Caleb Orr, Assistant SecretaryBureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs

MODERATOR:  Hello, I am Natalia Molano, director of the U.S. Department of State’s Miami Media Hub.  Welcome to this on-the-record press briefing in English with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and Portuguese.  Please find the globe icon on the lower area of your screen to select your language.  

(In Spanish.) 

(In Portuguese.) 

We are privileged to have Caleb Orr, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, to discuss the outcomes of the Critical Minerals Ministerial held in Washington, D.C., on February 4th, 2026, and attended by delegations from 54 countries and the European Commission to take action and build secure and resilient critical minerals supply chains.  We will begin this hub call with opening remarks, and then I will moderate questions from journalists. 

Assistant Secretary Orr, you may begin your remarks.   

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you very much, and good afternoon to everyone.  I am certain that the weather in Miami is warmer than it is here in Washington, and so I hope that you are enjoying that and I hope to visit very soon.   

Last week, on February 4th, Secretary Rubio hosted the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington, convening 55 delegations to explore ways to diversify and secure global critical minerals supply chains.  This was Secretary Rubio’s first ministerial since assuming his role as Secretary of State, making critical minerals one of the Trump Administration’s top priorities.   

This ministerial brought together likeminded countries to work together on building secure critical minerals supply chains that are resilient to non-market forces.  The United States and participating countries are engaging through the ministerial, and other initiatives such as Pax Silica and the newly launched Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement or FORGE, because we recognize the importance of reliable, diversified supply chains in reducing the risk of strategic vulnerabilities.   

We’re having this phone call here with the Miami press center because the Americas are at the center of global supply chain security, including critical minerals.  And through Secretary Rubio’s Critical Minerals Ministerial, we’re building partnerships that deliver economic prosperity at home and abroad, attracting investment to critical minerals projects in both the United States and partner countries in the region, and ensuring resilient supply chains for generations to come.   

The Western Hemisphere is key for securing the critical minerals supply chain because some of the world’s largest reserves of minerals that are essential for our economies and national security, such as lithium, copper, rare earths, and others, are prevalent throughout the region.  Our embassies across the region are prioritizing economic diplomacy and commercial advocacy to attract U.S. investment in mining, processing, refining, and recycling projects that build secure and resilient supply chains.   

Through this ministerial, we are strengthening our cooperation on critical minerals with countries in the region, including our partners who attended the ministerial: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.  These partnerships will strengthen transparent supply chains that generate good jobs, attract investment in critical infrastructure, and give us alternatives to unreliable suppliers.  The Western Hemisphere partners in attendance are integral to creating a global network of likeminded nations and building transparent supply chains that generate good jobs and expand the list of reliable suppliers in the region.   

At the ministerial, we were proud to announce new bilateral framework agreements that we signed with Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru, and we launched the FORGE and announced joint projects totaling over $30 billion to make our supply chains more secure and create opportunities for responsible investment in mining, processing, and recycling across the Americas.  

Thank you very much and I look forward to answering your questions.  

MODERATOR:  Thank you very much.  We will begin taking questions from journalists.  Today’s briefing is on the record attributable to Caleb Orr, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs.   

We will start with a question from Mariana Sanchez from UOL, Brazil, who submitted a question in advance, and I will read it here for the conference:  “Regarding critical minerals, President Lula recently stated that Brazil intends to move beyond exporting raw materials and importing processed goods.  Are the U.S. Government and American companies prepared to support local processing and technology transfer within Brazil?”  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for that question, and we were grateful to see Brazil participate at the ministerial last week.  The United States sees Brazil as a strategic partner in building resilient critical minerals supply chains.  We are actively exploring opportunities to support capacity in Brazil through financing and technical cooperation from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, commonly known as DFC. 

There are two projects in particular that the DFC has already provided financing support to, which is publicly available.  It’s the Serra Verde project and Aclara project in Brazil.  Brazil has rich reserves, especially in heavy rare earths, and we believe that Brazil is a very promising partner for the United States.  Our approach recognizes that supply chains require strong partnerships, whether through processing in Brazil, the United States, or both, and we look forward to continuing to work with Brazil.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  We also received a question in advance from Jordi Zamora in AFP.  I see that Jordi Zamora from AFP is online, so we will check in with Jordi to see if they can ask the question.  Go ahead.  

QUESTION:  Yes.  Thank you for doing this.  I like to know if the U.S. is already working on an agreement on critical minerals with the current Venezuelan Government after the events.  Thank you. 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for the question.  Obviously, Venezuela has very rich oil reserves, but Venezuela also is rich in reserves of critical minerals, including bauxite, nickel, gold, and rare earths.  The United States, as Secretary Rubio has laid out, is pursuing a three-step approach in Venezuela: first, stabilizing the country and ensuring that oil and other natural resource revenues benefit the Venezuelan people; second, supporting economic recovery and political reconciliation; and third, enabling a transition to prosperity and strong U.S.-Venezuela relations. 

We want Venezuelan critical minerals to generate revenue for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.  Venezuela holds tremendous economic potential, and ensuring that American and other aligned companies have fair access to the Venezuelan market will help the economy recover from a decade of neglect.  And I want to just reiterate that the valuable reserves of critical minerals in Venezuela present a great opportunity for the Venezuelan people, and the United States looks forward to working with Venezuela to ensure that the revenues from their development go to the Venezuelan people and to creating prosperity in the public and not to illicit groups.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you very much for that.  Let’s see.  We also have Monica Orozco from Primicias in Ecuador.  We received a question in advance from her.  We see her online, but I’m just getting confirmation whether or not she can do her interview – her question, I’m sorry – in English.  Go ahead, Monica.  

QUESTION:  Hi, good afternoon. 

MODERATOR:  Go ahead. 

QUESTION:  What is the – what is the specific scope of the rare earth and critical minerals supply agreement between the U.S. and Ecuador?  For example, does it include any preferential treatment in the granting of concession or in the (inaudible) of these strategic reserves?  And what is the next step? 

MODERATOR:  Sir, did you get the full question?  I have it in text if you would like me to repeat it, because I think the signal is poor.  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Yeah, could you please repeat the question?  Thank you.  

MODERATOR:  Okay.  Monica, I’m going to give it a try from what you submitted in advance, which I think is the same question you made.  “What is the scope of the rare earth and critical minerals supply agreement?  Does it involve, for example, any preference in awarding of concessions or in the delivery of these critical minerals or rare earths?” 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for the question.  The United States was very happy to enter into an agreement with Ecuador on bilateral critical minerals cooperation.  Ecuador has significant critical minerals reserves as well.  The same Andean Belt that stretches from Ecuador and Peru contains very rich reserves.  When it comes to heavy rare earths, when it comes to copper, when it comes to gold, these are all excellent reserves.  And we look forward to working with Ecuador to develop those reserves for the benefit of the Ecuadorian people and for more resilient supply chains between our countries.   

Deputy Secretary Landau signed a bilateral framework agreement with Ecuador with Foreign Minister Sommerfeld at the Critical Minerals Ministerial.  And the terms of that agreement allow for the United States and Ecuador to identify joint projects to work together on to ensure that both of our countries benefit from those projects.  And so we look forward to working with Ecuador to identify those projects and to enable more investment in the Ecuadorian critical minerals sector.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  Great.  I’m going to call on Andrés Fidanza from El Observador to ask a question. 

QUESTION:  Hi.  Thank you very much.  I think you can hear me here?  Yes.  I would like more details about the agreement reached with Argentina, because the signing of critical minerals coincided with the signing of the – a broader trade agreement with the Milei government last week.  I don’t know if the focus is putted it on lithium and copper.  I would like more details about that. 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you very much for the question.  And as you noted, the trade agreement with Argentina opens up some very tremendous economic opportunities between the United States and Argentina.  And that’s especially the case in critical minerals, where, under President Milei’s leadership, Argentina is taking a real lead in identifying promising projects.  You’re right, copper and lithium are some of the best projects in Argentina, and the United States is very interested in driving investment to help Argentina develop those very strong reserves.   

But the scope of our agreement with Argentina is across the board, and it really creates a framework for cooperation and collaboration so that we can provide the investment needed to bring these projects online so that Argentina can benefit from the record-high copper prices that the world is experiencing right now, and that the United States expects to continue to remain high, as demand for copper and demand for electricity is expected to triple by 2030 because of the AI boom and data centers, among other things.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  We have Ernest Scheyder from Reuters. 

QUESTION:  Hi.  Can you hear me? 

MODERATOR:  Yes.  Go ahead. 

QUESTION:  Hi.  Yes.  Thanks, Assistant Secretary, for your time.  Appreciate it.  Last week the Vice President and Secretary Rubio talked about setting a reference price.  And so I’m just wondering, how would the administration set the reference price for critical minerals?  And then how would tariffs support that reference price? 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for the question.  Vice President Vance, in his remarks at the ministerial, described a preferential trade zone for critical minerals in which the U.S. and our partners could work together to basically support the market so that you could have healthy market investment in these projects.  You could have a stable market environment so that private market participants can reliably invest and earn returns without fears that the market would have volatility that threaten those returns over the long run.   

The USTR is designated as the lead on the price floor arrangements, and so I’d have to refer you to the USTR for questions about the specific mechanics of how the price floor mechanism would work.  But this is an administration priority, and we were very happy that Vice President Vance announced it at Secretary Rubio’s Critical Minerals Ministerial.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  Now we have Jacob Gardenswartz from Scripps News. 

QUESTION:  Hi there.  Thanks so much for hosting this call and taking our questions.  I wanted to ask about another announcement the Secretary made at the ministerial concerning the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, FORGE.  Just curious, either in that broader multilateral partnership or in these individual bilateral agreements, what sort of enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure that those countries that sign on actually abide by these best practices don’t engage in trade with some of the malign actors?         

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thanks very much for the question.  We are very proud to announce FORGE at the ministerial.  FORGE builds upon its predecessor organization, the Minerals Security Partnership, which is a group that includes 32 partners and members, all of whom attended the Critical Minerals Ministerial.  And we view FORGE as a platform to engage in policy coordination efforts on these issues.  The Minerals Security Partnership had previously focused on identifying specific projects for export financing, support, and that work will continue under FORGE.   

But because of the immense economic shocks in critical minerals markets, FORGE is intended to enable policy coordination in order to meet these challenges that you described.  At the end of the day, the countries – the 54 countries and the European Union that attended the ministerial are all identifying that there is a problem in our critical minerals markets.  And so when you talk about the enforcement mechanism – again, when it comes to the price floor or other kind of tariff policies, I’d have to refer you to USTR.  But I will just say that with respect to the ministerial, we heard a consistent message from the foreign delegations, which is that we all recognize the same problem and that the foreign delegations came to the ministerial to discuss solutions to this problem because they all want to participate in solutions. 

And so the United States really is playing a convening and leadership function in bringing together countries that want to solve the problem, who recognize that this is not a sustainable way to conduct markets.  And so we have – we took a win-win and collaborative approach with these countries to identify productive solutions.  

MODERATOR:  Now I will read a question that came in from Felipe Frazao from Estadao, a Brazilian newspaper:  “The Brazilian Government says it prefers bilateral agreements and has expressed concerns about the scope of the alliance with exclusivity clauses and the potential exclusion of partners like China.  Does the American Government expect an agreement on critical minerals to be reached during President Lula’s visit to the White House in March?  What is the current status of these talks?” 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you very much for the question.  And as I mentioned earlier, the United States views Brazil as an essential partner in critical minerals, both because of Brazil’s immense – immensely rich natural critical minerals reserves, but also because of Brazil’s sophistication and its diversified economy that will enable it to conduct processing as well in Brazil and helping the United States diversify the processing and refining markets for critical minerals, which are even more concentrated than the mining component of the supply chain.  And so we were grateful to participate in the ministerial with Brazil.   

The United States is in active negotiations with Brazil on these matters and others, other trade matters.  And the United States hopes to make progress.  With respect to specific questions about the terms of the broader tariff and price for* negotiations, I’d have to refer you to USTR.  But the United States is looking forward to working with Brazil.  

MODERATOR:  All right.  Now I’m going to call on Isabella Menon from Folha de Sao Paulo, also a Brazilian outlet.  Go ahead.  

QUESTION:  Hi.  Can you hear me?  

MODERATOR:  Yes, go ahead.  

QUESTION:  Okay.  Just to clarify, regarding Brazil, I would like just to understand whether there is a possibility that the U.S. would finance the processing of rare earths in Brazil or any other critical minerals?  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you very much for that question.  As I said earlier, processing is actually even more concentrated globally as a market – and refining as well – than even mining.  And the United States is looking for win-win solutions when it comes to processing to diversify that market and really make it for – a real market, one in which minerals can be mined where it makes the most economic sense, not – or can be processed where it makes the most economic sense, not all just in one location. 

And so, yes, the United States is interested in developing processing capacities in Brazil and in other places that are closer to the United States and that are within the secure supply chains that we’re looking to create.  And as I said earlier, because of Brazil’s heavy rare earth concentrations – and the United States is already financing some of these projects – I think it’s a natural next step to help encourage processing. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  Now we have Facundo Iglesia, but I will ask Facundo, please, introduce yourself and your outlet, because you don’t have it in your label. 

Facundo, your microphone is open.  What media outlet are you with? 

QUESTION:  Can you hear me now? 

MODERATOR:  Go ahead. 

QUESTION:  Okay.  My name is Facundo Iglesia.  I am from the Buenos Aires Herald in Argentina.  My question is the following:  Argentina and the United States have signed the framework instrument for securing the supply of mining and processing critical minerals.  My question is:  China is one of the dominant forces, if not the dominant force, in Argentina’s lithium sector, with billions of dollars in investment.  Does the U.S. see that as an issue?  And if so, how will it deal with it?  Does the framework instrument include a way to deal with that if it is considered an issue?  Thank you very much. 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for that question.  The focus of the ministerial and of the United States bilateral framework agreements with our partner countries is to focus on de-risking and diversifying our own supply chains.  This is not retaliation against China.  As Vice President Vance said, this is about a preferential trade zone for countries that are willing to subscribe to the high standards and market-friendly approach that the United States is offering.  And so that’s the logic behind a lot of the work that we are doing.  We view this as additive and important to creating healthy markets, and so we look forward to working with Argentina to do that. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  And we have a question that was submitted in the Q&A from also Brazil, Valor Economico newspaper from Kariny Leal.  I believe the journalist is online, so I asked them to raise their hand, but I have it here to ask:  “Which critical mineral projects in Brazil is the United States already financing?  Are there plans to amplify those kind of partnerships?  We have heard that the United States is planning a symposium in Brazil about critical minerals this year.  Do you have more details on that, please?” 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for that question.  The United States is interested in financing projects throughout Brazil.  There are two projects that I mentioned earlier in Goiás state that are focused on heavy rare earth elements, but those are just examples, and I believe that the potential for U.S.-Brazil projects is very high. 

The – with respect to the question about a symposium in Brazil, I’d refer you to our embassy in Brazil, who is responsible for the planning and hosting of events like this, which we are working with very closely and ensuring that we can develop events and programming that brings to light the rich possibilities in the Brazilian market so that U.S. businesses can see these and drive investment. 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  I will go over to another submitted question in Spanish in the Q&A.  This one is from Sebastián Angulo.  He is from the outlet Diligence in Ecuador.  All right, so the question is:  “In Ecuador, several Chinese companies are acquiring major mines.  Are there any concerns in the United States about this development?” 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for that question.  The Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy is very clear that in the Western Hemisphere, the United States wants to partner with our allies in the region to identify critical projects, critical minerals, critical infrastructure, and work together to empower our partners to be able to control those assets.  And the – that’s true in Ecuador under President Noboa’s leadership, which we have a great relationship with.  And we were very happy to sign a bilateral critical minerals framework agreement with Ecuador at the Critical Minerals Ministerial.   

When it comes to investments in Ecuador, again, these bilateral agreements, these are not – this is not retaliation against China.  This is about ensuring the resiliency and the high standards in our own supply chain.  And so we’re glad to see that Ecuador agrees and also wants to drive private sector-led investment in a high-standards and resilient supply chain.  And so that’s true for projects with – within Ecuador and throughout Ecuador, and so we hope that we can drive more U.S. investment in Ecuador in promising critical minerals projects. 

MODERATOR:  All right.  We have a question from Samuel Pancher from Metropoles in Brazil.  And he can go ahead and open his audio.  Go ahead. 

QUESTION:  Hello, can you hear me? 

MODERATOR:  Yes, go ahead. 

QUESTION:  So, Mr. Under Secretary, at the beginning of the year, the State Department put sanctions on Brazilian authorities related to concerns of freedom of expression in Brazil in addition to the application of tariffs.  We know that there was a diplomatic negotiation regarding this.  In this negotiation to lift the sanctions, were critical minerals taken into consideration? 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thank you for that question.  I can’t comment on ongoing diplomatic negotiations, but as President Trump has said, we want to get to a great trade deal with Brazil.  That includes critical minerals, and we view the ministerial last week and Brazil’s participation as a key step forward toward that goal.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  And for our last question, I would like to call on Ernest Scheyder from Reuters. 

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.  Hi, Assistant Secretary.  Just one quick question.  You were talking about Canada during your opening remarks here.  The Foreign Affairs Minister Anand, she gave some media interviews where she said Canada and Ottawa needs more information about the plan announced last week.  What is it the foreign affairs minister is missing? 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY ORR:  Thanks for that question.  And we were grateful that Canada participated as well.  We have very strong ties with Canada when it comes to critical minerals collaboration.  Many of the companies that we work with globally are Canadian or listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.  And so we think there are some great projects that we can work together with Canada on.   

The purpose of the Critical Minerals Ministerial, among other things, was to introduce some key concepts and proposals from the United States to our partners who, by coming to the ministerial and by entering into agreements with us, have already raised their hands and said that they want to be a part of the U.S.-led, pro-market, high-standards, and resilient supply chains for critical minerals.  And so we were grateful for Canada coming as a part of that. 

We are working with Canada and we hope that we can collaborate with Canada on our price floor mechanisms, among other things.  But I’d have to refer you to USTR for the status of any ongoing negotiations with Canada when it comes to those tariffs.  Thank you. 

MODERATOR:  That concludes today’s briefing.  Thank you everyone for your participation.  An English audio recording will be available online, as well as a transcript in English.  We will be translating that transcript into Spanish and Portuguese, and all of it will be published on state.gov.  If you have any questions about this or other briefings that the Miami Media Hub has hosted, you may contact the Miami Media Hub at miamihub@state.gov.   

Thank you and goodbye until next time.