“It is music to our ears,” Rose, chairman of the West Virginia State Senate’s Energy Industry and Mining Committee, said when asked about the administration’s mining push. He pointed to West Virginia’s long mining history and credited Trump with putting renewed focus on domestic energy and mineral production.
“We mine the coal that powers and builds this country. And no one has done more for America’s mining industry than President Trump,” Rose said. “Whether it be coal here in West Virginia or precious metals out in Arizona, he is reigniting a new gold rush in this country.”
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The comments came after Trump announced a roughly $3 billion package for critical mineral projects in the United States. The initiative also includes funding to train future engineers, according to the discussion.
Rose argued that expanding domestic mineral production is particularly important as the United States competes with China in advanced technology.
“As we try to win the big tech war with China, he is unleashing American energy and American minerals,” Rose said, describing the administration’s announcement as “a huge shot in the arm for this industry.”
Rose also highlighted the historical decline of the U.S. mining sector, saying the country had lost more than 3,400 mines over the years.
The senator said the current push represents a major change in direction, with new mining projects opening at a pace he described as unprecedented in recent decades.
For West Virginia, a state with a deep coal-mining heritage, Rose said the renewed focus on domestic resources could provide an important economic opportunity while helping the country meet growing energy and industrial demand.
“It’s either America leads in innovation on this or we lose to China,” Rose said, referring to the broader competition over artificial intelligence and future technologies.
