Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Republican Leader Designee/Rules Committee Member to the Budget Committee, released the following statement after voting against S. Con. Res. 5. "Even though Groundhog Day happened a few days ago, we are experiencing it here in the People’s House. Just two days ago we voted on this measure, but since the Senate version is slightly different, we had to vote again. So again, I ask, ‘what was the rush? Why did we have to circumvent the Budget Committee? Why could we not take the time and work together in a bipartisan manner to produc... Read More »
Dear Friends, Great news to kick off the weekend with Johnson and Johnson announcing it filed for its COVID-19 vaccine application for emergency use authorization (EUA) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will review the data on February 26. The FDA revised the EUA granted for convalescent plasma, limiting the use of the treatment. The FDA is working to support medical product development to address new variants of COVID-19. The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca reported that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is ... Read More »
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), released the following statement after voting against H. Res. 72—Removing a certain Member from certain standing committees of the House of Representatives. "The remarks and actions of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene were wrong. While the comments in question were made when the Member was a private citizen or as a candidate for Congress, it does not excuse her inflammatory remarks. The code of conduct governing the behavior of Members does not apply until Member is sworn in as a representative, and thus we must evaluate the p... Read More »
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) released the following statement after reintroducing H.R. 689 the Premium Relief Act of 2021. “The government response to addressing any health care issues facing the country should always focus on the patient and affordable, accessible care. This legislation will provide states the freedom to repair their markets that have been damaged by Obamacare by establishing a Patient and State Stability Fund. States can choose to utilize these dollars to lower health insurance premiums and support programs to increase access to preventive h... Read More »
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Republican Leader Designee/Rules Committee Member to the Budget Committee, released the following statement after voting against H. Con. Res. 11. “Americans are tired of watching the government negate process and push through partisan legislation. On January 20, 2021, President Biden called for the country to unite. Just two weeks later, Democrats are bypassing the committee process and ramming through a partisan budget resolution that could increase the national deficit by 2 trillion dollars. Americans are suffering from this pa... Read More »
Dear Friends, The Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the Department of Defense awarded Ellume USA a $231.8 million grant to expand capacity for at-home COVID-19 antigen tests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)updated their COVID-19 guidance and toolkit for individuals with disabilities. The CDC requires face masks while on public transportation and at transportation hubs. The CDC updated information on the variant SARS-CoV-2 strains. The CDC released an MMWR report on early COVID-19 vaccination coverage among residents and staff members of skilled... Read More »
Dear Friends, The National Institutes for Health announced the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was 72 percent effective in the U.S. trial in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19. This vaccine was reportedly 66 percent effective overall. Eli Lilly announced new Phase 3 data showing COVID-19 treatment with both bamlanivimab and etesevimab reduced the risk of hospitalizations by 70 percent. Novavax reported 89.3% efficacy in its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial in the UK . The White House released a fact sheet on new steps to boost vaccine supply and increase transparency. The Department of H... Read More »
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) put out the following statement after President Biden signed another partisan wish list executive order - this time targeting Americans health care. “Today’s executive order is just another example of how Democrats are trying to erase the positive policy measures that were proposed and implemented over the last four years. These actions will not create the unity President Biden spoke about in his inaugural address,” said Burgess. “Americans are suffering and trying to survive during this pandemic. Reverting to and building on the f... Read More »
Dear Friends, The Biden Administration announced a series of executive orders entitled, the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. On January 21, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) extended the public health emergency (PHE) for an additional 90 days. HHS also announced that the PHE will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)COVID-19 Data tracker now includes a new module that reflects how many doses of vaccine have been administered by jurisdiction through the Federal Pharmacy P... Read More »
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) championed an agreement between Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue the state’s Medicaid 1115 Demonstration Waiver for the next 10 years. “This is great news for Texans,” said Burgess. “Since helping the state navigate negotiation of its 1115 waiver extension in 2017, I have continued to work with Seema Verma and CMS to ensure the state’s success in receiving a longer-term extension. This waiver provides Texas the flexibility to fund programs that th... Read More »
