Trump Project Vault stockpile will include any minerals listed as ‘critical’ by Interior Department

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The Trump administration’s new minerals stockpile initiative – dubbed “Project Vault” – can include anything identified as “critical” by the U.S. Geological Survey, a White House official told CNBC Tuesday.

The agency, part of the Interior Department, lists more than 50 minerals as critical. They include rare earths, lithium, uranium and copper as “essential for national security, economic stability and supply chain resilience.” The minerals are crucial because they “underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy,” according to USGS.

President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled “Project Vault,” which is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership. The U.S. Export-Import Bank will provide $10 billion in the form of a loan, with about $2 billion coming from private capital.

“You’re covering everything with this,” Trump said during an event at the White House on Monday. “We’re not just doing certain minerals and rare earths. We’re doing everything.”