The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration backed the Trump administration's roughly $3 billion investment package for domestic critical minerals, with more than $180 million earmarked for mining education and workforce development. The announcement was made Friday at a Presidential roundtable at the State Department attended by university and industry leaders alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. The package includes the Department of Energy's $100 million PROSPECT program, which aims to double graduates in mining and critical-minerals-related degree programs within two years, as well as more than $80 million for workforce development and technology hubs at the Colorado School of Mines, the South Dakota School of Mines, and Johns Hopkins University. SME said the funding comes as enrollment in U.S. mining engineering programs has dropped from nearly 1,500 students eight years ago to fewer than 600 in 2023, raising concerns about the supply of engineers, geologists, technicians, and skilled tradespeople needed for mine permitting, development, and operations. The organization urged Congress and the administration to sustain education funding over the long term and said it is prepared to work with federal agencies, universities, and industry partners on implementation.