Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73
§98a Congressional findings and declaration of purpose
Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - ARSENALS, ARMORIES, ARMS, AND WAR MATERIAL GENERALLY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC RAW MATERIALS › § 98a
Summary
Requires the government to hold stocks of strategic and critical materials because U.S. supplies are too small for military, industrial, and civilian needs. Those stocks are for national defense only, and the stockpile manager must try to recover materials to bring in positive cash and reduce the need for congressional funding.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §98a
War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Congress finds that the natural resources of the United States in certain strategic and critical materials are deficient or insufficiently developed to supply the military, industrial, and essential civilian needs of the United States for national defense.
(b)It is the purpose of this subchapter to provide for the acquisition and retention of stocks of certain strategic and critical materials and to encourage the conservation and development of sources of such materials within the United States and thereby to decrease and to preclude, when possible, a dangerous and costly dependence by the United States upon foreign sources or a single point of failure for supplies of such materials in times of national emergency.
(c)The purpose of the National Defense Stockpile is to serve the interest of national defense only. The National Defense Stockpile is not to be used for economic or budgetary purposes.
(d)To the maximum extent practicable and to reduce the reliance of the National Defense Stockpile program on appropriated funds, the National Defense Stockpile Manager shall seek to achieve positive cash flows from the recovery of strategic and critical materials pursuant to section 98e(a)(5) of this title.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 98a, acts
June 7, 1939, ch. 190, § 2, 53 Stat. 811;
July 23, 1946, ch. 590, 60 Stat. 596; 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 2(b), eff.
June 12, 1953, 18 F.R. 3375, 67 Stat. 634; 1958 Reorg. Plan No. 1, § 2, eff.
July 1, 1958, 23 F.R. 4991, 72 Stat. 1799; Oct. 21, 1968, Pub. L. 90–608, § 402, 82 Stat. 1194; Ex. Ord. No. 11725, § 3, eff.
June 29, 1973, 38 F.R. 17175, related to determination of strategic and critical materials, the quantity and quality to be purchased, formation and functions of industry advisory committees, and the subsistence and traveling expenses of members of those committees, prior to repeal by section 2(a) of Pub. L. 96–41. Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in former section 98 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 96–41.
Amendments
2023—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 118–31 added subsec. (d). 2013—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–239 inserted “or a single point of failure” after “foreign sources”. 1996—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–201 added subsec. (c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which read as follows: “In providing for the National Defense Stockpile under this subchapter, Congress establishes the following principles: “(1) The purpose of the National Defense Stockpile is to serve the interest of national defense only. The National Defense Stockpile is not to be used for economic or budgetary purposes. “(2) Before
October 1, 1994, the quantities of materials stockpiled under this subchapter should be sufficient to sustain the United States for a period of not less than three years during a national emergency situation that would necessitate total mobilization of the economy of the United States for a sustained conventional global war of indefinite duration. “(3) On and after
October 1, 1994, the quantities of materials stockpiled under this subchapter should be sufficient to meet the needs of the United States during a period of a national emergency that would necessitate an expansion of the Armed Forces together with a significant mobilization of the economy of the United States under planning guidance issued by the Secretary of Defense.” 1993—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 103–160, § 3311(1), substituted “Before
October 1, 1994, the quantities” for “The quantities”. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 103–160, § 3311(2), added par. (3). 1987—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–180 added subsec. (c).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1996 Amendment Pub. L. 104–201, div. C, title XXXIII, § 3311(c), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2857, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section and section 98h–5 of this title] shall take effect on October 1, 1996.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 98a
Title 50 — War and National Defense
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73