Mississippi Rep. Steve Palazzo leaves Congress with mixed record – Hattiesburg American
- Controversy followed congressman during time in Washington
- Palazzo supports funds for Coastal Mississippi interests
- Veterans, military and national security among Palazzo’s priorities
U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, who served six terms in Congress, will be leaving office at the end of the year and is leaving a mixed legacy for historians to review.
Palazzo, 52, lost to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell in a narrow runoff following the Republican primaries in June, in which Ezell won with 54% of the vote. Ezell went on to win the midterm election in November, defeating Democrat Johnny DuPree and Libertarian Alden Johnson.
Known for his conservative Republican values, Palazzo supported President Donald Trump’s border wall project and other measures to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. He voted to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and sought a ban on same-sex marriages.
Mississippi and other states had laws banning gay marriage, but a Supreme Court ruling in 2015 made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Palazzo did not specifically address the issue, but told the Clarion Ledger that the ruling “tears at the very fabric of our democracy” by taking dominion over marriage laws from state governments.”
In addition, Palazzo took a pro-life stance, saying life is sacred and begins at conception.
“I will never stop fighting for the lives of the unborn and to end the practice of abortion once and for all,” the father of three said during his most recent political campaign.
Veterans, military and national security among Palazzo’s priorities
Palazzo’s work included support of veterans, presiding over numerous honors to veterans and active military members in his district.
He is a supporter of National Security and funding the nation’s defense and military operations.
He served in the Marine Corps Reserves, including deployment to the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He continues to serve in the Mississippi Army National Guard.
In 2013, a partial government shutdown prompted furloughs of about 850,000 government employees, impacting some government operations. During the staffing shortage, National Parks Service employees set up barriers around the World War II Memorial and other monuments on the National Mall.
Palazzo was one of many protesters who tore down the memorial’s barriers.
“I will never forget tearing down those barriers to let our greatest generation go in to THEIR memorial,” Palazzo recently wrote on Facebook. “It was one of my proudest moments in Congress.”
He also supported law enforcement and the protection of police officers, who risk their lives every day to serve their communities.
“In Congress, I have allocated millions of dollars for local police forces through federal grants and have supported them through legislation to increase penalties and mandatory sentences for those who attack our law enforcement officers,” he said during his campaign. I will always back the blue, to ensure they are always able to return to their families safe and sound after their shift has ended.”
Palazzo supports funds for Coastal Mississippi interests
Palazzo supported the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which allows Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas to receive a portion of the revenue generated from oil and gas production offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The money is used for conservation, restoration and hazard mitigation on the three Coastal counties.
In May, Palazzo and the state’s U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker announced the state received nearly $37 million in GOMESA funds this year.
Palazzo has served on a number of committees during his tenure, most recently on the House Appropriations Committee and the Homeland Security and Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittees. He also is co-chair of the National Guard Caucus.
He has been a strong supporter of NASA, and has worked to keep space exploration and other space programs funded. Mississippi plays a big role in the space industry. The nation’s rocket engines are tested at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County before they are used to launch spacecraft at other NASA sites.
Controversy followed congressman during time in Washington
Palazzo’s tenure in Congress has not been without controversy, however.
Many of his constituents complained of his lack of public appearances in his home state, which earned him the nickname, “No-Show Palazzo.”
In his first year in Congress, Palazzo was criticized for allegedly using a rented condominium in Annapolis for a two-day party during a Southern Miss-Navy game weekend which got out of hand, bringing police to restore order, according to a story by Roll Call staff.
Palazzo denies he was ever at the condo, nor did he allow anyone to book the rental on his behalf.
The congressman and his office also came under fire for alleged misuse of campaign funds and congressional money, which launched an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. After a year and a half, no action was taken.
Kedric Payne, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center watchdog group, told Mississippi Today the House Ethics Committee has failed to create an investigative subcommittee on the Palazzo case and has instead classified it as a review, making it likely the complaint will “just sort of evaporate” when the 117th Congress ends Jan. 3, with the committee neither clearing Palazzo nor taking any action against him.
Before he ran for Congress in 2010 and unseated 22-year incumbent Democrat Gene Taylor, Palazzo served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for five years.
It is unclear what Palazzo’s future holds. The congressman did not respond to requests for an interview, so it is unknown if he plans to seek political office in the future.
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