Brian Mast
Brian Jeffrey Mast (born July 10, 1980) is an American politician and U.S. military veteran who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 21st congressional district since 2017. The district, numbered as the 18th district before the 2020 redistricting cycle, includes portions of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast. Mast is a member of the Republican Party.
Brian Mast | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Murphy |
| Constituency | 18th district (2017–2023) 21st district (2023–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brian Jeffrey Mast July 10, 1980 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Brianna Watkins (m. 2007) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Palm Beach Atlantic University American Military University Harvard Extension School (ALB) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Army |
| Years of service | 2000–2011 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | 28th Ordnance Company |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Awards | Bronze Star Purple Heart Defense Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal with "V" for valor |
A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, Mast lost both his legs while serving as a U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician in Afghanistan in 2010.
On November 1, 2023, in arguing for a bill to reduce humanitarian funding to Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, Mast compared Palestinian civilians to the civilians of Nazi Germany during World War II, saying:
I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is frequently said, I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II. It is not a far stretch to say there are very few innocent Palestinian civilians.
On February 1, 2024, the Huffington Post reported that, during a videotaped conversation with peace protesters, Mast suggested that "babies in the Gaza Strip should not be considered 'innocent Palestinian civilians' during Israel’s ongoing military operations." In a response, Mast's office released another eight second clip from that same conversation, in which Mast stated that “I would say a 2-year-old Palestinian has to be without sin.”