April 6, 2020 Dear Friends, I spoke with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner, Brendan Carr. I appreciate the time he tookto provide me with more information about how doctors can better use the $200 million provided in the CARES Act for telehealth to treat patients during this crisis. Also,he assured me that the FCC is still working to continue the rollout of 5G network infrastructure. National Update: The U.S. Department of Labor published an Unemployment Insurance Guidance Letter. This letter explains that states will administer the additional $600 weekly payment to cer... Read More »
April 5, 2020 Dear Friends, Yesterday, FoxBusiness.com released an op-ed I authored about the affects this Coronavirus is having on the American Oil Industry.This coronavirus will not drastically alter the world’s growing need for energy in the medium and long-term. President Trump is right to request the Strategic Petroleum Reserve be filled while prices are low and this should be considered in any future coronavirus response legislation. This purchase could increase America’s energy security at a reduced price and temporarily stabilize the market so American businesses can develop plans for... Read More »
by Michael Burgess Published in Fox Business Over the past few months, America has fallen under siege. While our lives are threatened by a global pandemic and our markets are being burdened by social distancing, foreign nations have started an assault on America’s oil and gas industry. As a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I believe that the American energy sector will not only overcome this challenge but will dominate the future energy market. Since January 2020, global oil prices fell steadily as quarantines across the globe reduced energy demand. On March 9, the oil marke... Read More »
April 3, 2020 Dear Friends, Today, small business owners can apply for a loan, with the lender of their CHOICE, through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Yesterday, I held a conference call with the Republican Leader of the House Committee on Small Business, Steve Chabot (R-OH) to provide answers to North Texassmall businesses about PPP. Congress authorizedPPP to provide $350 billion in 100 percentfederally guaranteed loans for8 weeks of assistance to small businesses and 501(c)(3) nonprofits that have less than 500 employees. Small businesses can borrow up to $10 million or 2.5 times th... Read More »
April 2, 2020 Dear Friends, My morning kicked off with an interview on Mornings with Maria. I spoke with her about the economic impact ofCOVID-19 and the importance of Congress waiting tosee the effect of the existing relief packages before putting together another. Congress needs to understand what is needed, not rush to pass something to say we did something. National Update: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued resources on decontamination and reuse of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Reusing disposable FFRs has been suggested as a method of mitigating the current s... Read More »
by Bill Theobald Freshman members of Congress, particularly the newest female lawmakers, are leading the way on Capitol Hill in how they run their offices and serve constituent needs. The Congressional Management Foundation announced Thursday the finalists for its Democracy Awards and nine people in their first terms — the most in the three years the awards have been handed out — made the cut. Seven women are among the finalists, again the most in the short history of the awards, which honor members of Congress for their work in four categories: constituent service; workplace environment; tran... Read More »
April 1, 2020 Dear Friends, Today is Census Day, and it has never been easier to respond to the census, the 2020 Census can be completed online, by phone, or by mail. National Update: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue to accelerate the development of Coronavirus therapies. The FDA established the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to support the development of COVID-19 therapies and make them available for patients in a timely manner. There is a shortage of hydrochloroquine and chloroquine due to a surge in demand. The FDA is working with manufacturers to assess sup... Read More »
March 31, 2020 Dear Friends, I started off my day by speaking with KLIF's Dave and Amy. On the show, I reminded them that there is a dawn on the horizon, but it's still a tough slog for everyone. The one thing that remains true as new reports come out each day is together we will defeat this coronavirus . National Update: Nearly 100,000 people are being tested each day for this Coronavirus infection. HHS has released information between state and local public health laboratories, commercial laboratories, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and hospital laboratories, more than 1,018,415 sample... Read More »
Reviewed by James Ives, M. Psych. (Editor) The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today commended Congress and President Trump for supporting critical efforts to expand geriatrics expertise through the more than $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package (S. 3548). "Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, social workers, and all our geriatrics experts are vital--not just to the U.S. economy but also to our health, safety, and independence, which make our economy what it is. As we continue to review the stimulus in detail, we applaud Senators Bob Casey and Susan Collins, as well as Rep... Read More »
