Frank Pallone

1988–1990

In March 1988, 60-year-old incumbent U.S. Congressman James Howard (D-Spring Lake Heights) of New Jersey's 3rd congressional district died in office. In November, the regular election coincided with a special election to complete Howard's term; Pallone won both, defeating Republican former state Assemblyman Joe Azzolina 52%-47% and Libertarian Laura Stewart. In 1990, he won re-election with 49% of the vote, against a Republican, an independent, Libertarian Bill Stewart, and a Populist.

1992–2008

After redistricting, Pallone's district was renumbered as the 6th District. In the Democratic primary of 1992, he defeated State Representative Robert Smith 55%-37%. In the general election, he defeated Republican State Senator Joe Kyrillos 52%-45% and nine other candidates. Since then, he has won re-election with at least 60% in all but two elections (1998 and 2010). In 1998, he defeated Republican teacher Mike Ferguson 57%-40%.

2010

Pallone was challenged by Republican nominee Anna C. Little. Little is a former Monmouth County Freeholder and served as Mayor of Highlands, New Jersey in addition to working full-time as an attorney specializing in immigration law. On November 3, 2010, Pallone defeated Little by over 16,000 votes, 55% to 43% in what analysts considered a terrible year for Democrats. However, for the first time in his career, Pallone failed to carry his home county of Monmouth.

Pallone is a Progressive Caucus Member. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Native American Caucus, where he has worked on a bipartisan basis to protect the inherent sovereignty of tribal governments and promote the needs of Indian Country. As a senior member of the House Resources Committee — the committee with jurisdiction over all matters regarding the relations of the United States with American Indians and Alaska Natives — he has been a defender of the sovereign status of Indian Tribal governments as independent from the United States.

He also serves as a co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues along with Congressman Ed Royce (previously Joe Knollenberg and Mark Kirk) and was instrumental in garnering the support of 127 members (30%) of the U.S. House of Representatives for the Armenian Caucus.[4] In 2002 he was awarded the Mkhitar Gosh Medal by the President of Armenia.[5]

In 2002, he was awarded India's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan for his contributions as member of the India Caucus in the Congress.[6]

He was one of the 31 who voted in the House to not count the electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 United States presidential election.[7]

Pallone received an A on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.[8] while the National Taxpayers Union has consistently given Pallone an F ranking on votes that affect taxes, spending, and debt.[9]

Pallone has questioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on its update of flood plain maps in Monmouth County, specifically in the Bayshore area.[10]

Pallone has introduced a bill to modify the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the U.S.'s most important set of fisheries regulations.;[11][12]

On October 3, 2008 Rep. Pallone voted in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program[13] believing that the enumerated powers grant Congress the authority to "purchase assets and equity from financial institutions in order to strengthen its financial sector."

In 2014, Pallone defeated fellow Rep. Anna Eshoo 100 to 90 in a secret-ballot vote to becoming the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Pallone had been the third-ranking Democrat, and was in line to becoming ranking member after the 2014 midterm elections due to the retirements of John Dingell and Henry Waxman. Pallone was backed by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and the Congressional Black Caucus, the latter which "made a repeated point to stress the importance of Pallone’s seniority. Black lawmakers have a deep appreciation for seniority, as it was historically the quickest way African-American members earned gavels". House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had aggressively campaigned on Eshoo's behalf, while the Steering Committee which was packed with Pelosi allies had recommended Eshoo for the ranking slot by 30 to 19 votes.[14]

After U.S. Rep. Chris Smith stated he does "not construe homosexual rights as human rights", Pallone issued a statement supporting homosexual rights. The statement read, in part, "Representatives in Congress must be promoting the expansion of human rights, not fighting to limit its definition to people that they deem to be appropriate."[15][16]

In 2020, Pallone faced a contested Democratic primaries against housing attorney Russell 'Russ' Cirincione.[17][18]

Pallone opposed the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act (H.R. 2019; 113th Congress), which passed in both the House and the Senate. The bill would end taxpayer contributions to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and divert the money in that fund to pay for research into pediatric cancer through the National Institutes of Health.[19][20] The total funding for research would come to $126 million over 10 years.[19][20] As of 2014, the national conventions got about 23% of their funding from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.[21] Pallone said the bill was "a disingenuous and empty attempt by the Republicans to divert attention from the fact that they have voted to cut research time and time again."[22] Democratic opponents blamed Republicans for $1.5 billion cuts to the National Institutes of Health and said this money would not make it up.[22] Supporters of the bill argued back that the use of this money for pediatric cancer research was better than using it for political campaigns, so the bill should be supported for that reason.[22] Pallone was one of 58 members of Congress that opposed tabling a motion offering articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on December 6, 2017.[23]

Frank Pallone beside President Obama who signs the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009.

• Committee on Energy and Commerce (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
  • Subcommittee on Health (Former Ranking Member)

• Congressional Boating Caucus
• Congressional Coastal Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Congressional Progressive Caucus[24]
• Congressional Steel Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[25]
• Congressional Arts Caucus[26]
• Congressional Armenian Caucus (Co-Chair)
• House Baltic Caucus[27]
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus[28]

Party leadership

• Communications Chair of the Democratic Policy Committee