- The Mayor of Miami, Florida, Francis Suarez, jumped into the increasingly growing GOP primary field Thursday, becoming the state’s third candidate, along with Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump.
- The first thing Suarez will do if elected president is introduce an amendment to the Constitution to balance the federal government’s budget, he told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview.
- “I think we have been playing with the people’s money in a way that is unsustainable and is going to create fiscal insanity,” Suarez told the DCNF.
Republican Miami Mayor and newly-announced 2024 candidate Francis Suarez told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview that the first action he’d take as president will be to propose an amendment to the Constitution to balance the budget in lieu of the recent debt ceiling crisis.
The 43rd mayor of Miami announced his candidacy in a video advertisement Thursday, making him the third Florida GOP contender vying for the nomination, along with Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. The U.S. came within days of its predicted default date in early June after weeks of tense negotiations between Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. (RELATED: ‘Miami Is Booming’: Meet The Republican Mayor Who Has His Sights Set On The Presidency)
“I think we have been playing with the people’s money in a way that is unsustainable and is going to create fiscal insanity,” Suarez told the DCNF. “I got the city broke. We now have the most surplus in our history, the highest bond rating in the history and we have annual surpluses, but with the lowest tax rate. So it’s not like we’ve increased taxes to grow revenue, we’ve grown revenue organically by creating the right ecosystem, which is how we can do it and how we should do it in our country.”
Suarez added that debt is being passed onto “our children and unborn grandchildren” by allowing the federal government to run deficits, and said it should only be permitted to do so in “extreme cases,” like natural disasters, war and pandemics, he told the DCNF. The mayor argued that there’s no reason why the federal government shouldn’t operate like states and localities, and pass a balanced budget to avoid acquiring mounting receipts.
“Why is a state like Florida with $100 billion budget any different, or a city like Miami, with a multi billion dollar budget any different than our federal government?” said Suarez. “What about the family that struggled to make ends meet, and doesn’t want to put too much money in its credit card, you know, saves up money to go on a vacation, right? We cannot continue to play with other people’s money or use it, allow other countries to use it to their strategic advantage, and create more vulnerability for ourselves and the world.”
Many politicians and lawmakers have floated the idea of amending the Constitution to balance the budget and avoid tumultuous borrowing limit negotiations. GOP California Rep. Jay Obernolte proposed an amendment in January that would require the federal government to balance the budget, and a month later, Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced a similar measure.
Suarez touted his “Miami model” for cutting taxes, decreasing crime and bolstering the city’s economy, he said in his announcement speech Thursday evening. The mayor argued America is in the midst of a “generational conflict,” and pledged to secure the border, bring back American manufacturing jobs and tackle the national security threats posed by China.
“It is time for a next generation leader who has the vision to lead and the character to connect with everyone, by looking at them in the eyes and listening to them, not shouting at them and lecturing them,” Suarez said in his announcement speech. “It’s time for a leader who can connect with segments of our country that Republicans have historically lost, like young voters and urban voters, and segments we can make gains with, like Hispanics and suburban women.”
My Dad taught me that you get to choose your battles, and I am choosing the biggest one of my life.
I’m running for President.
Join me at https://t.co/Wf7fVZACkl and for just $1, help secure me a spot on the debate stage ➡️ https://t.co/MgO1RIl3jp#FXS24 pic.twitter.com/ZhKa0bQYll
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) June 15, 2023
Suarez became the city’s first Miami-born mayor in 2017 after serving on the board of commissioners since 2009, taking after his father Xavier Suarez who served as Miami’s mayor in the 1980s and 1990s. The mayor was overwhelmingly elected to his first term by roughly 80 points, and handily secured reelection in 2021, beating his closest opponent 78.6% to 11.6%.
Though Suarez’ role is a largely ceremonial, part-time position, and the majority of the power rests with the greater Miami-Dade leadership, many of the mayor’s political observers in South Florida and beyond attribute the city’s growth and prosperity to Suarez.
The mayor has the support of a super political action committee (PAC), SOS America, which has begun fundraising for Suarez and released a campaign-like video Wednesday promoting his record in Miami ahead of the mayor’s official announcement.
Along with his Florida colleagues, Suarez joins an increasingly growing GOP primary field with former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio personality Larry Elder.
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