Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers fail to override governor’s vetoes
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi lawmakers returned to the State Capitol expecting to override one or more of the governor’s vetoes, but after hours of discussions, many behind closed doors, all vetoes remained in place.
The House voted to override two of Gov. Tate Reeves’ vetoes: one involving opioid settlement money and another for the Gulf Coast Restoration Revolving Loan Program. The Senate was not successful in any of their votes.
“At the end of the day, when you look at the votes – which is what’s the record – then it was Democrats who sustained his vetoes,” said Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Jackson County.
Senate brings one bill to vote
The Senate brought up only one bill for a vote: the attempt to override the partial veto on the opioid settlement money. The House had already voted to override but needed at least a two-thirds vote in the Senate to make it official. The vote failed.
Senate Minority Leader Derrick Simmons said Democrats did not side with the governor when they cast their nay votes.
“We wanted to take up Senate Bill 2477, the rule of health transformation bill, first…because we did not take that bill up, unfortunately, Democrats were not interested in anything else,” Simmons said.
Governor urged lawmakers not to override rural healthcare veto
Leading up to the session, Reeves urged members not to override the veto on the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program. He said it would jeopardize federal funds.
“I certainly think it made a difference. And look, you know, if you’re a governor, you’re gonna do that. It’s your veto. You don’t want it to be overridden,” Wiggins said.
Rep. Sam Creekmore, R-House Public Health Chairman, said the House was prepared to vote to override. The language in the Senate bill was theirs, and they believed it was an oversight to ensure funds ended up in the most impactful locations.
“I truly believe they had the votes. For whatever reason, politically or whatever, it did not come up,” Creekmore said.
The lack of action from the legislature will not prevent funds from coming into the state.
The Senate also brought forward one resolution the House had already passed earlier in the afternoon. It would have helped in getting a repealer placed on a youth court bill. That vote failed in the Senate.
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Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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