USTR's Greer says Commerce considering critical minerals trade probe

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday the Commerce Department was considering a national security investigation into critical minerals to reduce dependence on China, telling lawmakers he also was willing to discuss how to implement a possible ban on purchases of Chinese uranium.

Greer told the Senate Finance Committee that Commerce, which has jurisdiction over such Section 232 probes, is "considering whether they need to take some kind of action, looking at a potential Section 232 investigation of critical minerals, how we need that here, how we get processing here."