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.

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 and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his actions.

[4] In 2016, he obtained a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from the Extension School of Harvard University with a concentration in economics and minors in government and environmental studies.

On September 19, 2010, while clearing a path for United States Army Rangers in Kandahar, Mast stepped on an IED along the road.

[14] After his honorable discharge[15] from the Army, Mast was hired as an explosives specialist for the United States Department of Homeland Security.

[20] During the 2015–16 election campaign, Mast's largest donors were Duty Free Americas, NextGen Management, and Superior Foods.

[22] In 2016, Mast was briefly linked with World Patent Marketing, a company the Federal Trade Commission shut down as an invention promotion scam.

World Patent Marketing donated money to Mast's campaign fund and said in a press release that he sat on their advisory board.

[25] On April 25, 2018, physician Mark Freeman announced a primary challenge to Mast, focusing on his promise to "defend the Second Amendment" and be an "unwavering partner" to President Donald Trump.

In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Lauren Baer, an attorney and foreign policy expert who served as an official in the Obama administration, with 54% of the vote.

In August 2020 he apologized for what he called "disgusting and inappropriate jokes" that he made on Facebook in 2009 and 2011 responding to a friend and subsequent campaign manager about sex with 15-year-old girls in South Africa and an end-of-the-world pick-up line involving rape or murder.

[34] In the general election, he beat Democratic candidate Corinna Robinson 63.5% to 36.5%, and since January 2023 has been the U.S. representative for Florida's 21st district.

[37] After voting in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, he had a 40% approval rating among his constituents; 45% said they were disappointed with his work in Congress.

[39] In August 2021, an analysis by Business Insider found that Mast had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law that requires members of Congress to report certain types of financial transactions within 45 days, by failing to disclose on time a purchase of stock in Virgin Galactic worth up to $100,000 that Mast made in July 2021.

"I expect I'll be supporting it when it comes up for a vote next week," Mast said of the Sugar Policy Modernization Act, "because it's important to the community I represent, and our waterways".

[52] The act aimed to "correct the historical injustices of failed drug policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color"; it included provisions to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, impose a federal tax on cannabis products, and use the proceeds of the tax to fund restorative justice programs.

[56][57] In November 2021, Mast was one of four original cosponsors of the Republican-led States Reform Act to legalize cannabis federally and regulate it similarly to alcohol.

[58] In April 2022, after Representative Don Young died in office, Mast was named to replace him as a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

On January 6, 2021, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Mast and 146 other Republican members of Congress voted against certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

"[75] In June 2018, a volunteer for the Martin County Democratic Party, angry about the Trump administration's immigration policy, was arrested after threatening to kill Mast's children.

"[17] Mast views Obama's Iran nuclear deal as a betrayal by the U.S. of its own national security as well as that of Israel, Jordan, and other regional allies.

[17] In January 2015, Mast volunteered with the Israel Defense Forces through Sar-El, working at a base outside Tel Aviv packing medical kits and moving supplies.

[81][82]Mast, who sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, was the first member of Congress to open an office inside a federal agency.