Washington, D.C. - Today, at the House Homeland Security Committee markup hearing, Congressman Carlos Gimenez's bill, H.R. 3169 - Identifying Adversarial Threats at Our Ports Act, was reported out of committee with unanimous support. The bill will now head to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Read the bill HERE.

Watch the markup hearing HERE.

 

Read my full statement as prepared below for the committee markup below:

As Chairman of the Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee, I urge the Committee to support the Identifying Adversarial Threats at our Ports Act.

This critical piece of legislation will safeguard our maritime infrastructure from adversaries seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in our ports.

Our maritime ports are the lifeblood of America’s economy and vital to our national security. Our ports are essential to our military’s ability to respond to threats and project power overseas.

Foreign actors, particularly Communist China, have systematically positioned themselves to infiltrate our port technology and equipment, such as ship-to-shore cranes.

During my time as Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I oversaw the operations of PortMiami, which is the busiest cruise ship terminal in the world and the 12th largest port for containerized cargo volume.

I saw firsthand how crucial U.S. ports are to local economies, but also how they present soft targets to our adversaries.

Now, during my time in Congress, I have continued to raise concerns on the United States’ reliance on equipment and technology that have been manufactured or assembled by the regime in Communist China.

The China Select and Homeland Security Committees conducted a joint investigation over the course of more than a year, which resulted in a report detailing concerns about PRC-manufactured ship-to-shore cranes operating in U.S. ports.

Recognizing the gravity of any sort of disruption at our ports, it is important to gain understanding and address the security vulnerabilities at our maritime ports.

H.R. 3169 ensures that we identify and address these concerns before our adversaries can cause harm, while strengthening the security of our ports against potential exploitation.

By passing this legislation, Congress will take a crucial step in defending the integrity of our supply chains and reinforcing our national security. 

I am proud to sponsor of this bill and am grateful to the gentleman from California, Mr. Garamendi, for his support on this important piece of legislation.  

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back.  

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Congressman Carlos Giménez represents Miami-Dade County and the beautiful Florida Keys. He is the only Cuban-born Member of the 118th Congress, having fled his homeland shortly after the Communist takeover of the island. He is the first career firefighter paramedic elected to the House of Representatives and served as the former Fire Chief of the City of Miami and Mayor of Miami-Dade County. He serves as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, the Armed Services Committee, and the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.