Brian Mast

Criminal Justice / Public Safety

I see my mission in Congress the same way I saw it in the military: keeping Americans safe. That’s why I’ve made community safety, health and strength top priorities during my time in Congress. That means equipping our local law enforcement with the support they need to fight crime, prevent terrorism, reduce violence, stop domestic violence, prevent opioid overdose and much more. I strongly oppose radical efforts to defund the police. Learn more

Defense / Veterans

Every veteran who the VA serves must be treated as the most important veteran to ever be served. Anything less is unacceptable because every veteran who has sworn the oath, worn the uniform and offered to give the last beat of their heart cannot be taken for granted. As someone who gets my own care through the VA I know that there are many passionate men and women who dedicate their lives to serving veterans. I also know, unfortunately, that oftentimes veterans do not receive the quality of care that they have earned. That’s why I support giving veterans the flexibility to choose anytime, anywhere medical care, and I also opened the first-ever office inside a VA facility to provide on-the-spot support to veterans in our community. Learn more

Education

In addition to improving community safety, strong communities rely on having excellent educational opportunities available to all. I believe Washington, D.C. Should not be mandating curriculum for states. Instead, each state should be a laboratory for innovation so states compete with each other for the best results and parents maintain a strong say in their children’s’ education. School choice is a very important issue for me, and I will continue advocating for dollars to follow students so parents can decide which school is best for their children. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Operational change and new infrastructure can address the impacts of many problems, but stronger efforts are also needed to address the root of the problems. In Florida, agriculture is the dominant source of phosphorus and nitrogen within most impaired watersheds. Industries and property owners should be held to clearly enforceable pollution standards and penalties. Likewise, the State of Florida’s Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) and the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) must be strengthened. The federal government can and should be a partner to supplement state efforts preventing pollution and holding polluters accountable. That’s why I’ve helped introduce and pass legislation to increase funding for EPA grant programs that support these efforts. The bottom line is that nearly every facet of Florida’s waterways has been manipulated to benefit for-profit industries at the expense of everybody else. The result has been an increase in pollution, added costs for taxpayers, a massive public health crisis and the destruction of the Everglades. It is well past time to flip the script and reclaim Florida’s waterways for the people. Learn more

Foreign Policy

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee since my first day in Congress, I have worked to oppose the dangerous BDS movement, support Israel’s efforts to counter instability in the Middle East and prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Specifically, I introduced and passed legislation to combat radical Islamic terrorism, cut off U.S. Aid funds being used to reward anti-Israel terrorists, increase U.S. – Israel joint missile defense activities and more. I also strongly opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal and supported President Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement. Now, as Chairman of this important committee, I will do everything within my power to support President Trump’s remarkable efforts in the Middle East and our ally Israel! Learn more

As a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I know we must work to combat aggression from Iran, North Korea, Russia and other adversaries who work to undermine global security. I strongly opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal and commend President Trump for withdrawing from it. That’s why I’ve voted to institute new sanctions on Iran, as well as North Korea and Russia. Moreover, Russia’s attempts to sow discord in the American electoral process must not be tolerated and must be met with a strong response to protect the foundation of our democracy. I also believe, however, that America’s endless wars must be brought to an end. Congress has a responsibility to take back the Constitutional authority to declare war and define what our specific objectives are overseas. We should not be writing a blank check of American taxpayer dollars and sending it overseas. Our government’s foremost responsibility must always be to our own citizens. Learn more

Government Reform

I support term limits for politicians and have co-sponsored legislation implementing a cap of three terms for members of the House of Representatives and two terms for members of the Senate. Learn more

Guns

I have carried a rifle and a pistol for most of my adult life and fired both in defense of every American and myself. The right to defend ourselves is God-given. It is not a right provided to us by our federal government, but rather, the right to keep and bear arms is a right the federal government is sworn to protect. That’s why during my time in Congress I’ve helped pass legislation to protect the 2nd Amendment rights of concealed carry permit holders, and I have opposed efforts by Nancy Pelosi and her allies to erode the 2nd Amendment by giving unelected bureaucrats more control over firearm laws in the United States. As your representative in Congress, I will continue to uphold the oath I took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, and I will fight to protect our Second Amendment from all attempts to erode it. Learn more

Healthcare

There’s no doubt we also need to eliminate red tape to speed up the development of life saving cures and drive down costs for prescription drugs. To that end, I helped pass new legislation to lower prescription drug costs, secured more than 6 billion to combat the opioid epidemic, increased support for Alzheimer’s patients and funded new cancer research. Of course, no conversation about healthcare is complete without discussing critical needs for Medicare beneficiaries and veterans. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

Every year families and small businesses across the country are forced to set and live by a budget. 46 states are required to have balanced budgets, but the federal government has no such requirement. As a result, Congress regularly passes budgets that never balance, put us into even more debt and mortgage our children’s future. I support and have voted in favor of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to fix this problem, and I’ll keep fighting to get it across the finish line! Learn more

I oppose tax increases, and I fight with everything I’ve got to cut your taxes. Politicians in Washington, D.C. Far too often forget that the dollars they are spending are not theirs: they belong to you. That means every dollar less the federal government spends is a dollar more that stays in your pocket where it belongs. Learn more