Congressman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, ranking member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Congressman Joe Barton, R-Texas, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today wrote to Committee Chairman Henry Waxman requesting that the Secretary of Health and Human Services testify before the committee on implementation of the health care law.

“It has now been six months since the passage of the PPACA, and this Committee has yet to hear from Secretary Sebelius on her efforts to administer the law. Secretary Sebelius is the head of the department now responsible for overseeing a dramatic change to one-fifth of the American economy, and Members of Congress should have the opportunity to discuss the PPACA with her,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter emphasized the committee and subcommittee’s important oversight responsibilities, noting that, “In the months leading up to the passage of the PPACA, the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a number of hearings in order to build support for the passage of a new health care law. Since its passage, however, these committees have not held one hearing specifically on the PPACA. As the Ranking Members of the Full Committee and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, we believe this is unacceptable.”

The lawmakers first made the request to Waxman for Secretary Sebelius to testify before the committee in a letter dated July 30, 2010, but have received no response.

“Since we sent that letter, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during an interview with ABC News Radio on August 30, 2010, ‘[T]here is still a great deal of confusion about what is in [the health care law] and what isn’t.’ The Secretary concluded that the administration had ‘a lot of reeducation to do.’”

“Inviting Secretary Sebelius to testify before this Committee, so that we may understand her ‘reeducation’ of the American public, would be a good start to a public conversation about the new health care law,” Burgess and Barton continued.

To view the letter, click here.


Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations, and a member of the Health and Energy & Environment subcommittees. He is the founder and Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, and is also a member of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Economic Committee. Prior to becoming a member of Congress in 2002, Congressman Burgess practiced medicine in North Texas for over 25 years.