SILVER $91- The 180-Day Timer is Live Why the US Mint Just Froze

Описание: 1. The 180-Day Countdown | Silver Just Became a National Security Asset
2. Why the US Government Is About to Compete for Physical Silver
3. Section 232 Activated | The Quiet Shift in the Silver Market
4. The Mint Blinked | What Washington Knows About Silver Supply
5. When Governments Start Buying Silver, Markets Change



While most people were focused on weekend headlines, a 180-day clock quietly started ticking inside Washington that could permanently change how silver is priced, sourced, and controlled. On January 14th, 2026, President Trump signed a Section 232 proclamation placing silver and copper under the same national security framework previously used for steel and aluminum. Within 24 hours, senators introduced legislation for a $2.5 billion strategic minerals buying agency. And just 48 hours before both announcements, the US Mint suspended silver sales, admitting in writing it could not keep up with price movements.

Three events. Seventy-two hours. One unmistakable convergence.

The Section 232 proclamation is not symbolic. It declares that US reliance on imported critical minerals threatens national security and orders trade negotiations over the next 180 days. Buried in the language is a phrase that changes everything: negotiators are instructed to consider price floors for critical minerals, including silver. That means minimum prices below which imports cannot enter the US market. This is the same authority used in prior trade wars, now aimed directly at strategic metals.

The next day, bipartisan legislation followed. The Secure Minerals Act proposes a $2.5 billion Strategic Resilience Reserve, effectively a government-run buyer and stockpiler of critical minerals. Structured similarly to the Federal Reserve, this agency would have the authority to purchase silver and other materials not to make a profit, but to secure supply. Senate aides have openly stated the agency could pay above-market prices if necessary to support domestic and allied producers. That is a fundamentally different type of market participant.

Then there’s the signal most people missed. On January 12th, the US Mint suspended sales of silver numismatic products, citing rapidly rising prices they could not reprice fast enough. This wasn’t speculation. The Mint deals in physical metal. When they pause sales, it’s because the physical supply chain is under stress. At the same time, paper silver prices on futures exchanges were trading above the retail price of physical government-issued coins, a market condition that should not exist in a functioning system.

This is where the story gets bigger. Silver is not just an investment metal. It is embedded in solar panels, electric vehicles, advanced electronics, communications systems, and military hardware. The Department of Defense relies on it. Yet the US remains dependent on foreign processing capacity, particularly China, even for silver mined domestically. The Section 232 report states plainly that mining a resource at home does not provide security if processing happens abroad.

What we are witnessing is a transition. The government is moving from regulator to participant, from rule-maker to buyer. Price floors, strategic reserves, and direct intervention are being discussed not after a crisis, but in anticipation of one. At the same time, the physical market is already showing strain through expanding premiums, delivery delays, and suspended mint sales.

The paper market can create unlimited claims. The physical market cannot create unlimited supply. When governments begin competing for physical assets, that gap matters.

This is not about predicting prices. It’s about understanding mechanics. The rules governing silver are being rewritten in real time. The 180-day countdown is active. The policies are moving. The physical signals are flashing.

The question isn’t whether change is coming. It’s whether you recognize it while it’s happening, or only after the rules are already different.