The reason the United States pretends like it doesn't have plenty of rare Earth metals, is because of the insane anti-nuke cult that causes you to have to discard thorium as if it was a dangerous waste.
Thorium is usually co-deposited with rare earths. So nobody in the United States or Canada can afford to mine or process rare earths because they can't afford to dispose of bananas. Or Rather thorium which has the same radioactivity as a banana.