Mario Díaz-Balart
Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero (/bəˈlɑːrt/; born September 25, 1961) is a Republican U.S. Representative for Florida's 25th congressional district. He was elected in 2002, and his current district includes much of southwestern Miami-Dade County, including the city of Hialeah, and much of the northern portion of the Everglades.
Mario Díaz-Balart | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Constituency | 25th district (2003–2011) 21st district (2011–2013) 25th district (2013–present) |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 112th district | |
| In office November 7, 2000 – November 5, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | J. Alex Villalobos |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district | |
| In office November 3, 1992 – November 7, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | J. Alex Villalobos |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th district | |
| In office November 8, 1988 – November 3, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Javier Souto |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart Caballero September 25, 1961 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1985) Republican (1985–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Tia Diaz-Balart |
| Children | Cristian Rafael |
| Parents | Rafael Díaz-Balart |
| Alma mater | University of South Florida (BA) |
| Website | House website |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Díaz-Balart became the first member of Congress to test positive for COVID-19 on March 18, 2020.
Early life, education, and early political career
Díaz-Balart was born in 1961 in Fort Lauderdale, to Cuban parents, the late Cuban politician Rafael Díaz-Balart, and his wife, Hilda Caballero Brunet.
He is a member of the Díaz-Balart family: His aunt, Mirta Díaz-Balart, was the first wife of Fidel Castro. Her son, and his cousin, was Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart. His uncle is the Cuban-Spanish painter, Waldo Díaz-Balart. His brother, Lincoln Díaz-Balart, represented Florida's 21st District from 1993 to 2011. He has two other brothers, José Díaz-Balart, a journalist, and Rafael Díaz-Balart, a banker.
He studied political science at the University of South Florida before beginning his public service career as an aide to then-Miami Mayor Xavier Suárez in 1985. In the same year, he changed his political party affiliation from Democratic to Republican.[1]
Florida legislature
He was elected to the Florida House in 1988 and moved to the Florida Senate in 1992. He returned to the Florida House in 2000.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 2002–2006
Díaz-Balart gave up his seat in the state house to run in the newly created 25th District, which included most of western Miami-Dade County, part of Collier County and the mainland portion of Monroe County.[2] He easily won the seat with 64 percent of the vote. He was unopposed for reelection in 2004, and won a third term with 58 percent of the vote in 2006.
- 2008
In 2008, Díaz-Balart faced his strongest challenge to date in Joe García, former Executive Director of the Cuban American National Foundation and former chairman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party. Ultimately, Díaz-Balart defeated Garcia with 53 percent of the vote.
- 2010
On February 11, 2010, Díaz-Balart announced his intention to seek election in Florida's 21st congressional district—being vacated by his brother, Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart—rather than the 25th district.[3] Unlike the 25th, the 21st has long been considered the most Republican district in the Miami area. No other party even put up a candidate when filing closed on April 30, handing the seat to Díaz-Balart.[4]
- 2012
Díaz-Balart was reelected unopposed in 2012 in the renumbered 25th district.
- 2014
In 2014, Díaz-Balart ran unopposed.[5]
- 2016
In 2016, Díaz-Balart beat Democrat Alina Valdes by a margin of 62.4% to 37.6%.[6] It was only the third time that a Democrat had even filed to run in this district, which had been numbered as the 21st from 1993 to 2013.
- 2018
The Miami Herald reported in April 2018 that Díaz-Balart seemed a shoo-in for re-election in November. Former Hialeah mayor Raúl Martínez, a Democrat who had challenged Lincoln in what was then the 21st in 2008, said the 25th district "is very hard to win for a Democrat, especially if you're not Hispanic and you don't speak Spanish." Valdes, who had lost to him in 2016, was a candidate in the Democratic primary.[7] In April, Annisa Karim, who is active in the Democratic Party, announced that she, too, would run in the primary. In May, the Herald reported that Mary Barzee Flores, a former judge who had at first decided to run in the 27th district, had opted instead to run for Díaz-Balart's seat.[8]
In the November 2018 general election, Díaz-Balart defeated Barzee Flores, winning 60.5% of the vote to her 39.5%.[9]
Committee assignments
Caucus membership
- Assistant Whip
- Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference
- Founder of the Protecting Families Online Initiative
- Founding member of the Washington Waste Watchers
- Member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- House Baltic Caucus[10]
Political positions
As of January 2018, Díaz-Balart had voted with his party in 92.4% of votes so far in the 115th United States Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 93.1% of votes.[11][12]
He is a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a caucus of Hispanic Republican congressmen.[13]
LGBT rights
In May 2019, Díaz-Balart voted to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system under the Equality Act.[14] He joined seven other Republicans and 228 Democrats in supporting the legislation, which passed the United States House of Representatives during the 116th Congress.[15]
Vote Smart issue positions
According to Vote Smart's 2016 analysis, Díaz-Balart generally supports pro-life legislation, opposes an income tax increase, opposes mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, opposes federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth, supports lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth, opposes requiring states to adopt federal education standards, supports building the Keystone Pipeline, supports government funding for the development of renewable energy, opposes the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, opposes gun-control legislation, supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, opposes requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, opposes same-sex marriage, and supports allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts.[16]
Environment
Regarding climate change, in 2007 he said "I know there's a lot of money to be made on the bandwagon of global warming, you can make movies, documentaries, get a lot of research money — and that's okay, I love capitalism...My fear is using the bandwagon of global warming to have Congress act on some knee-jerk reaction which will please some editorialists, will hurt our economy, will not do anything to help us in the future."[17]
As of January 2018, Díaz-Balart was not a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.[18]
Health care
On May 4, 2017, Díaz-Balart voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act.[19][20]
Donald Trump
In February 2017, he voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.[21]
Díaz-Balart supported Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, saying "It is clear that Director Comey had lost the confidence of the Deputy Attorney General, Attorney General, and the President. Unfortunately, he became a controversial and divisive figure."[22]
In January 2018, after it was reported that Trump had voiced his opposition to immigration from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries - which he reportedly referred to as "shithole countries" - in a meeting on immigration reform, Díaz-Balart, who attended the meeting, did not say whether the alleged incident took place.[23][24][25]
Economic issues
On September 29, 2008, Díaz-Balart voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which was intended to purchase distressed assets and supply cash directly to banks during the global financial crisis of 2008.[26]
Díaz-Balart voted to promote free trade with Peru, against assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization, for the Central America Free Trade Agreement, for the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, for the US-Singapore free trade agreement, and for free trade with Chile. He was rated 75% by the National Foreign Trade Council, indicating support for trade engagement.[27]
Tax reform
Díaz-Balart voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[28] The Center for American Progress, a center-left think-tank, estimated that 41,000 of his constituents would lose their health insurance as a result of the bill's passing.[29]
Foreign policy
Cuba
In 2007, Díaz-Balart advocated maintaining the Cuban embargo, saying "Some people do not understand the embargo of Cuba. Its purpose is to keep American hard currency out of the hands of a Communist thug by restricting most trade and travel."[30]
In an April 2015 essay for Time magazine, Díaz-Balart wrote that President Obama "continues to appease brutal dictatorships while gaining precious little in return. He conflates the Cuban dictatorship with the Cuban people when in reality, their interests are diametrically opposed." Díaz-Balart noted that "all eight Cuban-American senators and congressmen from both sides of the aisle, strongly disagree" with Obama's policy on Cuba, whose people "want to gather peacefully, speak their minds, practice their faiths, access the Internet, and enjoy the fruits of their labor."[31]
In September 2016, Díaz-Balart praised Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump "for firmly stating his commitment today to reverse President Obama's capitulations to the Castro regime" and contrasted Trump's position to what he called Hillary Clinton's "foolhardy stance." The U.S., he said, needs "a president who once again will stand with the Cuban people instead of emboldening and enriching their oppressors."[32]
In a March 2017 memo to the Trump White House, Díaz-Balart argued that if the Cuban government did not conform to the Helms-Burton law within 90 days, the U.S. should revert to its pre-Obama policy on Cuba.[33]
Falklands
Díaz-Balart has strongly supported the right of self-determination on the Falkland Islands, over which there is a sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom.[34] On April 18, 2013, Díaz-Balart introduced a resolution to the United States House of Representatives calling on the United States Government to officially recognize the result of the 2013 Falkland Islands sovereignty referendum in which the Falkland Islanders overwhelmingly voted to remain a British Overseas Territory.[35] Díaz-Balart introduced a similar resolution in 2017, recognizing the result of that year's general election in the Falklands.[36]
Immigration and refugees
In 2014, the Washington Post reported that Díaz-Balart was "eagerly seeking a deal" on undocumented immigrants "that can somehow please enough Republicans and Democrats to advance. And that upsets many Democrats and Republicans." After being "involved in bipartisan talks on the issue for years", he was "one of the guys most skilled on the issue" and hence "gets plenty of flack from both sides." Díaz-Balart told the Post that "President Obama said that this was going to be one of his first priorities in his first 12 months", but even when "Democrats controlled everything", nothing got done "because they didn't want to do it."[37]
Díaz-Balart supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. He stated that "The ban is only temporary until the Administration can review and enact the necessary procedures to vet immigrants from these countries. The ban is based on countries the Obama administration identified as 'countries of concern' and not based on a religious test."[38]
He took part in a January 2018 White House meeting about DACA, and said that nothing would “divert my focus to stop the deportation of these innocent people whose futures are at stake.”[39]
Gun policy
In the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida, Díaz-Balart said gun control legislation would not be effective at stopping mass shootings, saying "I want to make sure we look at things that could make a difference."[40]
Drug policy
Díaz-Balart has a "D" rating from NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.[41]
Espionage
Díaz-Balart took part in a November 2013 meeting between American legislators and the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee about NSA spying on European officials. Díaz-Balart told his European counterparts that they should realize that the U.S. is their greatest ally. “Part of re-establishing trust,” he said, “is to know who your friends are and treat them accordingly, and to know who your enemies are and treat them accordingly.”[42]
Infrastructure
A 2017 report stated that Díaz-Balart had delivered millions to his district for road and highway improvements.[43]
Personal life
He currently lives in Miami with his wife, Tia, and their son, Cristian Rafael.[44]
On March 18, 2020, Díaz-Balart announced he had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the current pandemic of the disease. He was the first member of the United States Congress to test positive for the disease.[45] Recovering from the effects of the disease though still drained from the experience, Diaz-Balart said he would offer his blood plasma, with antibodies against it, for experimental treatment or research purposes.[46]
References
- "Díaz-Balart Se Pasa Al Partido Republicano", El Nuevo Herald, April 24, 1985.(in Spanish)
- Laura Figueroa. "Reform advocate says "dozens" of Florida political districts split counties and splinter cities". PolitiFact.com. Retrieved Feb 19, 2018.
- "Mario Díaz-Balart Will Run to Succeed His Brother". Roll Call. 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- "Candidates and Races – Candidate Tracking system – Florida Division of Elections – Department of State". state.fl.us. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- "Florida's 25th Congressional District elections, 2014 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- "Florida's 25th Congressional District election, 2016 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- Daugherty, Alex; Democrats face long odds in effort to topple Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart; Miami Herald; April 11, 2018; https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article208616809.html
- Daugherty, Alex; Democrat Mary Barzee Flores switches races to challenge Republican Mario Diaz-Balart; Miami Herald; May 3, 2018; https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article210394744.html
- "Florida Election Results: 25th House District". New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- "Members". House Baltic Caucus. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- Bycoffe, Aaron (2017-01-30). "Tracking Mario Diaz-Balart In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- "Represent". ProPublica. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- Henry Bonilla, et al., "We the (Hispanic) People...," Wall Street Journal (March 17, 2003)
- Cioffi, Chris (May 17, 2019). "These 8 Republicans voted for the Equality Act". RollCall. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- Johnson, Cheryl. "Roll Call Vote 217: On Final Passage, Equality Act". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Mario Diaz-Balart's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Vote Smart. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ThinkProgress (2013-06-26). "The Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- James Rosen (May 9, 2016). "S. Florida Republicans lead their party from climate change denial". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
- "How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- Iannelli, Jerry (2017-05-04). "Miami Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Mario Diaz-Balart Voted to Repeal Obamacare". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- "These are all the Republicans who don't want you to see Donald Trump's tax returns". indy100. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Florida politicians react to firing of FBI director Comey". miamiherald. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
- Leary, Alex. "Mario Diaz-Balart sidesteps Trump's vulgarity". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- "Rep. Diaz Balart Remains Mum On Trump's "S***hole" Remark". 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- "Diaz-Balart: Immigration deal possible despite furor over Trump's reported vulgar comment". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 681". US House of Representatives.
- "Mario Diaz-Balart on Free Trade". ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- Iannelli, Jerry (22 December 2017). "Miami Rep. Curbelo's Wife Owns Assets That Benefit From GOP Tax Bill's Last-Minute Provision". Miami New Times. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- Iannelli, Jerry (20 December 2017). "GOP Tax Bill Could Make 873,000 Floridians Drop or Lose Health Insurance". Miami New Times. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- Archived April 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart: Obama's Cuba Policy Is Enabling a Dictator; TIME; April 21, 2015; http://time.com/3825781/mario-diaz-balart-obamas-cuba-policy/
- O'Reilly, Andrew; FL Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart commends Trump for hard-line stance on Cuba; Fox News; September 19, 2016; http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/19/florida-diaz-balart-commends-trump-for-hardline-stance-on-cuba.html
- Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart’s memo to the White House RE: Cuba policy changes; Global Americans; March 23, 2017; https://theglobalamericans.org/2017/03/congressman-mario-diaz-balarts-memo-white-house-re-cuba-policy-changes/
- "Strong Support for the Falklands Right to Self Determination on North American Tour". MercoPress. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
- Mario, Diaz-Balart (2013-06-07). "H.Res.170 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Recognizing the Falkland Islands referendum in favor of retaining their status as a British Overseas Territory". congress.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- Mario, Diaz-Balart (2017-12-07). "H.Res.650 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Recognizing the results of the free and fair elections for the new Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands held on November 9, 2017". congress.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- O'Keefe, Ed; "Mario Diaz-Balart on immigration: ‘We need to get the support of enough people or we’re dead’"; Washington Post; February 6, 2014
- Blake, Aaron (2017-01-29). "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". Denver Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- Batten, Brent; "Brent Batten: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart masters the art of not stepping in it"; Naples Daily News, January 16, 2018
- Daugherty, Alex. "NRA-backed Marco Rubio says gun control laws alone won't prevent mass shootings". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- "Florida Scorecard". NORML. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- Keating, Dave; US lawmakers promise to rein in NSA snooping; Politico; November 27, 2013; https://www.politico.eu/article/us-lawmakers-promise-to-rein-in-nsa-snooping/
- Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart delivers millions to roads, highways; Local10; July 30, 2017; https://www.local10.com/video/congressman-mario-diaz-balart-delivers-millions-to-roads-highways
- "Biography". 11 December 2012.
- Bernal, Rafael. "Florida congressman tests positive for COVID-19". The Hill.
- South Florida congressman, now officially coronavirus-free, applies to donate plasma, Sun Sentinel, Anthony Mann, April 5, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mario Díaz-Balart. |
- Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart official U.S. House site
- Mario Díaz-Balart campaign website
- Mario Díaz-Balart at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Mario Díaz-Balart at PolitiFact Florida
- Mario Díaz-Balart on IMDb
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