Unearth America’s Future Act

Unearth America’s Future Act would create a comprehensive federal framework to strengthen the United States’ supply chain for critical materials. It establishes a national center within the Department of Commerce to study, audit, and promote secure and transparent critical-material supply chains, and it creates a government loan program to help domestic and allied facilities develop, expand, or modernize capacity for critical material production. The bill also authorizes tax credits to spur investment in critical-material facilities and production, and authorizes cross-cutting research, development, and demonstration activities related to these supply chains. Overall, the measure aims to reduce dependence on foreign sources, improve resilience against disruptions, support decarbonization efforts, and protect workers and the environment, while adding strong safeguards around foreign involvement and labor standards. In addition to creating programs and centers, the act emphasizes collaboration across multiple federal agencies, engagement with allies, and rigorous accountability. It includes detailed eligibility criteria for loans (including protections against foreign influence and mandates for environmental and labor compliance), wage requirements (Davis-Bacon), and a robust oversight regime with inspector general audits and congressional notifications. The bill also envisions a framework for public reporting and a process to address delays and noncompliance, with mechanisms for dispute resolution in labor matters related to loan-funded projects.