1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to express deep concern over the United States’ failure to lead the world in crucial energy and technology sectors, including battery research, solar energy, and other green technologies. While other nations — most notably China — have executed long‑term, strategic investments in these areas, the U.S. continues to lag behind, undermining our economic competitiveness, national security, and environmental progress. According to industry analysis, the U.S. entered the global battery “arms race” more than a decade late and without a cohesive strategy. China’s long‑term national strategy has created a deeply integrated ecosystem that dominates critical stages of battery production. China now refines major portions of the world’s key battery minerals, including nearly three‑quarters of global cobalt and the vast majority of battery‑grade manganese, and has built hyperscale manufacturing capacity that undercuts global competitors on cost and scale. This advantage is the result of decades of centralized planning, state‑backed investment, and incentives that have far outpaced U.S. efforts. Part of the problem is that U.S. incentives for battery manufacturing have focused more on assembling existing lithium‑ion cells than on advancing the next generation of battery technology. While our competitors pursue innovation in solid‑state batteries — technologies that promise greater energy density, safety, and long lifespan — federal investment in these cutting‑edge areas remains minimal. Without a substantial pivot toward next‑generation research and commercialization, we risk ceding this critical frontier to other nations permanently. China’s advantage extends beyond batteries. It also dominates solar panel production and electric vehicle manufacturing, leveraging industrial policy and export‑oriented growth. Despite early American innovation in solar technology, long‑term leadership has slipped as other countries executed pragmatic strategies and scaled production aggressively. The stakes of this technology race are enormous. Batteries, solar power, and green technologies are foundational to the global transition away from fossil fuels, the electrification of transportation, energy storage for resilient grids, and burgeoning economic sectors that will define the 21st century. Leadership in these industries carries not just economic benefits but strategic advantages in supply chain security, national defense applications, climate resilience, and job creation across regions and industries. Congress has vital tools at its disposal — increased research funding through agencies like the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, targeted incentives for commercialization of next‑generation technologies, and legislative frameworks that support long‑term investment over short‑term gains. Yet our policies remain reactive rather than visionary, and our competitors are reaping the benefits of sustained commitment where we have not. I respectfully ask why the United States is not investing aggressively in our future in the same way other nations have. What steps are you supporting to ensure that America does not permanently fall behind in the global technology and green energy race? How are you advocating for robust federal investment in research, development, and industrial strategy that matches or exceeds what our competitors have done? Our prosperity, energy independence, and climate future depend on bold action now. I look forward to your response outlining how you will work to secure American leadership in these vital technologies.