SALON

Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 5:15 PM UTC

Mississippi GOPer backtracks opposition to Sandy relief funding

Rep. Steven Palazzo faced backlash for opposing the aid after requesting it for his district in the wake of Katrina

By

Topics: Steven Palazzo, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, FEMA, House Republicans,

Mississippi GOPer backtracks opposition to Sandy relief funding Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss. (Credit: Facebook/Stevenpalazzo)

Though he voted against the first round of Hurricane Sandy relief aid, Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., says he has changed his position, following backlash over his 2005 request for federal aid for his own district, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

In a statement, Palazzo says he flipped after touring the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. “I was saddened to see the hard-hit portions of New Jersey and New York. I was reminded of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Mississippians have been through much of what the Sandy victims are experiencing,” he said.

“Now is the time for the federal government to provide immediate relief to those affected by the storm,” Palazzo continued. “I am fully committed to providing the relief they so desperately need.”

In 2005, Palazzo, who was then the chief financial officer for the Biloxi Public Housing Authority, asked the federal government for more than $38.5 million in relief money after Hurricane Katrina.

Last week, Palazzo voted against a House bill to provide $9.7 billion in federal funding to FEMA for flood damage relief. It passed with 67 Republican “no” votes, including Palazzo.

The bill was one part of a larger aid package that the Senate had passed, and the House is expected to vote on the other $51 billion next week. Palazzo’s flip means the bill still needs four more “yes” votes to pass.

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • This photo. President Barack Obama has a laugh during the unveiling of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Tx., Thursday. Former first lady Barbara Bush, who candidly admitted this week we've had enough Bushes in the White House, is unamused.
    Reuters/Jason Reed

  • Rescue workers converge Wednesday in Savar, Bangladesh, where the collapse of a garment building killed more than 300. Factory owners had ignored police orders to vacate the work site the day before.
    AP/A.M. Ahad

  • Police gather Wednesday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to honor campus officer Sean Collier, who was allegedly killed in a shootout with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects last week.
    AP/Elise Amendola

  • Police tape closes the site of a car bomb that targeted the French embassy in Libya Tuesday. The explosion wounded two French guards and caused extensive damage to Tripoli's upscale al-Andalus neighborhood.
    AP/Abdul Majeed Forjani

  • Protestors rage outside the residence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday following the rape of a 5-year-old girl in New Delhi. The girl was allegedly kidnapped and tortured before being abandoned in a locked room for two days.
    AP/Manish Swarup

  • Clarksville, Mo., residents sit in a life boat Monday after a Mississippi River flooding, the 13th worst on record.
    AP/Jeff Roberson

  • Workers pause Wednesday for a memorial service at the site of the West, Tx., fertilizer plant explosion, which killed 14 people and left a crater more than 90 feet wide.
    AP/The San Antonio Express-News, Tom Reel

  • Aerial footage of the devastation following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province last Saturday. At least 180 people were killed and as many as 11,000 injured in the quake.
    AP/Liu Yinghua

  • On Wednesday, Hazmat-suited federal authorities search a martial arts studio in Tupelo, Miss., once operated by Everett Dutschke, the newest lead in the increasingly twisty ricin case. Last week, President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker, R.-Miss., and a Mississippi judge were each sent letters laced with the deadly poison.
    AP/Rogelio V. Solis

  • The lighting of Freedom Hall at the George W. Bush Presidential Center Thursday is celebrated with (what else but) red, white and blue fireworks.
    AP/David J. Phillip

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 11 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Alex Jones is in the business of selling fear and business is a'boomin.
92 points93 points | 52 comments
vote
Guantanamo defense lawyer found dead of apparent suicide
105 points106 points | 10 comments
vote
"Contrary to the myth of the happy, apple-cheeked great-great-grandmother, cooking has rarely been seen as a source of fulfillment, historically speaking." DIY domesticity, femivores, and refutations on the impacts of feminism on fast-food culture.
51 points52 points | 77 comments
vote
Just when I thought the raids were over, California dispensary crackdown resumes in San Jose
56 points57 points | 5 comments
vote
Are millennials delusional? New research suggests that members of "Generation Me" are warped by a profound sense of entitlement
32 points33 points | 49 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Shelter Cycle": Raised in a cult

Recommendations