South Miami-Dade News

Today, Congressman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) released a statement in collaboration with Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) of the House Homeland Security Committee. The statement addresses the recent action by the Department of Homeland Security's Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, which has added CATL and Gotion to its forced labor entity list. These companies, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, are electric vehicle battery manufacturers planning operations in the United States.

"While we are pleased with this initial step, we remain concerned that CATL and Gotion’s supply chains are deeply tied to the Xinjiang region. It is past time to stop spending taxpayer dollars partnering with Gotion and CATL," reads part of their joint statement. They emphasized that "American companies should cut ties with these Chinese Communist Party-aligned battery companies and focus on developing a resilient supply chain free of forced labor."

The statement further criticizes current administration policies: "The Biden-Harris Administration rules that would allow American taxpayer dollars to subsidize Chinese batteries tainted by slave labor must also be reversed." The congressmen advocate for advancing bipartisan legislation known as the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependency Act. This legislation aims to eliminate forced labor from U.S. supply chains and reduce dependency on China.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez represents Miami-Dade County and Florida Keys in Congress. He holds a unique position as the only Cuban-born member of the 118th Congress, having fled Cuba after its communist takeover. Before his congressional role, he served as Fire Chief for Miami City and Mayor of Miami-Dade County. Currently, he chairs several committees related to homeland security, armed services, and relations with China.