Gina Marie Raimondo (/rəˈmɒndoʊ/; born May 17, 1971) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, politician, and venture capitalist who served from 2021 to 2025 as the 40th United States secretary of commerce.

[11][12][13] Chosen to serve as Secretary of Commerce by President Joe Biden,[1] she played a leading role in negotiations for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.

[28] At Point Judith, Raimondo served as a general partner covering health care investments; she retains some executive duties with the firm.

$500 million in funds could be eligible for the program, which would enable Treasury "to extend its expertise to municipalities and improve investment returns by creating economies of scale".

[45] In 2014, Raimondo ran for governor of Rhode Island, and won a contested Democratic primary against Providence mayor Angel Taveras and former Department of Education official Clay Pell.

[46] On November 4, 2014, Raimondo won the general election with 41% of the vote in a three-way race versus Republican Allan Fung and Moderate Party nominee Robert J.

[48][49] In 2018, Raimondo was reelected, defeating former secretary of state Matt Brown in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Fung in the general election.

[7][8] On March 29, Raimondo repealed the order that specifically referred to New Yorkers, and broadened it to include any out-of-state traveler entering Rhode Island with intent to stay.

[18] State-by-state polling by Microsoft News in April 2020 found that 76% of Rhode Islanders said they approved of the work Raimondo and her administration did "to keep people safe" during the ongoing crisis.

[58] A widely criticized rollout of a new computer network system for the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services dubbed the "Unified Health Infrastructure Project" (UHIP) in September 2016 saw scores of people without access to government programs such as food stamps and child care due to glitches in the software, designed by Deloitte.

In response, U.S. Food and Nutrition Service's Northeast Regional Administrator Kurt Messner urged Raimondo to postpone the launch because it would interrupt or interfere with benefits the agency oversees.

Federal officials judged that the state was not compliant in lowering a significant case backlog, starting a sufficient call-center, adequate staff training, and improving wait times at Health and Human Services field offices.

[62] In February 2017, Executive Secretary of Health and Human Services Elizabeth H. Roberts resigned from her cabinet post in the Raimondo administration[63] due to the failed roll-out of the UHIP.

[63] In March 2017, Rhode Island Monthly reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had opened an investigation into UHIP, specifically false claims and statements made about the Health and Human Services computer network rollout.

Harvard Kennedy School professor and former Obama administration official Jeffrey Liebman agreed with the recommendations and analysis of the report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and claimed that the DCYF is "the most messed-up agency ever".

Secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Raimondo cabinet member Womazetta Jones said in December 2019 that she was "very determined to stay the course of not hiring anybody unless it's the right person".

[78] In early February 2020, Raimondo appeared alongside former Republican New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg at the Wexford Innovation Center in Providence to endorse his candidacy, a move she described as "an easy call".

Press secretary Jennifer Bogdan Jones of the Governor's Office told The Providence Journal that Raimondo "is prepared to do whatever it takes to support Mike and defeat President Trump.

[88] In August 2021, Politico reported that Raimondo had become one of the "administration's secret weapons on the Hill" in her role as a negotiator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

[97] Senator Elizabeth Warren told The New York Times that she had "real concerns about the department's approach, whether it's approving assault weapon sales, negotiating trade deals or supporting big tech companies".

[100] In March 2021, she issued subpoenas to several China-based telecommunications firms, arguing that "unrestricted use of untrusted ICTS poses a national security risk".

She was criticized by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who argued that her comments contradicted the Biden administration's efforts "to protect consumers and workers from Big Tech monopolies".

[108][109] As secretary of commerce, Raimondo has helped lead the U.S. response to the global chip shortage and has urged Congress to pass legislation to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

[112] Raimondo was criticized in an opinion piece published in The Hill for using CHIPS funding for DEI initiatives, specifically chip-making training programs at historically black colleges and universities.

[118] Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Department of Commerce under Raimondo implemented export controls in order to restrict Russia's access to military technology.

[124] On March 11, 2024, on the United States Presidential Trade Mission to the Philippines, Raimondo met Alfredo E. Pascual and Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go at Solaire Resort & Casino and said, "On this trip alone, these 22 company heads in the delegation are announcing over $1 billion of U.S. investments, including educational [and training] opportunities to over 30 million Filipinos in the form of digital upskilling, artificial intelligence upskilling, and digital training.

"[125] On October 1, 2024, the International Longshoremen's Association struck 37 ports in the eastern and south central U.S., curtailing import and export activity between the U.S. and its trade partners.

Raimondo was criticized for an interview the previous day on CNBC's Squawk Box in which she acknowledged that the strike "could be very disruptive to commerce" but said she was not focused on the issue and "not particularly involved", referring questions to the White House and Transportation Secretary.

[135] On January 27, 2025, CFR announced that Raimondo will join the Council as a DC-based distinguished fellow, co-chairing its Task Force on economic security.

[136] Raimondo serves as vice chair of the board of directors of Crossroads Rhode Island, the state's largest homeless services organization.