On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) reacted to the Biden administration blocking a mineral mining project in Minnesota by stating that the move “is part of the deranged climate policy pushed by the Biden administration” that is “enriching the Communist Party of China.”

Ernst said, [relevant remarks begin around 3:45] “Larry, it is part of the deranged climate policy pushed by the Biden administration. You would think that in order to support this huge electric vehicle push by the Biden administration, that they would at least want to source it from the United States. But all of these critical minerals, we have to go to China to source them or we have to send our own product to China for refining. We have become even more dependent upon the Chinese under the Biden administration. And again it goes back to deranged climate policy that is not benefiting Americans, but instead enriching the Communist Party of China. So, we shouldn’t be doing this. We should focus and source our natural resources here in the good old United States and provide for American jobs. If they want to go to EVs, great, make it a consumer choice. But let’s at least not utilize China and child and slave labor to obtain those critical minerals. We can do it much safer here.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett