Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart is currently fulfilling his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Florida’s 25th congressional district. Diaz-Balart is a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations, and he is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, in addition to serving on the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and Defense Subcommittees.
Diaz-Balart passionately serves his constituents, acting tirelessly in defense of individual rights and liberties, promoting economic prosperity, and supporting a robust national defense. He is well-known for his advocacy of human rights and democracy around the world, as well as for his staunch support of our global allies. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, making him the Dean of the Florida Delegation and Deputy Whip in Congress. Prior to his time in Congress, Diaz-Balart served in the Florida State Legislature in both the House and Senate chambers. He chaired several committees, including the Combined Appropriations/Ways and Means/Finance and Tax Committee.
The federal government's most important priority is to "provide for the common defense" and "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
As we all know too well, Semptember 11, 2001 was a horrific day full of devastation and destruction. It also reminded us of just how vulnerable we really are and that we need to take measures to help ensure our safety.
While we must be proactive and diligent in the fight against terrorism, we must be careful to balance security concerns with civil liberties. Attempting to provide absolute security to law-abiding American citizens could undermine the freedoms that have made America the sole global superpower.
The Everglades is a natural treasure and is one of the true ecological wonders of the world, but its existence is in jeopardy due to decades of abuse. Recognizing this problem, I, along with Representative Alcee L. Hastings founded the Everglades Caucus in the House of Representatives.
The Caucus' mission is to promote legislation which will provide long-term funding for Everglades related projects which will ensure preservation of this unique ecosystem. By organizing a group of interested Members to offer a single voice in support of these goals, the Caucus is instrumental in assuring vital Everglades funding and restoration. It is our responsibility to ensure that this treasure is preserved for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Having served on the House Budget Committee, I strongly believe that Congress must adhere to the principles of fiscal discipline. Too often, hard-earned taxpayer dollars are wasted on fraudulent and duplicated federal programs. Congress must work to make these programs more efficient, or simply terminate them to ensure better results for beneficiaries and greater savings for taxpayers.
You deserve a government that is responsible with your hard-earned tax dollars. ExpectMore.gov gives you the performance ratings for Federal agaencies. There is no reason we should not expect Federal agencies to do better.
June 1st marks the start of hurricane season in Florida. As Floridians, we are all too familiar with the destructive power of these storms. Begin preparing your family by reviewing the steps you should take before, during, and after a storm. By creating an emergency plan and gathering items for a supply kit, you can reduce the impact of a hurricane. This checklist suggests items for a kit and provides important phone numbers. Please post it in a central place in your home.
Hurricane Preparedness Checklist (English)
Hurricane Preparedness Checklist (Spanish)
The websites provided below are additional resources you and your family may find useful.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
A supplementary website provided by FEMA that focuses on hurricane preparedness.
A supplementary website provided by FEMA in Spanish that focuses on hurricane preparedness.
National Hurricane Center
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Florida Division of Emergency Management
This is a nation of immigrants, built by immigrants. Thus, I am strongly committed to promoting fair, legal, and humane immigration policies which also take into account the contribution of immigrants to this great country of ours.
We need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to strengthen our border security, and we need to address the immigration issues inside our borders. One without the other will resolve nothing.
No child should be left in an education system that fails to provide the opportunity to learn and succeed. Unfortunately, many of our schools simply do not provide the quality education and safe learning environment our children deserve.
We cannot continue to forsake our children and our future by allowing a poor education system to continue getting worse. I believe we must commit ourselves to an education system that empowers parents, teachers, and local administrators. Our education system succeeds when the education dollars and decisions are made close to home.
Study after study has demonstrated that increased parental involvement in a child's education is the key to improving student performance. For these reasons, I support empowering parents with the ability to choose a school that best meets the needs of their child. Forcing children to attend failing schools robs them of their chance to succeed.
Our children deserve the opportunity to receive the best possible education and I am committed to increasing student performance, promoting teacher quality, increasing accountability for our schools, and offering families a greater role in the education of their loved ones.
American families work hard, yet are burdened with a complex and costly tax code. I strongly believe that tax relief is an important step in securing a healthy economy and stimulating job growth. Tax relief helpes honest, hard-working people save more of their earnings while stimulating the country's economy.
I support efforts to eliminate unfair taxes, such as the marriage penalty and the death tax. I will continue to support these measures and others that seek to eliminate unfair taxes that only prevent economic growth, savings and job creation.
Ultimately, our federal tax code needs fundamental reform so that Americans can be freed from the burden of complexity our current system poses. Individuals and businesses waste billions of dollars and hours just trying to comply with the federal income tax code. It is imperative that we return fairness and simplicity to our federal tax policy and remedy this situation. Floidians work hard for their money and they deserve more control over it.
Our healthcare system provides the best care in the world, but due to skyrocketing costs and loss of control, many Americans are unable to get access to the affordable, quality healthcare they deserve.
Congress has takes a necessary step to this goal by updating and reforming Medicare. This important program can provide seniors with adequate healthcare options, as well as provide an affordable and comprehensive prescription drug plan which will reduce the cost of medicine by up to twenty-five percent. I also support legislation to provide affordable access to healthcare for small business employees, many of which are forced to go without health insurance.
It is vital that every American be able to choose a healthcare plan that means their needs at a price they can afford. I am committed to finding solutions to our nation's healthcare needs.
From the very beginning, I have said the Zika virus hadthe potential to become a public health crisis. Unfortunately, that is now the case, and Florida is ground zero. I believe we need to fund and spend every dollar needed to combat, treat, and respond to the Zika virus, and not one penny less.
Background on the Zika response efforts of Congressman Diaz-Balart and House Republicans: