Sánchez, colleagues call for transparency in Congo critical minerals agreement
WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) and 51 of her Democratic colleagues called on President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address serious concerns over the administration’s secretive negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding a potential critical minerals agreement.
The members criticized the lack of congressional consultation and transparency in the process and highlighted alarming reports of human rights abuses and environmental degradation linked to mining operations in the DRC. They also raised concerns over a conflict of interest involving one of President Trump’s political allies who is negotiating for rights to the Rubaya coltan mine.
“Given the gravity of these issues, we urge your administration to develop a transparent and participatory process for critical minerals negotiations between the U.S. and the DRC,” the members wrote. “This process must provide opportunities for informed input and meaningful engagement with Congress and all stakeholders, especially the communities most affected by mining and conflict in the region.”
In addition to Ranking Member Sánchez, the letter was signed by Representatives Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Full text of the letter is available here and follows:
August 8, 2025
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States of America
The White House
Washington, DC 20520
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear President Trump and Secretary Rubio,
We understand that the United States is negotiating a critical minerals agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Your administration, however, has not consulted with Congress on such an agreement nor shared meaningful information about it with the public. As Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned with your administration’s failure to consult Congress and the lack of transparency, especially given the dire security, human rights, labor, and environmental situation associated with mineral mining in the DRC.
Mining in the DRC remains one of the most exploitative and dangerous industries in the world, with ongoing human rights abuses, such as child labor, forced labor, and the routine violation of workers’ rights. Over 7.8 million people have been forcibly displaced, while at least 7,000 civilians have been killed and thousands more subjected to sexual violence in areas linked to mining operations. Of the estimated 350,000 cobalt miners in the country, 80,000 work under forced labor conditions that are life-threatening, with no protection and no alternatives. An estimated 40,000 children, some as young as seven, are working in these harsh conditions.
People in the DRC’s mining regions face exposure to harmful chemicals, pollution, and contaminated water. Toxic chemicals near artisanal mines have contaminated the surrounding water and land, reducing soil fertility, harming local agricultural production, and negatively impacting development outcomes in the DRC. Contamination of food, land, and water caused by mining has led to long-term public health consequences, including increased rates of maternal and infant mortality, birth defects in children, cancer, and increased risks of infection. Mining for critical minerals must not come at the expense of the DRC's people, their land, and their development prospects.
We are also concerned by the apparent conflict of interest in the negotiations between this administration and the DRC. According to media reports, one of your political associates, Gentry Beach, is part of a consortium negotiating for rights to the Rubaya coltan mine, a notorious source of conflict minerals. This mine is central to the trade in smuggled coltan used in financing the conflict in the DRC, one of the longest-running and deadliest wars in sub-Saharan Africa.
Given the gravity of these issues, we urge your administration to develop a transparent and participatory process for critical minerals negotiations between the U.S. and the DRC. This process must provide opportunities for informed input and meaningful engagement with Congress and all stakeholders, especially the communities most affected by mining and conflict in the region.
Ahead of any visit to Washington, D.C. by a delegation of government officials from the DRC, we look forward to a response to this letter and a briefing to update Members of Congress on the progress of a critical minerals agreement.
Sincerely,
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