July 31 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan FCX.N on Wednesday said it was "hopeful" the U.S. government would enact policies that recognize the importance of domestic mining, in what was the company's first reaction to President Donald Trump's unexpectedly scaled-back copper tariff plan.
"Without a strong domestic mining sector, the U.S. will remain heavily dependent on foreign sources for its copper, a material critical to defense, infrastructure and technological innovation," the Phoenix-based company said in a statement to Reuters.