Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) previewed the need to pass his recently introduced Medal of Sacrifice Act in Congress, which he called an “acknowledgement” of the sacrifices police officers and other first responders provide.
Mast joined President Donald Trump and others in the Oval Office last week to honor three deputies in Florida, who were killed in a traffic accident just before Thanksgiving last year. The Florida congressman introduced his bill during the memorial ceremony, during which Trump urged him to work with Congress to pass the legislation and “get it done.”
“I would have to believe that every person that would have the opportunity to vote ‘yes’ on that piece of legislation would be honored,” Mast stated on Fox News’s My View with Lara Trump. “I would say for myself personally, I don’t know that there’ll ever be a more meaningful piece of legislation that I have the opportunity to write than one to honor our law enforcement that protect our community and our first responders. I couldn’t think of something more honorable to vote on.”
Mast also stated that the president wants to give the families of “every last person that gives their life” the Medal of Sacrifice, calling this a “specific request” from Trump. He added that the president has “an amazing heart” for having this desire.
Trump posthumously awarded the first three Medals of Sacrifice to Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz last week. The president vowed that their “legacy” would never be forgotten.
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Waller’s wife, Denise Waller, told Lara Trump that her late husband “loved his job” and was “the perfect example” of a police officer. She also said that the president’s honoring of her husband and the other two officers was “very touching,” and that she was thankful that other officers could receive similar recognition in the future.
Trump’s honoring of the three fallen officers took place only a few days after he and Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to officers during National Police Week. During the event, the vice president vowed that unequivocal support for law enforcement would not waver under the Trump administration’s watch.
