; and (9) in those cases where domestic materials are more expensive than materials available from international sources, often owing to unfair trade and labor practices in foreign countries, the fund should reimburse weapons systems programs for cost increases as a result of procuring strategic and critical materials from domestic sources. 3. Strategic materials investment fund (a) Establishment There is established in the Treasury of the United States a separate fund to be known as the Strategic Materials Investment Fund (in this section referred to as the Fund ). The Fund shall consist of amounts deposited to it under subsection (e). (b) Fund operations The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Administrator of the Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Materials, may make expenditures from the Fund to develop the domestic strategic and critical materials industrial base, including by— (1) making loans to domestic producers of strategic and critical materials in accordance with subsection (c) for the purposes of— (A) constructing, upgrading, and operating facilities inside the United States for the smelting, sintering, leaching, processing, separation, beneficiation, or production of strategic and critical materials; and (B) developing new technologies for the more efficient smelting, sintering, leaching, processing, separation, beneficiation, or production of strategic and critical materials; and (2) reimbursing original equipment manufacturers in accordance with subsection (d). (c) Loans to domestic producers (1) In general Amounts from the Fund may be used to make loans to domestic producers of strategic and critical materials for the purposes described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (b)(1). (2) Eligibility A domestic producer of strategic and critical materials shall not be eligible to receive a loan from the Fund if such producer— (A) is carrying out an activity described in subsection (f); (B) has a history of financial insolvency or bankruptcy