Brian Mast

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Brian Mast
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 18th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byPatrick Murphy
Personal details
Born (1980-07-10) July 10, 1980 (age 43)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Hutchinson Island, Florida, U.S.
Alma materHarvard Extension School (ALB)
OccupationMilitary veteran and politician
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service2000–2011
RankStaff Sergeant
Unit28th Ordnance Company[2]
AwardsBronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Army Commendation Medal

Brian Jeffery Mast (born July 10, 1980) is an American politician and United States Army veteran who serves as the U.S. representative for Florida's 18th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Mast was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the son of James Mast and Tixomena Trujillo. His maternal grandparents were immigrants from Mexico.[3] Mast graduated from South Christian High School, in 1999.[4] In 2016, he obtained an A.L.B. from the Harvard Extension School, where he studied economics, with minors in government and environmental studies.[5][6]

Military service

After graduating from South Christian High School in 1999,[7] Mast enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in May 2000 and went to become a combat engineer. In 2006, he transitioned to the active U.S. Army and became an explosive ordnance disposal technician. Mast later joined the elite 28th Ordnance Company.[8] He served in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On September 19, 2010, while clearing a path for United States Army Rangers in Kandahar, Mast took a wrong step into an IED along the road. The explosion resulted in the amputation of both his legs and one of his fingers.[9][10]

Mast and his family were the recipients of a custom ADA-compliant home awarded to them by the non-profit organization Helping a Hero.[11]

Civilian career

After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, Mast was hired as an explosives specialist for the United States Department of Homeland Security.[1] While recovering from his injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Mast provided explosive and counter-terrorism expertise to the Office of Emergency Operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration from July 2011 to February 2012[12] and as an instructor of Home Made Explosives for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.[13][14]

U.S. House of Representatives

2016 campaign

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2016 § District 18

Mast first considered running for office while recovering from his injuries at Walter Reed Medical Center.[1] It was reported in May 2015 that Mast was considering a run for Congress.[15]

On June 8, 2015, Mast announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination United States House of Representatives in Florida's 18th congressional district.[16] Mast faced five opponents in the August 30, 2016 primary; he won with 38% of the vote.[17] Mast faced Democratic businessman Randy Perkins in the November 2016 general election.[17]

Mast won the November 8, 2016, general election with 53% of the vote.[18]

Tenure

Mast was sworn in on January 3, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.[19]

Committee assignments

Political positions

As of May 9, 2017, Mast had voted with his party in 94.6% of votes and voted in line with Trump's position in 96.6% of the votes.[20][21]

Abortion

He opposes abortion, with "exception for defense of a mothers life or the case or rape or incest".[22]

Budget

Mast opposes "federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth" and is in favor of tax cuts as a means to promote economic growth. He has said, "I have not been able to find one country throughout history who is been able to text [sic] more and spend more in order to reduce their debt and grow their economy."[22]

He has called for cuts to welfare expenditures.[22] He has called for a great decrease in the corporate tax and the elimination of the inheritance tax on value above $5 million.[22]

Crime

He favors capital punishment and mandatory minimum sentences.[22]

Donald Trump

Mast supported Donald Trump "unanimously and wholeheartedly" in the 2016 presidential election. After the Billy Bush tape became public, he called Donald Trump's remarks "inexcusable and disgusting."[23]

In February 2017, he voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.[24]

Environment

Mast opposes government funding for the development of renewable energy, and opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.[22]

Foreign and defense policy

Mast favors "increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support".[22] Mast is opposed to cuts to defense spending, and has called for a spending increase.[22] Mast said he would support a Republican proposal to cut U.S. funding to the United Nations.[5]

In January 2015, Mast volunteered with the Israel Defense Forces, working at a base outside Tel Aviv, packing medical kits and moving supplies.[14]

Healthcare

He is in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[22] On May 4, 2017, he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and pass the American Health Care Act.[25][26]

LGBT rights

He believes same-sex marriage should be decided by each state.[22]

Planned Parenthood

Mast supports defunding Planned Parenthood.[27] In July 2015, he claimed undercover videos showed Planned Parenthood was selling "baby parts",[28] although it was later learned the videos had been altered[29] and those responsible for altering them had been criminally charged.[30]

Honors

During his twelve years of service in the U.S. Army, he received the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal with "V" for valor device.

He was invited by President Barack Obama as a guest to his 2011 State of the Union Address and was seated with First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden.[31] Mast was named one of 10 House freshmen to watch by the Washington, D.C. newspaper The Hill, out of 55 new members of the House elected in 2016.[5]

Personal life

Mast lives in Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County, Florida with his wife, Brianna, and their three children.[32] He attends the evangelical Calvary Chapel.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Former Grand Rapids man wounded in Afghanistan considers bid for Congress". Mlive.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ https://www.armytimes.com/story/military/capitol-hill/2015/10/26/eod-tech-double-amputee-runs-congress/74284938/
  3. ^ Manjarres, Javier (September 15, 2015). "Brian Mast: Illegal Immigration Is A National Security Issue". Hispolitica.
  4. ^ "Meet Brian". MastforCongress.com. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "Treasure Coast's Brian Mast gets celebrity reception in Congress". TCPalm. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  6. ^ Brian Mast Ballotpedia. 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017
  7. ^ "MastForCongress.com". MastForCongress.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "UXO News Wire Service (UXO Blog): Retired EOD Seeks to Continue Service as Congressman". Uxoinfo.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "A Combat Veteran Runs for Congress, and the Scrutiny Intensifies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  10. ^ "Rangers receive awards for recent deployments". Army.mil. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  11. ^ "Wounded U.S. Army Veteran Receives Keys to New Home". Coralspringstalk.com. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  12. ^ http://combatveteransforcongress.org/cand/3281
  13. ^ "Brian Mast at Abacoa on September 14". Palm Beach County Tea Party. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c "Pro-Israel US Army vet runs for Congress — on prosthetic legs". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  15. ^ "Double-amputee vet might enter CD-18; Grayson's Twitter trouble; the Rubio blueprint revealed; more Cuba moves in Miami; FL bear-hunt controversy". Politico. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  16. ^ Bennett, George (June 8, 2015). "Two more Republicans announce run for Patrick Murphy seat". Palm Beach Post.
  17. ^ a b Bennett, George (October 31, 2016). "First time candidates Brian Mast, Randy Perkins to vie for U.S. House". Palm Beach Post.
  18. ^ "Analysis: Brian Mast's military story wins Patrick Murphy's U.S. House seat". Tcpalm.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  19. ^ "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  20. ^ Willis, Derek. "Represent". ProPublica. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  21. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking Brian J. Mast In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Voter's Self Defense System". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  23. ^ Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster (October 8, 2016). "Brian Mast calls Donald Trump's comments 'inexcusable and disgusting'". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  24. ^ "These are all the Republicans who don't want you to see Donald Trump's tax returns". indy100. February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill". Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  26. ^ "Health care vote puts pressure on dozens of vulnerable GOP reps". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  27. ^ "Brian Mast on Abortion". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  28. ^ "Brian Mast - The recently released videos exposing Planned... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  29. ^ Planned Parenthood Videos Were Altered, Analysis Finds Jackie Calmes. August 27, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2017
  30. ^ Anti-Abortion Activists Charged in Planned Parenthood Video Case Richard Pérez-Peña. March 29, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017
  31. ^ "Sgt. Brian Mast, wounded in Afghanistan, touched by president's thanks to military". Mlive.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  32. ^ "Brian Mast: Candidate". Tcpalm.com. Retrieved November 14, 2016.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 18th congressional district
2017–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
412th 		Succeeded by
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