I received several thousand responses from across the district.
It came as no surprise to me that ‘national security,’ was the issue that South Mississippians chose the most.
The common defense of this nation is our number one Constitutional responsibility in Congress, and I’ve worked tirelessly throughout this year to fulfill that duty.
It was also apparent by the multitude of responses in each issue area that South Mississippians are concerned with the policies taking root in this country across the board.
I heard your voices and I agree with you. Our current leadership refuses to uphold the principles upon which this country was founded. This year I fought at every opportunity, and in every issue area, to restore conservatism and defend our Constitution.
So, as this year comes to an end, I’d like to share with you some of the ways I’ve fought to uphold our conservative principles and values.
On National Security
The world is not becoming a safer place. In fact, it’s becoming much more dangerous. At the beginning of this year we watched as ISIS grew stronger despite U.S. airstrikes. I reiterated my concerns that the president’s plan was not going to work and it was time for a new strategy.
Day by day, it has become more apparent just how crucial it is during these times that we continue to support a strong national defense. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act to ensure our men and women in uniform have the tools and resources they need to do their job.
There were also several victories specifically for South Mississippi this year. After three years of pressing the Air Force for answers, in April we were finally able to affirm that our C-130 “Flying Jennies” would remain at Keesler Air Force Base for good.
Ingalls announced a $1 billion dollar contract for the continuance of the LPD line as we transition to new classes of amphibious ships. I was proud to work alongside my colleagues in the Mississippi delegation to secure the continued success of our men and women in uniform as well as our defense industry on the Gulf Coast.
I was also honored to be selected as Co-Chairman of the House National Guard Caucus this year. As the only active, enlisted Guardsman in Congress, this responsibility has personal significance for me, and I share in each service member’s concern.
Syrian Refugee Program
The biggest issue of national security we faced this year was when the president announced his plan to bring thousands of Syria refugees to the U.S. - Refugees who even the Director of the FBI says cannot be fully vetted.
More than half of our states’ governors, including Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, announced they would not allow Syrian refugees to be placed in their state. In support of this effort, I introduced my own legislation that would provide states clear federal authority to opt out of the Syrian refugee program. We have no fool-proof way of vetting these refugees, and state officials should have the right to protect their citizens.
In the House we also took action by passing the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015 that would ensure the highest level of scrutiny is placed on every single Syrian refugee and effectively halt the program until we can ensure Americans are protected.
On Border Security
Border security is national security. We cannot fix any of the problems with our immigration system until we first secure our border. However, we were faced with further challenges when the president announced his plans to grant amnesty to thousands of illegal immigrants using an executive order.
Within the first ten days of the 114th Congress we passed a bill in the House to block President Obama’s executive amnesty actions. Unfortunately, leadership in the Senate did not feel as strongly about opposing executive amnesty.
When the Senate blocked us, we moved the fight to the courts. Finally, in February, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen put a halt to President Obama’s illegal immigration plans, citing that the immigration process should not take effect until the Administration answers legal questions. This decision has now been upheld twice.
On Right to Life
In the 114th Congress, I have consistently defended the rights of the unborn as well as the taxpayers who do not wish for their hard-earned money to be used to fund abortions.
When the horrific discoveries were made in relation to Planned Parenthood's selling of organs and tissue of aborted fetuses, I immediately took action by co-authoring a letter urging Congress to begin a full investigation.
While I have consistently voted against funding Planned Parenthood every chance that I have, now more than ever I believe Planned Parenthood should be stripped of any and all federal money used to fund abortions. That is why, with my help, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 as well as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act passed the House.
I believe the most basic and fundamental purpose of government is to protect the rights of individuals, including the right to life of the unborn. That is exactly what these two bills ensure. I will continue to fight for the rights of Mississippi’s children and the rights of any child who cannot defend themselves.
On Appropriations
Finally, my selection to the House Appropriations Committee this year also enabled me to further the conservative cause. While we were drafting the Fiscal Year 2016 Appropriations bill, I introduced a motion to prohibit funds from being used to carry out the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014 which protects DC employee’s right to have an abortion. This motion was adopted and was included in the final bill. Congress has the power of the purse and we should use it.
On Healthcare/Obamacare
I have consistently fought to repeal, defund, and replace Obamacare. This Congress has been no different, and we have made more progress than ever.
Our House Appropriations Committee successfully passed a bill that blocked a majority of funding for Obamacare. This bill was completed by the Committee for the first time in six years.
I also pushed House Leadership and my Senate colleagues to utilize a maneuver called “Budget Reconciliation” to repeal large parts of Obamacare. Reconciliation is filibuster-proof, requiring only a simple majority to pass. This is important because it is the only legislative means by which a Republican Majority can send a bill to the President that actually repeals Obamacare.
More than ever, know that I remain committed to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with common sense reforms that offer patient-centered healthcare solutions.
On Veterans
In 2014, I was ashamed and outraged to learn about the treatment of our veterans by our VA hospitals. So, I immediately began working to bring solutions to these problems by holding veterans forums across South Mississippi to hear firsthand from local vets.
I took your concerns and went to work in 2015.
This year Congress has increased funding by $15 billion to improve access to VA healthcare. From May 2014 through February 2015, the VA completed more than 46 million health appointments and has completed 97 percent of appointments within 30 days of the Veteran’s preferred date.
Continued investigations in 2015 shed more light on the problems within the VA hospitals-specifically bad employees and administrators. With my help, the House of Representatives responded to this discovery by passing the VA Accountability Act of 2015. This act holds those involved with VA misconduct responsible by streamlining the removal process for employees with poor performance or misconduct.
We still have a long way to go but make no mistake, I will continue to hold leadership accountable, and I will fight relentlessly to ensure that our veterans are afforded the services and care they earned and deserve. They have made great sacrifices to defend our nation and its freedoms, and now we have to hold up our end of the deal."
Concluded the Congressman, "I'm honored to serve Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District and look forward to continuing the conservative fight in 2016."
Your comments are always welcome and you can contact Congressman Palazzo on facebook, twitter or by visiting his website.
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