Congressman Steven M. Palazzo is proud to serve the people of South Mississippi's 4th Congressional District,which includes Mississippi's Gulf Coast and Pine Belt regions.As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, current member of the Mississippi National Guard,and former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Congressman Palazzo has a record of service that began long before he was first sworn into office on January 5, 2011.
Steven currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where he sits on two subcommittees: the Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee, and the Homeland Security Subcommittee. His committee is responsible for allocating every dollar of federal discretionary spending.
The Fourth Congressional District of Mississippi has an extensive military history from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, which has been used since 1941 to train our Air Force, to Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center which is the largest state-owned training site in America that is nestled in the Pine Belt. Just west of Biloxi, Gulfport is home to the Naval Construction Training Center, Combat Readiness Training Center, and the National Guard AVCRAD unit. The Gulf Coast also has two U.S. Coast Guard facilities. Having grown up in Gulfport, Steven was able to see and experience the commitment and sacrifice it takes to defend the nation.
In 1988, I enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves and was proud to serve with the 3rd Force Recon in the Persian Gulf War spending time in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In 1997, I enlisted in the Mississippi National Guard where I still serve today. Most recently, I spent a year supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom at Mobilization Center Camp Shelby. I've also had several opportunities to visit our soldiers serving overseas during his time in Congress.
In the 116th Congress, as Chairman of the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, I introduced the Support Our National Guard Act, which provides transitional health care benefits to National Guard servicemembers who have aided the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic under Title 32 502(f). This legislation was included in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which was signed into law on January 1, 2021.
I believe the protection of America’s interests at home and abroad is my primary Constitutional responsibility. When I entered Congress, I was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee. I assisted in passing several National Defense Authorization Acts and procure funding for ships to be made in Pascagoula at the Huntington Ingalls shipbuilding facility and other shipbuilding companies along the Gulf Coast. In my current position on the House Appropriations Committee, I’ve been a vocal advocate for ensuring strong federal investments are made in South Mississippi.
Having served in the military and having a multitude of military installments located throughout South Mississippi, my first obligation is to continue to uphold the United States Constitution to ensure we provide for a strong national defense.