Social Security
As a member of Congress, DeSantis voted for non-binding resolutions in favor of raising the retirement age and privatizing Social Security, but he now says he would not touch benefits for current seniors or support privatization. He says he is open to bipartisan changes that would affect younger Americans.
What he’s said: “When people say that we’re going to somehow cut seniors, that is totally not true. Talking about making changes for people in their 30s and their 40s so that the program’s viable — that’s a much different thing.”
Trump tax cuts
DeSantis voted in the US House in favor of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. He has proposed extending the lower individual tax rates before they expire in 2025 and renewing a temporary measure that allows companies to write off investments in short-lived assets such as machinery immediately. He is also calling for stricter international tax policy that makes it harder for US companies to move assets and cash offshore. He would eliminate the Internal Revenue Service.
What he's said: “We are also going to ensure that tax rates are low, that the tax code is simple and that these policies are permanent so that people are able to make decisions about how to deploy their resources.”
Trade with China
DeSantis calls China “the most formidable adversary we face since the Soviet Union.” He has proposed revoking China’s permanent normal trade relations status, banning the sale of US farmland to Chinese officials, banning imports of goods made with stolen intellectual property, and incentivizing the repatriation of US capital from China with tax incentives. He said he would consider banning TikTok.
What he's said: “They said if you granted China special trading status and put them in the World Trade Organization, that China would become more democratic, that it would guard against forced transfers of technology, that you wouldn't have a mass relocation of American manufacturing to China and that we would be safeguarded against surges of Chinese imports. What actually happened over these past 25 years, China has become more authoritarian, more powerful and more ambitious.”
Banking
As a member of Congress, DeSantis voted for the 2018 law loosening bank stress tests, but he blames recent bank failures on regulators and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, known as DEI. He promises to order the Justice Department to target those efforts. He’s called for a Federal Reserve chair who will focus on maintaining a stable dollar, and keeping inflation down, saying he would oust Powell before his term ends in 2026. He also said he would oppose a central bank digital currency, a counterpart to physical US dollars. As governor, he signed a bill barring Florida pension funds from ESG investing and says he would end its use by large investors as president.
What he's said: "We need to rein in the Federal Reserve. It is not designed or supposed to be an economic central planner. It is not supposed to be indulging in social justice or social engineering. It's got one job: maintain stable prices.”
Energy
DeSantis's energy plan would end any commitment to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero, approve more oil and gas pipelines, allow mining on federal lands, roll back policies encouraging the manufacturing of electric vehicles and streamline the review process for energy infrastructure. He has vowed to eliminate the Department of Energy, along with three other agencies. He says his goal is to achieve $2 a gallon gas by 2025.
What he’s said: “What I’ve found is when people start talking about things like global warming, they typically use that as a pretext to do a bunch of left-wing things that they would want to do anyways.”