Mario Díaz-Balart
Conservative
Republican
House Representative
Florida - District 26
Current Position: US House Representative FL-26
Running For: House Representative - District 26
Policy Positions
Economic Policy
- For lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth; against income tax increases; voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and touts permanent tax cuts including no tax on tips or overtime
- Against federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth; against mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders; against requiring states to adopt federal education standards
- For allowing individuals to divert a portion of Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts
Health Care
- For repealing the Affordable Care Act and voted to pass the American Health Care Act as a replacement
- For increased funding for community health centers, cancer screening programs, and expanding Medicare coverage for early cancer detection
Education
- For expanded school choice, including a federal school choice tax credit and increased charter school funding, while preserving Pell Grants and magnet schools
Environment
- For building the Keystone Pipeline and supports government funding for renewable energy development, while opposing federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and expressing skepticism about climate change urgency
- For increased funding for Everglades restoration projects and protecting South Florida's water supply and natural resources
Civil Rights
- Against abortion rights; generally supports pro-life legislation
- Against same-sex marriage; voted for the Equality Act's LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in 2019 but reversed and voted against similar legislation in 2021, citing lack of religious freedom protections
- For increased federal funding for veterans' healthcare, including mental health and toxic exposure treatment, and for laws protecting veterans from fraud, inflation, and foreclosure
Immigration & Foreign Affairs
- Against requiring immigrants unlawfully present to return to their home country before becoming eligible for citizenship; supported DACA recipients and opposed their deportation; supported the Farm Workforce Modernization Act granting legal status and a path to residency for agricultural workers; cosponsored the DIGNIDAD Act proposing a pathway to legal status for up to 12 million undocumented immigrants paired with stricter enforcement; also supports strict border security, detention and removal of criminal aliens, and cracking down on fentanyl trafficking
- For Trump's 2017 executive order temporarily banning entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries
- Against the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which would have penalized jurisdictions limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
- For maintaining the Cuban embargo and a hardline stance against the Cuban government; supports funding for Cuba's democratic opposition and Radio/TV Martí; opposed Obama's normalization policy with Cuba
- For sanctioning members of the Honduran government and revoking visas in response to actions against CAFTA membership
- For supporting free trade agreements, including with Peru, Central America (CAFTA), Australia, Singapore, and Chile; against providing assistance to workers who lose jobs due to globalization
- For the right of self-determination for the Falkland Islands to remain a British Overseas Territory
- For banning funding for the UN Secretariat and UNRWA in a 2025 appropriations bill, citing national security and 'America First' foreign policy
- For increased funding for human rights and civil society opposition efforts in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and against authoritarian regimes in the Western Hemisphere
- For reducing federal spending and strengthening oversight as Chairman of the National Security Appropriations Subcommittee, while fully funding the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding and countering Chinese Communist Party influence
Public Safety
- Against gun-control legislation; opposed new gun control measures after the Parkland shooting
- For increased funding and support for law enforcement ('back the blue'), including new patrol vehicles, technology, and legislation like the LEOSA Reform Act and Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act; against eliminating taxes on first responder overtime pay