Dear Friends,

I joined Mornings with Maria on Thursday morning  to give the 411 on Wednesday's Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on “Gouged at the Gas Station: Big Oil and Americas Pain at the Pump." 

Since his first day in office, President Biden has undermined our energy production to force through unwanted Green New Deal policies. Attempting to place the blame solely on the oil industry is wrong. Americans are paying more at the pump not because of American oil producers, but because of the policies of this Administration. 

To make matters worse, the Department of Interior (DOI) is set to allow the Outer Continental Shelf lease program to expire on June 30th; the agency has yet to return to in-person work more than two years after closing its doors for the pandemic. I have put forward two pieces of legislation that will require the DOI to return to in-person work, restart all oil and gas leasing and permitting on Federal land, and prohibit the President from delaying future permits and leases unless authorized to do so by Congress. 

In addition to attending the Energy and Commerce hearing, I participated in this week’s Budget Committee hearing on the Health and Human Services portion of the President’s budget. When I questioned the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about the National Institute of Health funding gain of function research in Wuhan, China, he denied there was any evidence. He response is not the truth, and Americans deserve to know where their tax dollars were spent.     

Until next time, this is your doctor’s note.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D.