Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), led 12 Texas members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting that the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H) be based in Texas.
If Congress is going to establish ARPA-H, its implementation must be thoughtful and intentional. ARPA-H should be located outside of the Washington, D.C. area. In the letter, the members noted that Texas is already prepared with the infrastructure and workforce needed for ARPA-H to fulfill its mission:
“Texas, the most diverse and fastest-growing state in the union, houses world-renowned health care and biomedical research institutions that are leading innovators in cancer, Alzheimer’s, metabolic disease, and other major health-related issues. Further, Texas has the infrastructure, diversity, and technology that ARPA-H requires to thrive, including the largest medical center in the world, and the largest military medical complex in the country… ARPA-H was modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) which propelled the United States to strategic technological advancements that have improved American and global life. ARPA-H will create transformative solutions to health care-related challenges and Texas is suited to maximize ARPA-H’s full potential. The establishment of ARPA-H in our great state will improve the health and prosperity of the United States and the rest of the world. To maximize ARPA-H’s full potential, it should have the characteristics of its successful predecessor.”
Burgess and Crenshaw were joined by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX), Congressman Ronny L. Jackson, M.D. (R-TX), Congressman Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Congressman Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX), Congressman John R. Carter (R-TX), and Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX).
Read the full letter here.
