by CBS News The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure Friday to temporarily allow both remote voting by proxy and official remote committee proceedings during the coronavirus pandemic. The nearly party-line vote, 217 to 189, means that a member present at the Capitol would be able to cast a vote on behalf of up to 10 absent colleagues. The pandemic has raised concerns about… Read more »

The Ripon Society held a virtual meeting this past Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26). Burgess is the longest serving doctor in the House of Representatives, having practiced medicine for nearly 30 years prior to his election in 2002. He is also a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over not only how the federal government is… Read more »

by Elizabeth Crisp The bitter partisan rift in the U.S. House won't be mended by the coronavirus, if early hearings are any indication. In meetings this week, Republicans and Democrats have taken turns blasting each other over the response to the nation's COVID-19 outbreak and the path forward to economic recovery. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican leader,… Read more »

Dr. Burgess joins Cuomo Prime Time to discuss May 14, 2020 Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing. Published here.  Read more »

by Tuaren Dyson The new stimulus bill proposed by the House will be dead on arrival, Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, told Newsmax TV. House Democrats recently announced a massive coronavirus stimulus bill valued at more than $3 trillion, which would be the largest relief package ever. The measure is aimed at aiding states and local governments. Burgess told Thursday's "Spicer &… Read more »

by Charlie Nash Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) called former Dr. Rick Bright’s allegations about his ousting “serious,” before declaring that they “deserve an investigation,” Thursday during Bright’s hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), filed a… Read more »

by Dan Diamond President Donald Trump’s ousted vaccine chief turned whistleblower will go public with his claims on Thursday in an unusually friendly setting — a hearing chaired by a close congressional ally whose district benefited from his decisions. Rick Bright, who was abruptly removed as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority last month, will air… Read more »

by Tom Benning The federal government for years failed to heed warnings that America’s supply of surgical masks would be insufficient in the event of a pandemic, the executive vice president of a North Texas medical supply company testified Thursday on Capitol Hill. Mike Bowen of North Richland Hills-based Prestige Ameritech told the health subpanel of the House Energy and Commerce… Read more »

by Stephanie Armour A government vaccine specialist who was moved out of his job last month testified Thursday that the lack of a comprehensive, national strategy to address coronavirus may impede efforts to distribute a future vaccine and is causing current problems such as a lack of testing supplies. “The window is closing to address this pandemic because we still do not… Read more »

by Melissa Macaya, Adrienne Vogt, Alex Rogers, Maggie Fox and Meg Wagner Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's health subcommittee. Bright slammed the Trump administration's coronavirus… Read more »