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Rep. Brian Mast

Mast testifies before VA Committee on legislation encouraging congressional offices at VA facilities

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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today testified before the Veterans Affairs Committee to advocate for passage of the Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act.  His bipartisan legislation will streamline the opening of Congressional offices inside Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the nation.  The introduction of the bill followed Rep. Mast’s opening of the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA this past January.

BACKGROUND 

Rep. Mast opened the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA facility in January.  Through this office, veterans from around the area have improved access for assistance with any VA-related issues.  The office is located in room 1A-366 of the West Palm Beach VA. 

Since the opening of the VA office in January, many other Members of Congress have asked Rep. Mast about the process to open his office so that they can replicate the service for veterans at their local VA facilities.  Unfortunately, opening the office took more than a year of navigating bureaucratic red tape.

The Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act would cut down on this bureaucracy by requiring the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to permit a Member of Congress to use a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of meeting with constituents of the Member.  Moreover, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop regulations regarding the use of VA office space by Members of Congress, mandating that the space be made available during normal business hours and in a location that is easily accessible to the Member’s constituents.

Mast to Testify Before VA Committee on His Legislation Encouraging Congressional Offices at VA Facilities

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MEDIA ADVISORY

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) will testify before the Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 to advocate for passage of the Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act.  His bipartisan legislation will streamline the opening of Congressional offices inside Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the nation.  The introduction of the bill followed Rep. Mast’s opening of the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA this past January.

WHO:
Rep. Mast
Members of the Veterans Affairs Committee

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
334 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20003

*A live stream will be available for Florida press here.

WHAT:
Rep. Mast opened the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA facility in January.  Through this office, veterans from around the area have improved access for assistance with any VA-related issues.  The office is located in room 1A-366 of the West Palm Beach VA. 

Since the opening of the VA office in January, many other Members of Congress have asked Rep. Mast about the process to open his office so that they can replicate the service for veterans at their local VA facilities.  Unfortunately, opening the office took more than a year of navigating bureaucratic red tape.

The Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act would cut down on this bureaucracy by requiring the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to permit a Member of Congress to use a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of meeting with constituents of the Member.  Moreover, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop regulations regarding the use of VA office space by Members of Congress, mandating that the space be made available during normal business hours and in a location that is easily accessible to the Member’s constituents.

Mast, Gabbard, IAVA to Hold Press Conference on Burn Pits Accountability Act

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Impacted Veterans Will Share Personal Stories

U.S. Representatives Brian Mast (FL-18) and Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), along with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), will hold a press conference with supporters of the Burn Pits Accountability Act (H.R. 5671) on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

WHO:
Rep. Mast
Rep. Gabbard (HI-02)
Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Supporting veterans, veteran service organizations (VSOs), and military service organizations (MSOs)

WHEN:
Thursday, May 17, 2018
10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
House Triangle
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20004

*Rain location: Rayburn House Office Building, Room Number 2216
**A live stream will be available for Florida press on Rep. Mast’s Facebook page.

WHAT:
The bipartisan Burn Pits Accountability Act will evaluate servicemembers’ exposure to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals to begin the process of understanding, assessing, and treating these service-related ailments. Over 140,000 servicemembers and veterans have reported exposure to burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals over the past three decades. Exposure can produce serious and potentially life-threatening health effects, including neurological disorders, rare forms of cancer, lung diseases, and more—triggering some to call the crisis the ‘Agent Orange’ of the post-9/11 generation.

The IAVA recently announced that they are honoring Rep. Mast with their annual “Salutes Award for Leadership in Government.” Rep. Gabbard was the 2017 honoree.

Post-9/11 Veteran Rep. Brian Mast and Reporter Leo Shane To Be Honored By Post-9/11 Veterans

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On June 6, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the leading voice of the Post-9/11 generation of veterans, will host its second annual “IAVA Salutes” event to recognize individuals who have demonstrated tremendous courage and leadership in support of the veterans community at its annual IAVA Salutes event in Washington D.C.

IAVA will honor Leo Shane with the Award for Leadership in Journalism for his excellence in reporting on veterans issues on Capitol Hill. IAVA will also honor Representative Brian Mast (FL-18) with the Award for Leadership in Government for his focus and effectiveness in ensuring veterans remain a priority on Capitol Hill.

“This is a historic event honoring two of our nation’s greatest veterans advocates. Congressman Brian Mast is a combat-wounded Afghanistan veteran who has consistently put country over self. Congressman Mast is a leader on critical veterans issues in Washington, including sponsoring IAVA supported legislation on toxic exposures and cosponsoring IAVA-led legislation on women veterans,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and CEO of IAVA. “We are also honored to have the opportunity to recognize Leo Shane, one of the most dedicated and effective reporters covering veterans issues. Leo’s reporting has changed the course of history for veterans, holding leaders in Washington accountable to our nation’s veterans and ensuring veterans stories are told.”

In 2017, the first annual IAVA Salutes event honored ABC News Correspondent Martha Raddatz and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and featured live music and veteran leaders from across the country.

Mast Statement On Opening of U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem

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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement as the United States opened a new embassy in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem:

“Like every other sovereign nation, Israel has the right to determine its own capital.  The United States is finally recognizing the truth by moving our embassy to the center of freedom in the Middle East and the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.

“I chose to volunteer alongside the IDF in Israel after serving in the Army because the United States and Israel share the common values of freedom and democracy.  The Hamas-led terrorism erupting around the Middle East reaffirms that those who oppose Israel’s sovereignty are fueled by a murderous and hate-driven ideology in stark opposition to these values.  Today’s move sends the clear message that the United States will support our allies and won’t tolerate affronts to human dignity.”

DeSantis Endorses Mast For Re-Election

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The Mast for Congress campaign today announced that Florida gubernatorial candidate and Congressman Ron DeSantis has endorsed Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) for re-election.

“Brian is an American patriot.  Both on the battlefield and in Congress, he’s gone above and beyond the call of duty to defend the Constitution and our American values,” Rep. DeSantis said.  “He’s never asked anything in return for his service, but with Nancy Pelosi funding his opponent, now is the time to rally behind him and show Nancy Pelosi that Florida can’t be bought!”

Congressmen Mast and DeSantis have worked together to address numerous issues for Florida and the country, including:

  • H.J. Res. 6 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve
  • H.R. 2712 – The Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act
  • Calling for the creation of an Everglades Restoration Infrastructure Taskforce to “expedite and energize the federal government’s efforts to restore the Everglades”

BACKGROUND

Rep. Mast qualified by petition to appear on the ballot for re-election.  To qualify by petition in FL-18, a candidate must have 5,110 verified signatures. Candidates who failed to secure the necessary support to get on the ballot through petition signatures were required to buy a spot on the ballot.  The filing deadline was May 4, 2018.

Total Verified Petition Signatures: 5,501
Total Republicans: 3,641 (66%)
Total Independents (NPA):  952 (17%)
Total Democrats: 890 (16%)
Total Other: 18 (1%)

Total Verified St. Lucie County: 2,638 (48%)
Total Verified Martin County: 1,790 (33%)
Total Verified Palm Beach County: 1,073 (19%)

Oversight Committee to Hold Hearing on Brightline at Mast’s Request

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The United States House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations will conduct a hearing on April 19, 2018 into Brightline. Rep. Mast requested this hearing in February, which is titled “Examining Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bonds For All Aboard Florida’s Brightline Passenger Rail System.” Witnesses for the hearing include representatives for Brightline, the Department of Transportation, Martin County and Indian River County.

WHO:
Rep. Mast
Grover Burthey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation
Patrick Goddard, President and Chief Operation Officer for Brightline
Chief Dan Wouters, Division Chief of Emergency Management for Martin County Fire Rescue
Dylan Reingold, Attorney for Indian River County
Robert Crandall, Former CEO of American Airlines
Additional Members of the United States House of Representatives

WHEN:
Thursday, April 19, 2018
10 a.m.

WHERE:
Oversight Committee Hearing Room
2154 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

**Please note: A live stream of the hearing will be available here for Florida-based press.**

WHAT:
Despite their claim that Brightline is “not publicly funded at all,” there are at least four instances in which Brightline has sought public financial support:

Moreover, because Brightline failed to qualify for public financing under the statutory definition of high-speed rail, Brightline instead sought and secured the public financing for this expansion by claiming that their passenger rail train is actually a “highway.”

In addition to these financial concerns, Brightline trains have been involved in six deaths since they began running, raising serious safety concerns ahead of the proposed expansion through the Treasure Coast to Orlando.

Mast Secures Full Funding to Expedite Herbert Hoover Dike, Other Regional Priorities By Leveraging Vote

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Mast Votes ‘Yes’ to Open Government 5 Hours Into Shutdown 

Bill Addresses Water Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs, Opioids, Disaster Relief

U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today voted ‘yes’ on a budget agreement after negotiating to including South Florida water infrastructure projects, improvements at the Department of Veterans Affairs, funding to address the opioid crisis, and resources for disaster recovery.  The bill includes full funding to expedite completion of the Herbert Hoover Dike by 2022, as well as $4 billion for repairs at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, $6 billion to combat the opioid epidemic, and $90 billion in supplemental disaster relief.  Earlier this week, Rep. Mast had informed Congressional leadership that he would vote ‘no’ on the package unless these priorities were addressed.

“The rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike has been ongoing for more than decade, and significant funding setbacks have meant that it wasn’t expected to be finished for yet another decade from now,” Rep. Mast said. “For the first time ever, we can say that this project is now fully funded at a level where it can be completed in four years instead of another 10.  This is a major accomplishment for our community that clears the deck to now focus on other critical projects like the S.B. 10-authorized southern storage reservoir.  A bipartisan group of Florida representatives fought hard for this money, and I was proud to help lead the way.” 

The bill also reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional four years on top of the six years passed in January.

Mast State of the Union Reaction

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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following reaction to the President’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, I was glad to hear the President outline a bipartisan agenda to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, including our waterways. Decades of failures to fix water infrastructure issues in Florida have created an untenable situation resulting in massive discharges of toxic water directly into the heart of our community.  Working together, I’m hopeful we can turn the President’s proposals into legislation that addresses these issues in a robust and bipartisan way because our community can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Rep. Mast serves as the Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  Earlier this month, Rep. Mast sent a letter to the President requesting full funding for Florida’s top water infrastructure priorities, including the S.B.10 storage reservoir. You can read the letter here.

Mast Statement on End of Manufactured Shutdown Crisis

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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement:
“I’m relieved to say that the government is going to be back open, but this was an entirely avoidable crisis.  The bill passed today by the Senate is fundamentally the same as the one the House passed last week.  The fact that a minority of Senators were able to hold the government hostage for 3 days—and make no real changes to the bill—shows just how broken the system really is.  Sadly far too many people in Washington remain more interested in helping themselves than the people they represent.
“With this manufactured crisis behind us, we need to get back to work—fix the broken system, stop governing from crisis to crisis, get our country’s finances back on track, cut wasteful spending and do what we were sent here to do: put power back in the hands of the American people.”
BACKGROUND
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill to keep the government open through February 16, 2018 and extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years.  The only change in the bill passed by the Senate today—after 3 days of holding healthcare funding for 9 million children hostage and jeopardizing pay for our military—was to reduce the length of the funding extension to February 8, 2018.