Mr. Speaker, during August of 2003, I was with a bipartisan CODEL in Iraq. We were in one of Saddam Hussein's old bunkers and had a briefing from members of the Coalition Provisional Authority. United States State Department, General Sanchez, was there. They outlined their plan for reconstituting the Government of Iraq and civil society in Iraq. This plan involved selecting Iraqi citizens to form an interim constitution leading to the institution of a provisional government, which would then se... Read more

Mr. Speaker, certainly the last 2 weeks we have seen a great deal written and spoken about the conflict in the country of Iraq. The middle of this month we will see the third popular election held in the country of Iraq this year. Stay the course or pull out now, these seem to be the two recurrent themes debated in this House and on the editorial pages across the country. Our military action was really never popular with the press here at home, and it has been portrayed in the most negative poss... Read more

For 40 years Medicare has provided some measure of health security for seniors after retirement. Beginning next year, some of the biggest changes are set to occur in the Medicare system, changes even bigger than when Medicare was first enacted into law in 1965. On January 1, 2006, Medicare will begin to offer a prescription drug benefit, and for the first time, it will place an emphasis on preventive care and early treatment of disease. When Medicare was first enacted in 1965, it provided covera... Read more

The last few weeks has certainly seen a great deal written about the conflict in Iraq. The middle of next month will see the third popular election held in the country of Iraq this year. Stay the course -- or pull out now. These seem to be the two recurrent themes debated in the Halls of Congress and on editorial pages across the country. Our military action, which was never popular with the press, has been portrayed in the most negative possible fashion for the past 2 1/2 years. The result is d... Read more

Yesterday, Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26), in conjunction with the Texas Department of Transportation, hosted the 3rd Annual 26th Congressional District Transportation Summit. The event highlighted local, state and federal transportation experts and was devoted to discussing and improving transportation throughout North Texas. “Improving transportation requires a fundamentally change in the philosophy of how we fund projects, stated Congressman Michael Burgess. “ It is clear that there i... Read more

Click here for the full version. NEWS Accountability of Congress Rep. Burgess Secures Federal Funds for Local Projects on Two Appropriations Conference Reports Preparing for a Pandemic: Avian Flu Rep. Burgess Introduces: House Resolution 534: Iraq Special Tribunal CONSTITUENT SERVICES Touring Washington, DC White HouseU.S. Capitol Read more

Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Hearing on Physician Payment November 17, 2005 I would like to thank Chairman Barton for holding this hearing on the very important topic of physician payments. As a Member of Congress and physician, I can strongly empathize with the medical community as they face the impending 26% cut in reimbursements over the next six years. Medicare payments are already lower than medical practice costs. According to a survey conducted by the American M... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this morning at a breakfast, Chairman Alan Greenspan was talking to a group of us, and he made mention of the fact that one of his concerns about those of us who were members of the baby boomer generation, despite the fact that we may have lavish pensions or Medicare, Social Security awaiting us upon retirement, that we may suffer because there are not enough of those in the generation coming after us to provide the things that we may want; and of course one of those th... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 40th year of Medicare. Two years ago, the 108th Congress passed significant legislation that filled in a missing link in Medicare. That missing link was the missing part of prescription drugs. Significant changes in the Medicare program are going to result in more services, more coverage, and more responsiveness from a program that, quite frankly, no longer lived up to what it needed to do, which is taking care of our seniors in a timely fashion, all... Read more

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I thank him for once again bringing this subject to the floor of the House. It is a timely subject. Here we are celebrating Medicare's 40th birthday; and, Mr. Speaker, as the Members will recall, 2 years and 1 week ago we actually passed this legislation, on November 22 of 2003, which now has become the Medicare Modernization Act and with it the prescription drug plan. Mr. Speaker, I have been doing town hall events and informational gro... Read more