It is essential that our nation’s leaders ensure we are not so dependent on foreign products and energy that we are incapable of being self-sustaining in the crises we face as a nation. We learned in the early days of COVID-19 that many critical supplies like N-95 masks came from China. You may have also learned that in 2021 the US received 21% of its gasoline from Russia. This reliance on other nations comes with significant risk. The United States has the resources to care for itself, and we ought to be self-sustaining in the essentials.