Dear Friends, 

As both Mayor of Miami-Dade County and a member of Congress I have seen firsthand the range of threats posed to U.S. ports by foreign adversarial actors such as Communist China and have continued to raise the alarm. The United States must decouple from Communist China in all facets of our lives. As Chairman of the Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee, I spearheaded a joint investigation with my colleagues from the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. In this investigation we formed a deeper understanding of the national security risks we are facing at our nation’s ports. We must understand and address these threats that could undermine the US supply chain and leave our national security at risk. The United States must secure its own equipment and end our dependence on foreign adversaries that seek to compromise our critical infrastructure.

The United States must decouple from Communist China in all facets of our lives. I am proud that my bill, H.R. 8631 - Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, was passed with unanimous and bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from procuring batteries from companies with ties to the People's Republic of China. With this bill we reaffirm and continue to decouple ourselves from Communist China but also send a demand signal to our own domestic industries to start producing critically important materials. We must proactively stay ahead and address these threats that undermine the US supply chain and leave our national security at risk. I urge the U.S. Senate to take up the bill so it can be sent to the President's desk. We were already late to recognize the PRC’s battery threat, and we cannot afford to do it again.

Read the full Joint Report HERE. 

Watch my video on the passage of H.R. 8631 HERE.

Read the full bill text HERE.

Sincerely,

Your Congressman, 
Carlos A. Gimenez 

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

As we mark the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m proud to recognize the countless contributions of our community to this truly exceptional country. I’m proud to serve alongside a RECORD number of Hispanic Republicans in Congress & work together to protect America.

U.S. Congress Commemorates the Service Members that Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Three years ago, 13 U.S. service members were killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The United States Congress presented the highest Congressional Honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the service members that made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect this great nation. We are eternally grateful for their valor, courage, and bravery. Their names are forever written in the history of the United States, and we will never forget their sacrifice. May God bless the 13 service members and their families.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Releases Report on the Deadly Biden- Harris Withdrawal from Afghanistan

These 13 brave members of our military, and 170 Afghan civilians, died as a result of the disastrous withdrawal led by the Biden-Harris Administration. In a report released by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, it was found that the Biden-Harris Administration endangered countless lives by abandoning American equipment, which was then taken by our adversaries, and leaving thousands of US allies stranded. The Biden-Harris Administration put politics over people which resulted in hundreds of lives lost. 

Read Willful Blindness: An Assessment of the Biden-Harris Administration's Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Chaos that Followed, HERE.

For more information on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s report on the Afghanistan withdrawal go to the committee website, or click HERE.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez Introduces Resolution Denouncing Communist Cuba’s Human Trafficking

The murderous regime in Havana is the largest, most cynical perpetrator of human trafficking in our hemisphere. Cuban doctors are trafficked like modern day slaves, their wages are garnished and they are exploited in the most inhumane conditions imaginable. As the only Cuban-born Member of Congress, I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this resolution to hold the Castro regime and its international accomplices accountable.

Read the resolution text HERE. 

Congressman Carlos Gimenez Met with the Peruvian Ambassador to the U.S.

Thanks to my friend, Alfredo Ferrero, the most excellent ambassador of the sister Republic of Peru for receiving us last night!

We will continue to work together to strengthen economic, tourism and cultural ties between the United States and Peru!

Congressman Carlos Gimenez Met with Members of the Monroe County Board of Education

I met with members of the Monroe County Board of Education to discuss innovative ways to recruit and retain teachers in our Florida Keys.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez Demands Answers on Castro Regime Agents in Miami

Alongside my colleagues Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) we sent letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding answers as to how Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, a known Castro regime agent, was granted a visa and was allowed entry into the United States on August 15, 2024.

Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, a member of Fidel Castro’s "coordination and support team" and a deputy of the Cuban National Assembly was granted a visa by the Biden-Harris Administration. Despite his known affiliation with the Cuban Communist Party, the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies failed to identify his involvement in the Castro regime's human rights violations.

Records obtained by the Judiciary Committee reveal discrepancies in Menéndez Castellanos's visa application, and the background checks. The review of his visa application did not flag him as inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which states that applicants affiliated with Communist or totalitarian parties inadmissible into the United States. The letter demands information on Castellanos’s case, including his alien-file, details of his U.S. entries, and explanations for the vetting lapses.

Read the full letter to Secretary Blinken HERE.

Read the full letter to Secretary Mayorkas HERE.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez Joined the Florida Congressional Delegation in Proactively Preparing for 2026 FIFA World Cup

I sent a letter with Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Scott Franklin (R-FL) to President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, it is important that security preparations begin now for this international sporting event. With Miami already being one of the major tourist hubs in the United States, an extra spotlight will be on our community as we host matches and base camps for competing teams.

The Biden-Harris Administration and Department of Homeland Security must begin planning the security procedures now to ensure safe World Cup events. That is why we have sent a letter asking questions to make sure all security concerns are met with proper attention to ensure that not only our community, but the international community has an enjoyable and safe FIFA World Cup.

Read the full letter HERE.

Team Gimenez Attends a Briefing on the War in Israel

Team Gimenez attended a briefing hosted by the Deputy Director general, North America Division, of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the war in Israel and the importance of the US-Israel relation.

The United States will continue to stand with Israel.

Team Gimenez Joins Rep. Salazar’s Job Fair

Team Gimenez proudly joined our dear friend Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar’s team at her Job Fair at Miami-Dade College. We are constantly working together to best serve the people of South Florida.

Committee Activities 

The Committee on Homeland Security held a full markup on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Congressman Carlos Gimenez supported the three pieces of legislation.

H.R. 9460 - DHS Joint Task Forces Reauthorization Act. Introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY). 

H.R. 9459 - Producing Advanced Technologies for Homeland Security (PATHS) Act. Introduced by Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD).

H.R. 9458 - Enhancing Stakeholder Support and Outreach for Preparedness Grants Act. Introduced by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). 

Watch the markup HERE.


The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party held its fifth Critical Minerals Policy Working Group. In this meeting the working group discussed the human capital gaps in the critical mineral supply chain in the United States and how to address the workforce shortages and skill deficiencies. 

Watch the working group meeting HERE.

Legislative Updates

H.R. 8631 - Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, Introduced by Rep. Carlos Gimenez. Passed the House with unanimous, bipartisan support.

H. Res. 1446 - Denouncing Cuban Human Trafficking, Introduced by Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) on September 12, 2024.

Recent Votes

H.R. 7980 - End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024, (Yea) Passed 217-192.

H.R. 9456 - Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, (Yea) Passed 269-149.

H.R. 1398 - Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024, (Yea) Passed 237-180. 

H.R. 1425 - No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act, (Yea) Passed 219-199.

H.R. 1516 - DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, (Yea) Passed 249-161.

H.R. 1103 - Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act, (Yea) Passed 413-3.

H. Res. 1430 - Establish the CCP Initiative Program, (Yea) Passed 209-206.

H.R. 8333 - BIOSECURE Act, (Yea) Passed 306-8.

H.R. 1157 - Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023, (Yea) Passed 351-36.

Team Gimenez Office Hours

Need help with a passport, visa, veterans benefits, IRS, immigration or any other issue with a federal agency? Join my team, Thursday, September 19, 2023, for mobile office hours in Sweetwater - Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center – 250 SW 114th Ave. Sweetwater, FL, 33174 

WHAT: Mobile Office Hours

WHEN: Thursday, September 19, 2024

WHERE: Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center – 250 SW 114th Ave. Sweetwater, FL, 33174.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at 305-222-0160 or click HERE.