The Reserve No One Was Allowed to Touch? Jim Rickards Reveals America’s Long-Frozen National Asset

Once Protected for Emergency Use, a Vast U.S. Resource May Finally Be Activated After Supreme Court Shake-Up

/EIN News/ -- WASHINGTON, April 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deep within the U.S. legal system lies a “federal reserve” unlike any other. It doesn’t deal in dollars. It isn’t printed or borrowed. And for more than 160 years, it was intentionally left untouched.

Now, former CIA advisor Jim Rickards says that policy of restraint may be coming to an end.

“This wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t buried,” Rickards explains. “This was always part of the system—just not the part anyone ever expected to use.”

According to Rickards, a long-standing body of federal law has quietly preserved access to a massive natural resource—rich in minerals essential to national infrastructure, energy, and defense. But for decades, it remained legally out of reach.

THE STRUCTURE BUILT FOR LATER—NOT FOR NOW

First written into U.S. code during the 42nd Congress, the legal foundation for this asset was built to preserve, not exploit. Unlike oil drilling or timber rights, Rickards says this resource was placed under tight control to serve a future strategic purpose—a national contingency plan written into law.

“It was a form of protection,” Rickards says. “The country knew it was sitting on something massive, but chose to wait.”

That wait, he argues, may finally be over.

THE COURT CASE THAT BROKE THE SEAL

In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron Doctrine—a legal precedent that gave regulatory agencies expansive authority, and this power was used to restrict access to federal lands. Rickards says this ruling resets the system.

“Agencies used that doctrine to block everything,” Rickards says. “But now that firewall is down—and the door is open.”

He believes this legal shift will force the government to reevaluate its long-dormant mineral wealth and finally transition it into active national use.

NOT PRINTED MONEY—PHYSICAL WEALTH

Unlike stimulus bills or entitlement spending, this asset doesn’t appear on balance sheets. It’s physical. Geological. Strategic.

Copper. Lithium. Silver. Rare earths. And more.

“These are the materials that power nations,” Rickards notes. “And the U.S. has more of them than anyone realizes—locked beneath our own soil.”

He adds that many of these materials are currently sourced from foreign nations that either restrict exports or use supply as leverage.

A RETURN TO AMERICAN CONTROL

Rickards describes this moment as a turning point—not just for economics, but for national independence.

“This isn’t about stimulus. It’s about sovereignty,” he says.
“We built a system that kept this in reserve. And now, the country may need it more than ever.”

He draws comparisons to the early use of tariffs and resource-based revenue in the pre–income tax era, when America’s physical advantage helped build financial stability.

About Jim Rickards

Jim Rickards is a lawyer, economist, and former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. He is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling books including Currency Wars, The Death of Money, and Aftermath. With more than 40 years of experience in financial intelligence and national security, Rickards is known for exposing hidden risks and untapped opportunities embedded in global systems.

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