Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) repeatedly advocated for the expansion of the U.S. State Department and aid to African nations, but did not get the answers he was looking for.

During a Senate subcommittee hearing called “Critical Minerals: Finding Opportunities for U.S.-Africa Partnerships” on Wednesday, Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) warned about the growing control China has over rare-earth minerals in Africa.

While Senator Booker agreed that Chinese expansion is a top issue, his solution was mainly to suggest that the State Department needs more government workers.

‘I’m pleased to report that in the Africa bureau we’ve had zero RIFs.’

Booker’s opening remarks thanked Republicans for their bipartisan efforts, noting that China consistently “rushes to fill” any gaps in the market related to minerals. However, the senator quickly shifted to complaints about the Trump administration cutting jobs at the State Department that he said were integral to surveying and exploring African nations for minerals.

He also claimed that aid supporting “labor, environmental, and peace-building programs” had been cut by the Trump administration. Booker argued that regional aid protected vulnerable African communities that have been exploited.

The Democrat then sought confirmation from witness Jonathan Pratt, a senior official from the Bureau of African Affairs, asking him, “Couldn’t we use more staff [and] more people focused on this?”

While Pratt said he is always concerned with staffing, he calmly reported to the senator that no one from his department had actually been fired and that in fact, it has actually expanded.

“I’m pleased to report that in the Africa bureau we’ve had zero RIFs,” Pratt explained.

“I’m pleased to say we got a result we were pleased with in terms of the staffing we were able to retain,” Pratt continued, informing Booker that the African bureau had actually “added an office” under the Trump administration, as well.

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President Joe Biden meets with African leaders at the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit in Angola on December 4, 2024. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP

Much of the hearing focused on China’s child- and forced-labor practices, which include trapping African countries into infrastructure loans to keep mineral prices low and undercut American companies.

Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) pointed out that Russian dumps of palladium have driven a mine in Montana out of business, while Minnesota’s mining industry was handcuffed by President Biden’s administration canceling lease renewals over environmental concerns in 2022.

Scott Woodard, acting deputy assistant secretary for economic growth, energy, and environment, added that due to Chinese monopolies that overproduce products to lower prices, mines in Idaho cannot compete.

According to Cruz, China is pouring billions into securing mining routes to gain control over cobalt, copper, lithium, and other rare-earth minerals in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

The alternative, according to Cruz and the committee, is to shift control of the Lobito Corridor to Western allies such as the United States and the European Union.

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Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The economic route connects a port in Angola to DR Congo and the “Copperbelt in Zambia,” providing access to minerals and mines.

Investing in the region has been part of the American strategy in Africa for years and was actually the main topic of discussion in 2024 when President Biden infamously fell asleep during a meeting in Angola.

Senator Cruz summarized the U.S. efforts by saying that while shifting the United States’ supply chain away from China is complex and difficult, it is also an “opportunity to reshape U.S.-Africa based relations from aid-based to investment-led engagement.”

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