Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), a member of the House Rules Committee and Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Representative John Ratcliffe (R-TX) as Director of National Intelligence.

“Whether it was serving as Mayor of Heath, Texas, U.S. Attorney, Congressman, or now as Director of National Intelligence, John continues to put our nation first,” said Burgess. “Having a permanent director overseeing our intel community is essential to provide security to our nation in these uncertain times. It is critical that the nation is able to prevent any attempts to steal our intellectual property in the effort to develop a vaccine for this Coronavirus.”