Vote Smart issue positions Vote Smart, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States, "researched presidential and congressional candidates' public records to determine candidates' likely responses on certain key issues." According to Vote Smart's 2016 analysis, Curbelo generally supports
anti-abortion legislation, opposes an income tax increase, opposes mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, 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, supports the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, 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, supports same-sex marriage, supports increased American intervention in
Iraq and
Syria beyond air support, and supports allowing individuals to divert a portion of their
Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts.
Environment In February 2016, Curbelo and Democratic representative
Ted Deutch created the bipartisan
Climate Solutions Caucus in the House to "explore policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate." In 2016, Curbelo had the second highest rating of House Republicans on the annual scorecard of the
League of Conservation Voters. The
Miami Herald wrote that Curbelo has "attempted to position himself as the national voice for Republicans who are concerned about climate change," describing him as "one of the few GOP voices speaking out against Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the
Paris Climate Agreement and his desire to dismantle the
Environmental Protection Agency." Curbelo described
climate change as a "local issue" that is causing flooding in his congressional district. Speaking about his efforts to convince his fellow Republicans about the threats posed by
climate change, Curbelo told the
New York Times "I know we have the truth on our side. So I'm confident that we'll win—eventually." In December 2017, Curbelo and eleven other House Republicans signed a letter to
Mitch McConnell urging the U.S. Senate "to pass a tax bill without oil-drilling concessions in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Curbelo voted in favor of the final bill, which "includes a provision, introduced by Sen.
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), that would require Interior Secretary
Ryan Zinke to approve at least two lease sales for drilling—each covering no less than 400,000 acres—in the refuge's coastal plain area." In April 2018, Curbelo called for the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, saying Pruitt's "corruption scandals are an embarrassment" and that Pruitt's "conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers." In July 2018, Curbelo became the first Republican in nearly a decade to propose legislation on enacting a
carbon tax to address the climate change (; 115th Congress). As part of the proposal, existing taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels would be repealed, and taxes would be introduced on carbon dioxide emissions that starts at $24/ton of CO2e in 2020. According to the Columbia University SIPA Center for Global Energy Policy, Curbelo's legislation would reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 27–32 percent reductions by 2025 and 30–40 percent reductions by 2030 (compared to 2005 levels). The legislation was also estimated to increase annual federal government revenues by $57 billion–$72 billion in 2020 and $63 billion–$106 billion in 2030. National macroeconomic outcomes were estimated to decline modestly, with losses between 0.1 and 0.2 percent of GDP in the 2020s. Other Republicans disavowed the legislation, with the Republican-led House passing a nonbinding measure in July 2018 describing the legislation as "detrimental". For his efforts Curbelo in December 2018 was called "ridiculous. That guy is a pretend environmentalist" by
Tom Steyer.
Healthcare Speaking about the
Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), Curbelo said: "I clearly do not support the law and think it is bad policy. ... However I prefer to use the word 'replace' or 'substitute' Obamacare because to just say 'repeal' implies that there is no need for health care reform. But yes, if we replace or substitute Obamacare, that means it would no longer exist." On May 3, 2017, Curbelo
tweeted that "I just reiterated to @HouseGOP leaders that #AHCA in its current form fails to sufficiently protect Americans with pre-existing conditions." On May 4, 2017, he voted to repeal the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and pass the
American Health Care Act (AHCA). Explaining his vote, Curbelo said the AHCA was "not perfect, but that it was important for him to be a part of negotiations" and that the vote "is just a step in the legislative process for this bill—not the end of it."
Donald Trump In March 2016, Curbelo said he would not vote for
Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, calling it "a moral decision" rather than a political decision. He did not attend the
2016 Republican National Convention. In October 2016, speaking about the upcoming presidential election, he said: "I'm not supporting any of the two major candidates. I'm as disappointed with this election as most Americans are." In February 2017, while serving on the Ways and Means Committee, he voted against a measure that would have led to a request of the Treasury Department for Trump's tax returns. He then 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.
Quartz included Curbelo on a list of Republicans opposing Trump's 2017
executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Curbelo said at the time: "I expect that these executive orders are in fact temporary and that once the Administration strengthens the vetting process, we can continue our tradition of welcoming those who are persecuted, in an orderly manner and without any kind of religious test." He said the executive orders "were hastily issued & need a lot of work." In May 2017, President
Donald Trump was accused of having pressured fired FBI director
James Comey with the intent to end an FBI investigation into former
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn had resigned after 24 days in his post when information surfaced that he had misled the
FBI and Vice President
Mike Pence about the nature and content of his communications with
Russian Ambassador to the U.S.
Sergey Kislyak. Curbelo publicly stated that the allegations, if proven true, merited impeachment, as did Michigan Republican congressman
Justin Amash. On December 1, 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty in federal court to a single felony count of "willfully and knowingly"
making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the FBI. Curbelo supported President Trump's decision to
recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He stated: "Jerusalem is without question the capital of Israel and I commend the President's decision to recognize it as such." In September 2018,
FiveThirtyEight found that Curbelo had voted in line with President Trump 82% of the time, and was the sixth-most partisan Trump supporter in the House when compared to his district's voting patterns.
Guns The Brady Campaign, a gun control advocacy group, labeled Curbelo an "NRA lap dog" for his support of the
Second Amendment. In 2017, Curbelo introduced a bill to ban
bump stocks in the wake of the
2017 Las Vegas shooting. Appearing on ABC's "This Week" on February 18, 2018, Curbelo called on Republican congressional leaders to introduce gun-control measures.
Tax reform Curbelo voted in favor of the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The
Miami New Times projected that Curbelo's wife, who owns a
pass-through LLC, would financially benefit from the TCJA's pass-through deduction enabling such companies to deduct a portion of their profits on taxes. He says the bill will "make American families more prosperous."
LGBT rights Curbelo supports
same-sex marriage. Upon the landmark Supreme Court ruling
Obergefell v. Hodges, Curbelo stated "I applaud the Supreme Court's ruling, and send my sincerest congratulations to all those who will finally enjoy the same legal rights as their peers."
Immigration Curbelo is "an outspoken proponent of immigration reform." On July 23, 2015, he voted against legislation penalizing sanctuary cities. In December 2017, Curbelo, who was leading talks with Democrats on immigration overhaul, criticized leaders of the Problem Solvers Caucus for withholding details of a potential bipartisan compromise on immigration policy. He introduced "a slightly more conservative version of the
DREAM Act" but said that he would vote for the DREAM Act or more liberal proposals if they ever came up for a vote. He filed the Recognizing America's Children Act (RAC) and said he would "support any bill that has a chance of putting DACA protections into law." On July 6, 2018, Curbelo was denied entry by the Department of Health and Human Services into a government facility housing immigrant minors separated from their parents at the Mexican border. He had made arrangements with HHS two weeks earlier for the visit, but the night before the planned visit was told he would not be permitted to enter the facility.
Abortion Curbelo voted against defunding
Planned Parenthood. He also voted against repealing a District of Columbia law that protects employees from employer retaliation when they have abortions, use birth control, or make other reproductive choices.
Keystone pipeline Curbelo voted for the Keystone pipeline.
Charter schools He has voted to increase private school vouchers.
Iran deal Curbelo voted against the Iran nuclear deal. ==Electoral history==