Donald Trump Jr. and Zach Witkoff of World Liberty Financial at Token2049, a major crypto conference in Singapore, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Waxman
Republicans on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee blocked a Democratic request to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump’s eldest son, for supporting critical mineral companies.
President Trump’s administration is attempting to rapidly increase production of critical minerals in the United States. Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth magnet maker backed by Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, received a $620 million federal loan from the Defense Department last year.
Democrats on the panel tried to subpoena the younger Trump to force his testimony on the Vulcan deal. The hearing, called by the majority of Republicans on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, was titled “Unleashing America’s Mineral Potential: The Supply Chain for Critical Mineral Resources.”
“We are tired of waiting for Republicans to fulfill their oversight obligations,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the subcommittee, as she made the subpoena request. “Donald Trump Jr. must be held accountable over whether the president’s son illegally profited from his father’s presidency.”
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Dexter also called for Patrick Witt of the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital to be subpoenaed. After this story was published, the committee told CNBC that Dexter incorrectly named Vulcan Materials CEO Ronnie Pruitt. She wanted to subpoena the CEO of Vulcan Elements, John Maslin, the company that supports Donald Trump Jr.
Trump’s family business relationships came under intense scrutiny during his second term, particularly the investment activities of his sons Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Democrats have warned that they could benefit financially if the companies they support win lucrative contracts from her father’s administration.
Republican subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, immediately put the committee into a nearly hour-long recess following the motion. After his return, Gosar filed the request for a subpoena. The motion was submitted with a vote of 5:2. Republicans control the subcommittee 5-3.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., then immediately moved to adjourn the subcommittee hearing after the resolution was filed.
Natural Resources Committee member Jared Huffman, D-California, warned that the problem “is not going away.”
“You can take these actions, but you can’t hide, you can’t shirk responsibility,” Huffman said.
The subcommittee then adjourned by a vote of 5-2.
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