ICYMI: “This is a Game Changer”: Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Multibillion-Dollar Federal Investment into MP Materials, Las Vegas-Based Critical Mineral Company

LAS VEGAS, NV – Last week, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined MP Materials Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Chief Communications Officer Matt Sloustcher to celebrate a multibillion-dollar federal commitment to MP Materials, America’s only fully integrated rare earth producer, headquartered in Las Vegas. The commitment from the Department of Defense (DoD) will allow MP Materials to accelerate domestic production of rare earth materials and magnets. Lee also secured $10 million in the House’s FY26 Defense funding bill for a plant that recycles waste products generated in the rare earth production process.

Read more below:

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Your next iPhone could come from this mine. It also has billions in Pentagon contracts

August 11, 2025 | Alan Halaly

• Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., joined Las Vegas-based MP Materials at its Summerlin headquarters Monday to celebrate a slew of contracts with both Apple and the Department of Defense, representing billions in investment into the only operational rare earth mine and processing facility in North America.
• “This is really changing the nature of technology and our supply chain in this country, and you all are leading the way,” Lee told a crowd of a few dozen employees. “It’s a very exciting day.”
• Rare earth is a set of 17 minerals that have an incredible range of uses, from smartphones to heat-resistant military gear.
• Yet China has long dominated the market for the minerals. MP Materials had been shipping off its ore to China until April, when it onshored refining at Mountain Pass.
• In the last year, the Defense Department has committed to purchasing $400 million in company shares, established a floor for the price of certain elements and committed to a contract in which it would buy all magnets created by a new facility in the first 10 years of production.
• One commitment — from Lee’s negotiations on a defense appropriations bill — is a $10 million down payment for its chloro-alkali wastewater plant that supports the mine, once a polluter in the region, in upholding its status as a “zero-discharge” operation.
• Tech giant Apple signed a $500 million contract with the company, as well, committing to sourcing some of its magnets from MP Materials’ Texas recycling plant.
• “Listen, we’re in a ramp-up with China right now,” Lee said. “The fact that we rely 100 percent on China for this type of rare earth element … we know how critical that is to our national defense. This is a priority.”
• Aside from the international implications of the mine, MP Materials expects the investments to be a boost to Southern Nevada’s economy, Lee said.
• “Not only will we decrease our reliance on foreign nations, but we will also secure hundreds of jobs for Nevadans and produce magnets in an environmentally conscious manner,” Lee said. “We must make America’s rare earth resurgence a bipartisan priority.

KSNV-NBC 3: Southern Nevada tourism slowdown sparks urgent calls for economic diversification

August 11, 2025 | Steve Wolford 

• With hospitality accounting for 23% of Nevada's workforce—more than double the national average of 11%—the need for economic diversification has become increasingly urgent.
• However, a significant announcement in Summerlin may signal a shift towards economic diversification.
• MP Materials, a mining company headquartered in Summerlin, has signed transformational agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense and Apple.
• Representative Susie Lee, who hosted the announcement, emphasized the importance of this development. "This is a game changer, bringing domestic production to the United States, investing in companies that have invested in America, like MP Materials has," said Lee. "Employing hundreds, if not thousands of Americans, primarily who will be calling Southern Nevada home."
• The Department of Defense will invest over a billion dollars in MP Materials, becoming its largest shareholder.
• In return, the Las Vegas-based company will supply rare earth materials to the military, breaking the monopoly currently held by China.
• This move represents a significant step towards diversifying Southern Nevada's economy beyond its traditional reliance on tourism.

Before DoD announced its commitment, Lee raised the alarm on China’s chokehold on critical minerals and asked DoD to commit to investing in American-based companies, like MP Materials, which process critical minerals. MP Materials has invested $1 billion of its own capital since 2020, and employs more than 800 Americans, 550 of whom live in southern Nevada. As part of its expansion, MP Materials expects to add hundreds of jobs to the region in the coming years.

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