In a memorandum issued on July 12, 2019, President Trump declined to instate quotas or other restrictions on uranium imports under the authority of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, disagreeing with the assessment by the Secretary of Commerce that current import rates of uranium constitute a threat to the national security of the United States as defined under section 232 of the Act.  However, in response to the “significant concerns” raised by the findings of the Secretary of Commerce, the President called for the establishment of the of the United States Nuclear Fuel Working Group to undertake a fuller analysis of the national security considerations of the nuclear fuel supply chain.

The Working Group was initially directed to report findings and recommendations to the President within 90 days of the memorandum. The  original October 10, 2019 deadline has since passed. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported a 30-day extension for the Working Group. While, that deadline has also passed and the status of the Working Group is currently unknown, reports are emerging that the Working Group will recommend that the U.S. Department of Defense purchase uranium, among other measures.