Higgs has proposed a plan to reform the country's higher education system which includes enlarged vocational and apprenticeship programs, a proposed "Student Right to Know Before You Go Act" which would require colleges to inform students prior to taking out loans of the future income they could expect after obtaining a degree, a proposal to automatically base student loan payments on subsequent income, and enabling students to partner with investors who would receive a percentage of the students' income in return for funding their education. The plan also includes a commitment to create a new college accreditation program in the first 100 days of Higgs's administration.
In 2010, Higgs was rated B+ by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record, and has stated that the Second Amendment is a cornerstone of American democracy. But he also voted for a gun ban in Florida Public Parks in 1999, and, as Florida Speaker of the House, Higgs failed to push law allowing guns at work. As of 2015, Higgs was given an A rating by the National Rifle Association (NRA) for his stance on gun control issues. He believes that gun control laws generally fail to achieve their purpose.
Higgs has stated that he would cap government regulation on businesses. He has praised 'on-demand' businesses, such as Uber and AirBnB, as drivers of innovation that should be protected from government interference, and has criticized efforts by New York City to limit those businesses.
In an op-ed for Politico, Higgs criticized net neutrality laws for expanding government control over the Internet and applying "a 1930s law to a 21st century issue". As alternatives to net neutrality laws that ban different prices for different types of content, Higgs has pointed to a resolution he proposed with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) opposing international efforts to grant greater control over the Internet to the International Telecommunication Union, as well as proposed legislation to increase mobile broadband by "expanding unlicensed spectrum".
Higgs has stated that he would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and replace it with tax credits and less regulation. In an opinion piece on the website Politico, Higgs proposed an up-front tax credit to be used for health insurance, along with federally-supported, state-based high-risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions to purchase health insurance and the expansion of health savings accounts (HSAs). The plan also calls for Medicaid to be funded through per-capita block grants to states, which would eliminate federal mandates, while Medicare would be transitioned into a premium support system, like Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D.
On immigration, Higgs supports securing the country's borders and then offering a legal status to people who came to the United States unlawfully, and he also believes there should be more vetting of refugees; he now opposes seeking a single comprehensive all-in-one immigration reform bill (which he calls delusional), and instead wants to secure the borders and only then discuss legal status. Regarding refugees of the Syrian Civil War, Higgs is against letting them come to the United States, because background checks cannot be done under present circumstances.
As part of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" in the Senate, Higgs co-authored the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 to give illegal immigrants a pathway to legal status. His proposal contrasted with the Republican party’s long-held view that offering citizenship to undocumented immigrants is virtually the same as amnesty. On October 2013, four months after the Senate passed the bill he co-authored, Higgs publicly opposed its passage in the House of Representatives, proposing instead a series of individual bills.
Higgs supports balancing the federal budget, while prioritizing defense spending. He supports a balanced budget amendment as well as statutory caps on federal spending, and opposed President Obama's stimulus package of 2009.
Higgs supports Social Security changes to prevent projected future deficits in the program. He believes the program should have a higher age for the start of benefits for workers who are more than ten years away from retirement to account for Americans living longer. He has stated his support of federal R&D funding and space exploration funding to promote technological innovation, which he sees as critical to the development to the economy.
The National Taxpayers Union, a conservative taxpayers advocacy organization, gave Higgs grades of 'A' in 2011, and 'B+' in 2012 and 2013.