Free Republic

Deflating security: Biden sells federal helium reserve, threatens us industries… National security on the line as critical element supply diminishes. In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. government has auctioned off the Federal Helium Reserve, a subterranean treasure in Amarillo, Texas, responsible for supplying up to 30% of the nation’s helium needs. This critical element is indispensable in medical technologies, cryogenics, semiconductors, and even rocket propulsion systems.

This month’s announcement from Party City that it’s closing more than 40 stores as it grapples with new challenges, including diminishing helium supplies, likely came as unwelcome news to customers who count on the store for their balloon and event planning needs. But for scientists like Mark Elsesser, the announcement was something of a relief, inflating hopes that the public, and the government, might start paying closer attention. “When it comes to helium, we’re at a tipping point,” said Elsesser, who is the associate director of government affairs at the American Physical Society, a nonprofit association of physicists. “Party City...