Taking a break from work in the nation’s capital, U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess returned to his District 26 home to hear from constituents at area town hall meetings this week.

About 200 people gathered Thursday at the Denton High School auditorium to hear Burgess, R-Lewisville, touch on a variety of topics including health care, immigration reform and Barnett Shale gas drilling.

“The winds of change were blowing two years ago, and they are blowing today,” Burgess said.

He noted Americans’ low opinion of Congress, which he said will have a decidedly different face in the new year, with more women and doctors running for various offices.

“It’s an interesting time to be alive and a student of history,” he said.

Burgess himself faces challenges this November from Democrat Neil Durrance and Libertarian Mark Boler. Neither candidate attended on Thursday.

Burgess fielded questions during the two-hour meeting from audience members who lined up behind a microphone placed in front of the stage.

Natural gas drilling in North Texas sparked the liveliest discussion.

Robert Oehlschlager seemed to unnerve Burgess with his comments on the Barnett Shale and drilling-related issues. Oehlschlager said he grew up in West Texas and is familiar with problems — such as water contamination — that can arise from the process of hydraulic fracturing, and he asked Burgess if he would support a bill regulating those issues. Burgess said there are agencies in place to do that, but they are not doing their job. He said there are both pros and cons of the natural gas industry.

Oehlschlager then put Burgess on the defensive.

“We need someone who is not just cozying up to big business to get a big check when you run for office,” Oehlschlager said.

“Don’t give me that,” Burgess shot back. “Who is the biggest recipient of contributions from BP? Barack Obama.”

The crowd applauded that remark.

Oehlschlager asked again about regulations, and Burgess said the Environmental Protection Agency is one of the most dysfunctional agencies.

“Well, make it functional,” Oehlschlager said.

Other residents asked about the likelihood of President Obama’s health care reform law being repealed, Burgess’ own confidence in Republican leadership, and immigration reform.

Burgess said that he believes Congress will welcome some new Republicans in January and that they will help strengthen the party.

Though he was among many vocal opponents of the health care reform bill, Burgess said he didn’t believe repealing the law was very likely.

On illegal immigration, Burgess said that while it pained him to see it happen, he understood and supported the immigration legislation passed in Arizona.

That drew rousing applause from the audience.

Burgess said that Arizona was looking out for its own interests and he was bothered as a federal representative that he and his colleagues had not solved the problem.

Burgess said later that he felt the town hall meeting went well and residents posed “as good a cross-section of questions” as he has fielded anywhere.

Burgess said that while every community is different, constant concerns are the economy, health care, jobs and illegal immigration.

Following the meeting, Burgess left quickly to get on the road. He said he will meet with members of the medical community today before returning to Washington for a vote on an education funding bill that could exclude Texas.

“I’ll be a ‘no’ on that one,” he said.


NOTE: To view the original article, click here.