Congressman Burgess welcomes fellow doctor Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama to the Republican Party. In his statement, Dr. Burgess expressed his appreciation for the asset that Dr. Griffith will be to the House Republican Conference in the days ahead. Read more

Congressman Burgess released the statement below following the Senate's party-line vote to end debate on Harry Reid's health care reform bill: "A 1 AM cloture vote on the longest evening of the year moves this monstrosity of a health care bill one step closer to its very damaging conclusion. No matter that it is opposed by an overwhelming majority of the American people, no matter that it requires multiple ear-marks and carve-outs and outright graft to purchase its passage and move this bill ever closer to the president's desk. Read more

News 8 is closely following the developments on Capitol Hill regarding the Senate's early morning vote to push health care reform forward. If the vote Christmas Eve goes as expected, the next big step will be to merge the Senate version with the House version that was passed in November. News 8's Shelly Slater talks with Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) on his take on the vote. To view the video, click here. To view the original article, click here. Read more

The Emergency Nurses Association presented its 2009 Public Service Award to U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess MD (R-TX) and U.S. Congressman Gene Green (D-TX) in honor of their longstanding shared record of promoting the establishment of statewide comprehensive trauma systems. These systems are the foundation on which coordinated care systems are constructed. ENA President William Briggs, RN, MSN, CEN FAEN, presented the awards to Congressman Burgess and Congressman Green. These two men have a... Read more

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I think we need to start with a simple question. What is the purpose of this hearing? If it is to answer the question posed in the title “ Are prescription drug prices rising too fast?” then I have two concerns. The first is that we have not waited on a report that was requested by Chairman Waxman from the GAO on this very question. We cannot debate what a proper increase in prices should look like until we know the facts – not as reported in the New York Times or by an a... Read more

Sticking carefully to the script, the lead doctors behind the controversial new mammogram recommendations issued a mea culpa, saying they "communicated very poorly." But for many lawmakers, it wasn't just the communication that fell short, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. "To me it's sending the wrong message to women. It's saying you don't have to be vigilant, you don't have to take care of yourself," said Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C. Still, the government-appointed task force is holding... Read more

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is making few new friends in Congress these days, as a growing litany of bipartisan critics are questioning whether he should keep his job. Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican House member on the Joint Economic Committee, on Thursday was the latest lawmaker to call for Mr. Geithner to resign, saying the nation has lost confidence in the Obama administration's ability to handle the economy. "For the sake of our jobs, will you step down from your po... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement after voting “yes” on H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act: “This bill is not the best way to fix the long-standing physician reimbursement problem. The appropriate resolution is H.R. 3693, the Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act, which would finally make things right for our nation’s doctors. Read more

I support my representative’s vote on HR 3962 as opposed to the letter by Robert Oehlschlager [Letters, Nov. 11]. Rep. Burgess’ vote was an obvious vote with superior logic and intellect, especially as he is a physician. Also, as an avid reader, I can only think of two documents of similar length with any redeeming value, that being the Bible and the U.S. Tax Code! I did search my personal library for books I have reviewed of that length and could only come up with one, that being Webster’s Unab... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, has introduced H.R. 3942, the Veterans Health Care Stamp Act, to provide additional funding for veteran health care services. “A Veterans Health Care Stamp would provide the American public with an individual opportunity to help care for our men and women who have served their country honorably through military service,” Burgess said. “With this legislation, we can join together to give back to those who have given so much.” Read more