Prior to being entrusted with representing the constituents of the 26th District in the House of Representatives, Congressman Michael Burgess, M.D. practiced medicine as an obstetrician for 30 years.
Congressman Burgess serves on House Energy and Commerce Committee as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, in addition to sitting on the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Congressman Burgess also serves on the Rules Committee and the Helsinki Commission, where he helps shape foreign policy through the monitor and compliance oversight of the Helsinki Accords. He is also the founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Health Caucus.
Congressman Burgess’ medical background gives him a unique perspective on health policy and legislation affecting health care. A tireless advocate for reining in rising health care costs, Dr. Burgess has fought to expand care options for patients, sensibly reform liability laws to protect patients’ rights, and ensure that we are educating enough doctors to provide proper care for civilians and veterans alike. His commitment to protecting patients’ rights and raising the bar for our standard of care can be seen in his votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and his integral part in bipartisan efforts to reform the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Burgess has fought to repeal the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate since entering Congress in 2003, a goal that was achieved in the 114th Congress when both chambers overwhelmingly supported repeal. By voting to end a misguided policy that had been in place for almost twenty years, Congressman Burgess helped to ensure that seniors have greater access and better quality care from physicians, health care providers have more stable and predictable reimbursements, and buttress the fiscal health of the Medicare system as a whole.
Over the last two decades, North Texas has become an economic powerhouse and served as an example for the rest of the country in weathering and recovering from the mortgage crisis. As a result, the 26th District is part of one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Congressman Burgess recognizes that growth cannot happen without infrastructure and in 2005 amended the Highway Bill to provide for development credits, design-build, and environmental streamlining. As an advocate for his constituents and the region as a whole, he has consistently worked to improve the efficiency and safety of the roads, highways and air service in North Texas.
A fiscal conservative, Congressman Burgess knows that a more efficient, effective, and transparent government can be achieved through measures that reduce both waste and our tax burden. He supports a flat tax and has introduced a flat tax bill in every Congressional session in which he has served. Congressman Burgess also recognizes the primacy of Constitutional principles and opposes federal overreach that wrongly encroaches on our rights, freedoms, and lives. He recognizes that we deserve more control over our lives and wallets.
Dr. Burgess believes that turning a blind eye towards immigrants who come to our country illegally is a disservice to those that seek to do so in accordance with our laws, and has worked to secure our borders while strengthening our commitment to enforcing those immigration laws that are already in place. He is opposed to any attempts to grant amnesty to those whose first act in our country is to break the law.
Congressman Burgess is a proven problem-solver committed to finding common sense, workable solutions to the challenges that Americans face. Those traits were recognized by National Federation of Independent Business when they recognized him with the Guardian of Small Business award, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when they awarded him the Spirit of Enterprise award, and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste who named him a Taxpayer Hero, among many others.
Congressman Burgess proudly represents most of Denton County and parts of Dallas and Tarrant Counties. Denton is not just where he lives, it is where he is from.