Senator Jeanne Shaheen Talks Foreign Relations and Rare Earth Minerals
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We're joined now by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, an important voice as she is ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. I should mention the senator is joining us from a rare earths processing plant run by Phoenix Tailings in Exeter, New Hampshire. And Senator, we're looking forward to hearing more about why you're there. I want to ask you, though, first about the situation with Iran as the State Department calls on American citizens to leave the country immediately. Is this the prelude to war?
Well, I hope not. I think the talks in Amman are a very good sign. I think there is great concern about Iran, both their attempt to get a nuclear weapon, and they're very close to that, as well as all of the support that they provide to terrorist groups across the Middle East. So negotiations are always better than fighting, and I hope that these negotiations will lead to something.
Well, I do hear you on that, but the president, of course, has kept military options on the table. We have a massive armada, as he likes to call it, off the coast of Iran prepared to strike. The USS Lincoln carrier strike group is there, and we've put a number of other assets in the region. The president has repeatedly said things like help is on the way to protesters. He said this week that Iran should be very worried. Some have suggested that every time the president has assembled this much hardware, he has intended to use it. How about this time?
Well, we don't know. I don't have any insights into the president's thinking about this. But again, that's why these talks are so important. If we can reach some agreement around Iran's support for terrorist groups in the region, if we can reach some support around slowing down their effort to get a nuclear weapon, that will be positive not just for the region but for global security. So there's a lot riding on these talks. I hope they're going to stay at the table and come to an agreement.
Can I ask what you think about who's at the table? These are being framed as indirect talks, Senator. But we once again see the president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, speaking for the United States. Are those the two people who should be in the room?
Well, I hope they've got some backup from the State Department as well.
What is the significance of the State Department's warning for Americans in Iran?
But the fact is, it's important to have somebody who can speak for the president, who's close to the president, so that they have some credibility as they go into talks. And I think both Steve Woodcoff and Jared Kushner have that credibility.
Well, in the spirit of national security, we've been talking a lot about critical minerals and rare earths here in Washington this week. The president gathered a number of countries, in fact, to start work on what is at least beginning as a $12 billion critical minerals stockpile. And it's something that you've been leaning into as well with your secure minerals act. I'd like to ask you, uh, what you're looking at here. It's a bipartisan piece of legislation as you join us, as I mentioned, from Phoenix Trailings, a rare earths processing plant with its eyes on American minerals and processed here in the United States. What would your legislation do to add to what the president's up to?
Well, Phoenix Tailings is a company here in Exeter, New Hampshire, where I am, as you can see from my backdrop right now. I've had a great opportunity to talk to the folks here.
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