The House Republican Policy Committee has been described as “the ‘think tank’ for House Republicans.” Recently the suggestion has been made that, in order to save money, perhaps Republicans no longer need their think tank. I could not more strongly disagree. If the question is, do we save money or the Policy Committee, I would submit we must be bold enough to do both. The Policy Committee was founded more than six decades ago, in 1949, following a significant loss of Republican seats in the 1948 election. House Republicans at the time wanted a forum to consider “forward-looking Republican thinking.” Since then, this committee has held a prominent position in advocating for the core principles for which conservatives stand. It is tasked with two very important responsibilities: discuss legislation and report suggestions. Read more »

The House Republican Policy Committee has been described as “the ‘think tank’ for House Republicans.” Recently the suggestion has been made that, in order to save money, perhaps Republicans no longer need their think tank. I could not more strongly disagree. If the question is, do we save money or the Policy Committee, I would submit we must be bold enough to do both. The Policy… Read more »

Rep. Mike Burgess (R-Texas), top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee told HUMAN EVENTS the administration is still blocking local plans for rock berms to protect the marshes. “Right now, of course, the obstruction is the administration,” Burgess said after the tour’s conclusion. “In fact, BP, in this instance, has agreed to pay for the rocks and has the rocks sitting in barges on the Mississippi River apparently waiting on the okay from the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to build the rock berms.” And the rocks -- bought and paid for by BP -- continue to sit on the barges. Read more »

House Republicans are questioning the Obama Administration about why permits have not been re-issued to allow drilling to resume in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R.-La.), at a House National Resources Committee hearing on Wednesday, sought questions about the de-facto drilling moratorium from Michael Bromwich, the new director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy… Read more »

Word came down Thursday evening from the House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats: “The joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment entitled 'The Role of the Interior Department in the Deepwater Horizon Disaster,' scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2010 has been postponed. A new date and time for the hearing is… Read more »

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in anticipation of his appearance before the subcommittee next week. Burgess detailed questions he plans to ask Secretary Salazar about his agency’s role and actions relating to the blowout and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and the ongoing oil spill along the Gulf Coast. “Given the integral role of the Department of Interior and its component agencies in the oversight and inspections of the Deepwater Horizon rig, drilling equipment, well construction, and well control operations, as well as the post-incident response, I believe your testimony can provide critical information that will assist the Subcommittee’s investigation going forward,” Burgess wrote. Read more »

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement after Committee Democrats announced the postponement of the Secretary Salazar hearing on the Gulf Coast oil spill, scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2010. “It has been 66 days since the spill began, and we still have no sworn testimony or documents from the Obama Administration before this Committee. “Secretary Salazar has already testified – alone – before three other House and Senate Committees. Why the Energy and Commerce Democrats think they need to shield him from the Committee’s members is a mystery. Read more »

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (Texas-26) has scheduled a Town Hall meeting in North Texas for this Saturday, June 26th. The Town Hall give residents of Texas’ 26th Congressional District the chance to learn more about health care reform, taxes and spending, energy legislation, immigration reform, or any other issues. Those interested are encouraged to attend and bring questions for Congressman Burgess to answer. Read more »

When it was brought to my attention last month that an internal audit showed that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) failed to inform local officials in a timely manner of new air quality data collected at sites in North Texas, I took issue. On April 30, at my request, TCEQ officials briefed me in my Lewisville office on concerns I was hearing from North Texans on air quality. I specifically asked whether any air quality data showed abnormal results or should be cause for alarm. I asked, “Are there any red flags?” I was told there were none. Unfortunately, that response was not accurate. Now there are questions that TCEQ needs to answer, and the public is right to demand accountability. Read more »

“Thank you Chairman Stupak. Today we hold our third and very critical hearing in this Subcommittee’s ongoing investigation of the tragic Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, which continues to wreak economic and environmental havoc on our Gulf Coast. This hearing provides the Subcommittee an important opportunity to question directly the man who ultimately leads BP, Mr. Tony Hayward, the company’s Chief Executive Officer. And BP’s role has been central to the causes of the incident and the response. Over the course of our inquiry to date, Committee investigators working in a bi-partisan fashion have conducted numerous interviews and briefings, and reviewed tens of thousands of pages of documents. Read more »