Congressman Brian Mast is in his third term representing the 18th Congressional District of Florida.
Prior to his election to Congress, Brian followed in his father’s footsteps by serving in the U.S. Army for more than 12 years, earning medals including The Bronze Star Medal, The Army Commendation Medal for Valor, The Purple Heart Medal, and The Defense Meritorious Service Medal. While deployed in Afghanistan, he worked as a bomb disposal expert under the elite Joint Special Operations Command. The last improvised explosive device that he found resulted in catastrophic injuries, which included the loss of both of his legs.
Washington’s spending habits are completely out of control. Today, the U.S. federal debt exceeds $20 trillion for the first time in United States history, which equals an average of more than $60,000 per person. These high levels of debt are simply unsustainable and will limit economic opportunities for future generations of Floridians if not addressed.
Every year families and small businesses across the country are forced to set and live by a budget. For far too long, the federal government has shirked this responsibility—passing budgets that never balance and put us into even more debt. I strongly support a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution to put an end to this damaging practice, and I am committed to working with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to cut spending and responsibly shrink the size of our federal bureaucracy.
I’m also dedicated to continuing to reduce the tax burden on Florida families. Every dollar less the government takes is a dollar more back in your pocket. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut tax rates, doubled the standard deduction and drastically increased the child tax credit—just to name a few of the ways the bill is saving Americans money. The bill also made substantial changes to support small businesses and level the international playing field for American companies.
But, I know there is still more work that can be done to help American families. That’s why I will continue fighting to permanently cut taxes for American workers and support other changes that will help boost our economy. I believe that working together in bipartisan fashion is the best way to achieve these goals and put our country on a path towards long-term economic growth. Together, we can change the status quo in Washington, get our nation’s finances back on track and help struggling families around the country.