Brian Mast on Homeland Security

Treat every veteran as the most important vet ever

Honoring our commitment to each veteran should be a top priority for Congress. Every veteran that has sworn the oath, worn the uniform and offered to give the last beat of their heart, should not be taken for granted.

When I am elected to Congress, I will fight until I have nothing left to provide our nation's veterans the flexibility to choose anytime, anywhere medical care. I will introduce legislation to reform our broken VA system, and provide quality care to our servicemen and women so they are guaranteed the dignity and honor they've earned.

Veterans gave every American their best, and deserve the best care our nation has to offer.

Maintain world's most prepared strongest military

Don't cut defense to balance budget

A: No. There are many places defense budget resources could be allocated more wisely.

Q: In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?

A: No. Historically, tax cuts from presidents on both sides of the aisle have actually produced increases in revenue.

Voted against combating Islamophobia.

H.R.5665: Combating International Islamophobia Act: This bill establishes within the Department of State the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia and addresses related issues. The bill requires annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia, such as:

1. acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people,
2. instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and
3. actions taken by a country's government to respond to such acts. The office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports.

Rationale to vote NO (Rep. Zeldin, R-NY, 12/14/21)::: Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, announced that he will vote against H.R. 5665, a partisan resolution: "Rep. Ilhan Omar's bill that is supposed to combat Islamophobia does not even define 'Islamophobia'. In fact, the way the bill is worded intentionally plays into Omar's calculating game that any criticism about any topic relating to her, even if it has absolutely nothing at all to do with her religion, could be defined as 'Islamophobia'. That is absurd and I will vote 'no'!"

Rationale to vote YES (NY1.com, 12/15/21)::: "Our country's commitment to defending freedom of religion and belief goes back centuries, and the Administration strongly believes that people of all faiths and backgrounds should be treated with equal dignity and respect around the world," a statement of support issued by the White House read. The bill comes after Republicans in Congress have targeted the three Muslim members of Congress as members of a "jihad squad."

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 219-212-3 on 12/14/2021, Roll no. 448)' introduced in Senate on 12/15/21 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; no further Senate action during 2021.