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Michael Waltz

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Michael Waltz
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byRon DeSantis
Personal details
Born
Michael George Glen Waltz

(1974-01-31) January 31, 1974 (age 50)
Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children1
EducationVirginia Military Institute (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1996-2000 (active)
2000-present (reserve)
Rank Lieutenant Colonel[1]
UnitU.S. Army Special Forces
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Awards

Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974)[2] is an American politician and United States Army officer serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 6th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Waltz was born in Boynton Beach, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard.[3][4]

Career

A U.S. Army National Guard Special Forces officer, he is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan and is the first Green Beret ever elected to the United States Congress. Before his election to Congress, Waltz served in a senior role at The Pentagon as Director for Afghanistan policy within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, served as a senior advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney for South Asia and Counterterrorism in the George W. Bush Administration, was co-founder and partner at Askari Associates, LLC, and was president of Metis Solutions. He was formerly a FOX News Channel contributor, providing expert commentary on foreign policy and defense issues, and has also appeared frequently on CNN, MSNBC, BBC World News, and PBS Frontline.[5][6]

Political positions

The War in Afghanistan

After telling an anecdote to the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference audience about his time serving in Afghanistan during the public announcement of the Obama-era troop withdrawals, Waltz stated about the War in Afghanistan, "So, are we 15 years in? Yes. Are we in for a lot more fighting and do we need a long-term strategy to undermine the ideology of Islamic extremism — just like we did fascism and just like we did communism? — yes, we do. Uh, and you know, I think we're in for a long haul and I think our nation's leadership needs to begin telling the American people 'I'm sorry, we don't have a choice, we're 15 years in to what is going to be a multi-generational war because we're talking about defeating an idea.' It's easy to bomb a tank, very difficult to defeat an idea and that's exactly what we have to do." Following his statement, a CPAC audience member can be heard disrupting the panel and shouting "It's impossible" in reply to Waltz's stance on the war. [7]

China Communist Party

Mike Waltz is considered one of the most hawkish members of Congress as it relates to America’s posture towards China, saying “We are in a Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party.”[8]

In 2021, Waltz was the first member of Congress to call for a full U.S. boycott of the 2022 Chinese Olympics over the CCP’s treatment of Chinese Uyghur populations and the enslavement, forced labor, and concentration camp of these ethnic minorities in China.[9]

Waltz serves on the House China Task Force[10] with 15 Republican lawmakers representing 14 committees of jurisdiction to coordinate policy on China. The Task Force collaborated and released the China Task Force report. The CTF issued a final report that includes 82 key findings and more than 400 forward[11] leaning recommendations to addressing the China threat.

In the 116th Congress, Waltz sponsored the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020[12] to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals and bringing the U.S. supply chain from China back to America by establishing a critical mineral research and development program at the Department of Energy, which was signed into law in Section 7002 of Division Z in the FY21 appropriations bill.[13]

Waltz has also pioneered legislation to secure American universities and academies from Chinese espionage.[14] In 2020, He secured legislation that provides a universal requirement, for all agencies, for researchers to disclosure all foreign funding sources in applications for federal funding, failure would result in permanent termination of research and developments awards to the professor or school, permanent debarment of malign professors, and criminal charges. (Section 223)[15]

Further, Waltz directed the Department of Defense to track foreign talent recruitment programs that pose a threat to the United States, particularly as a response to China Communist Party efforts to infiltrate American universities. (Section 1299c)[16]

Waltz also sponsored legislation[17] to ensure the Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) does not invest in Chinese or Russian markets. Weeks later, President Trump directed the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board[18] to reverse their decision to expand TSP investments.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 6

Waltz ran for Florida's 6th congressional district in 2018 to succeed incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis, who retired before being elected Governor of Florida in a close race.[19][20] He defeated John Ward and Fred Costello in the Republican primary[21] before facing off against Democratic nominee Nancy Soderberg, a former Representative at the United Nations and the former Deputy National Security Advisor, in the general election.[22] Waltz won with 56.31% of the vote to Soderberg's 43.69%.[23]

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 6

Incumbent Waltz was challenged by Democratic Party candidate Clint Curtis. Waltz received 265,393 votes (60.64%), while Curtis received 172,305 (39.36%).[24]

Tenure

He won the election over Democrat Nancy Soderberg and was sworn in to the 116th United States Congress on January 3, 2019.

In April 2020, Waltz joined the National Guard's COVID-19 response efforts as a colonel on the planning staff.[25] On November 6, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Waltz tested positive for the virus.[26]

In December 2020, Waltz was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[27] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[28][29][30] Shortly thereafter, the Orlando Sentinel editorial board rescinded its endorsement of Waltz in the 2020 election.[31] The Orlando Sentinel wrote, "We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy."[31][32]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Waltz and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[33][34] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Waltz and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[35]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Waltz is a member of the following Congressional caucuses.[36][37]

Electoral history

Florida's 6th congressional district Republican primary, 2018[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 32,833 42.4
Republican John Ward 23,543 30.4
Republican Fred Costello 21,023 27.2
Total votes 77,399 100.0
Florida's 6th congressional district, 2018[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 187,891 56.3
Democratic Nancy Soderberg 145,758 43.7
Total votes 333,649 100.0
Republican hold
Florida's 6th congressional district, 2020[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 265,393 60.6
Democratic Clint Curtis 172,305 39.4
n/a Write-ins 158 <0.1
Total votes 437,856 100.0
Republican hold

Books

  • Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan. ISBN 1612346316.

References

  1. ^ "Retired Lt. Col. Michael Waltz announces run for Congress". washingtontimes.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ^ https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/416745-florida-new-members-2019
  3. ^ Buswell, Brent. "VMI Grad Elected to U.S. Congress". Kappa Alpha Order. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Representative Michael Waltz". Representative Michael Waltz. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  5. ^ "Matchup between ex-Cheney aide and ex-Clinton aide set in Florida's 6th". The Washington Post. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  6. ^ Mark Harper. "Big money aids Nancy Soderberg, Michael Waltz in District 6 congressional race – News – The St. Augustine Record – St. Augustine, FL". Staugustine.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  7. ^ Chang, Gordon. "CPAC 2017 - When did World War III Begin? Part B". YouTube. American Conservative Union. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ^ https://floridapolitics.com/archives/419663-michael-waltz-we-are-in-a-cold-war-with-the-chinese-communist-party/
  9. ^ https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/17/congressman-michael-waltz-boycott-2022-olympic-games-china/6779976002/
  10. ^ https://gop-foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/mccaul-announces-china-task-force-pillars-and-co-chairs/
  11. ^ https://gop-foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CHINA-TASK-FORCE-REPORT-FINAL-9.30.20.pdf
  12. ^ https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7061?s=1&r=1
  13. ^ https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201221/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf
  14. ^ https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/rep-michael-waltz-chinese-infiltration-of-us-colleges-results-in-massive-theft-of-our-research
  15. ^ https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201207/CRPT-116hrpt617.pdf
  16. ^ https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201207/CRPT-116hrpt617.pdf
  17. ^ https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6614/cosponsors?r=2&s=1&searchResultViewType=expanded
  18. ^ https://federalnewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/051220_scalia_frtib_letter_FNN.pdf
  19. ^ "Republican Michael Waltz wins open Florida House seat, keeping 6th District in GOP control". SFGate. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  20. ^ "Special forces: How Mike Waltz defeated the national left – Florida Politics". floridapolitics.com. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  21. ^ "2018 Florida primary election results". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Piggott, Jim (July 12, 2017). "Former UN ambassador to run for Congress". WJXT. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  23. ^ "2018 Florida general election results". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  24. ^ Harper, Mark (3 November 2020). "Michael Waltz wins 2nd term in Congress; his District 6 includes Volusia, Flagler". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  25. ^ "These National Guard members also serve in Congress. Now they're fighting COVID-19". Roll Call. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  26. ^ "Rep. Mike Waltz Tests Positive for COVID-19". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  27. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  28. ^ Liptak, Adam (2020-12-11). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  29. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2020-12-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  30. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Board, Orlando Sentinel Editorial. "We apologize for endorsing U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, who wants to overturn the election | Editorial". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  32. ^ reports, Staff and wire. "Waltz, Webster are among 106 Republicans who signed onto lawsuit to invalidate Joe Biden's victory". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  33. ^ Smith, David (2020-12-12). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  34. ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  35. ^ Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  36. ^ "Caucuses — U.S. Representative Mike Waltz". waltz.house.gov. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  37. ^ "US Representative Mike Waltz —Committee Assignments". Capitol Impact. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Army Caucus". Rep. John Carter. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Florida Ports Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  40. ^ "For Country Caucus— Summary from LegiStorm". LegiStorm. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  41. ^ "US Kurdish-American Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  44. ^ "House Special Operations Forces (SOF) Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  45. ^ "US Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  46. ^ "Congressional Singapore Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  47. ^ "House Taiwan Caucus". Formosan Association for Public Affairs. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  48. ^ "MEMBERS". RMSP. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  49. ^ "Florida Primary Election Results: Sixth House District". The New York Times. August 30, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  50. ^ "Florida Election Results: Sixth House District". The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  51. ^ "Florida Election Results: Sixth Congressional District". The New York Times. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 6th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
364th 		Succeeded by
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