Trump to unveil $180 million grant package for mining education and workforce

President Trump will use a State Department gathering on Friday to announce a suite of grants exceeding $180 million aimed at bolstering mining education and trade training. The Department of Energy will launch a $100 million program to fund scholarships and related initiatives over the next two years, while the military will contribute more than $80 million to three universities. Specific allocations include $32.7 million for a technology hub at the Colorado School of Mines, $25 million for workforce programs at the South Dakota School of Mines, and $23.6 million for a recycling-focused effort at Johns Hopkins University.

Secretaries Marco Rubio, Doug Burgum and Howard Lutnick are expected to attend. The grants support the administration’s strategy to expand U.S. output of critical minerals such as lithium, silicon, graphite and rare-earth elements, commodities essential for semiconductors and aerospace that are currently dominated by China.