U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez says he will seek to be the next Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.
“I believe my unique career, rooted in public safety, executive leadership, and crisis management, makes me the right person to lead this Committee at a time when our nation faces unprecedented threats both at home and abroad,” Giménez wrote in a letter to colleagues first obtained by POLITICO.
Giménez’s announcement came after U.S. Rep. Mark Green, the Tennessee Republican currently chairing the committee, announced he would immediately retire from Congress following a vote on a tax package in the House.
In addition to Giménez, Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York told Inside Cybersecurity that he will run. U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican who already chairs the House Ethics Committee, told the Magnolia Tribune that he will consult with family about whether to seek the post.
The decision on who succeeds Green in wielding the gavel will be made by the House Republican Steering Committee.
Giménez cited his background working as a first responder and later as Mayor of Miami-Dade County among reasons he would be well suited to lead the committee.
“My service began on the frontlines, as a firefighter in the City of Miami, where I rose to become a SWAT-paramedic and the youngest Fire Chief in the city’s history. I then served as City Manager of Miami and later as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner,” he wrote.
“For a decade, I was honored to serve as the Mayor and Sheriff of Miami-Dade County, overseeing PortMiami, Miami International Airport, and Emergency Management Operations for one of the most dynamic, diverse, and largest counties in the country. These roles were not theoretical, they were boots-on-the-ground, real-world experiences that mirror the mission of this Committee: aviation and maritime security, border protection, emergency response, and law enforcement coordination.”
Giménez currently chairs the Homeland Security Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee and sits on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee.
He won his South Florida seat in Congress in 2020, unseating Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
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