinese enriching themselves on the backs of hardworking American families. Vote yes yield back.
gentleman yields back. Does anyone else on either side. Mr Ruiz and Mr. Armstrong you both have your hands up is that old. Do you want to speak on this. All right, anyone else want to address this, McKinley amendment.
Then we'll go to a vote. Mr. Palmer is recognized, moved to strike the last word recognized for five minutes, just want to point out that in our move this rapid move to renewable energy grid that the Biden administration anticipates and that my Democrat colleagues anticipate cannot be accomplished without almost total reliance on China. Currently the US imports 100% of its rare earth material, which you must have to build solar panels and turbans. 80% of those are imported from China. Given the current permitting regime regulatory regime, imposed by this administration. There's no way that we're going to get our mining operations or refining operations or manufacturing operations for renewables development in a timely manner to meet the goals of my Democratic colleagues and the Biden administration to achieve a major pivot toward renewables. So with all due respect to my distinguished colleagues on the outside of the aisle, what's going on in Afghanistan and China will wind up dominating mining operations for rare earth materials, and other materials in Afghanistan, this is going to be an enormous problem for the United States, primarily because we're not developing our own rare earth materials, mining, refining and manufacturing operations at a rapid enough pace, not be in danger of being held, basically held hostage by China. That I yield back.
Thank you, gentlemen. Anyone else want to speak on the McKinley amendment. He is for recorded vote, I think. All right, we'll we'll go to a recorded vote for a vote as ordered on the McKinley amendment those in. You
