CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL C. BURGESS

On 2024-12-17, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL-7) delivered a floor speech titled "CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL C. BURGESS" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered taxes, trade policy.

CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL C. BURGESS

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)] [House] [Pages H7292-H7296] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF THE HONORABLE MICHAEL C. BURGESS The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. General Leave Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? There was no objection. Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of one of our good friends, a great Texan, a great mentor, a great Member of Congress, our friend and our colleague, Dr. Michael Burgess. Sadly, Dr. Burgess is stepping away from these hallowed Halls to hang up his boots back home. I am not quite sure we are going to let him do that. We are going to give him grief over that, but he is leaving these hallowed Halls of Congress to hang up those great boots back home in the great State of Texas--check this out--after 22 dedicated years of service, not just to this institution, but to the people of America and the people of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Michael Burgess has exemplified the very best of what it is not only to be a Texan, but to be a physician, a husband, a father, and a Congressman. He is the real deal, Mr. Speaker, with unshakeable resolve and a servant's heart. I have watched him up close and personal these last 12 years. With absolute unshakeable resolve and a servant's heart, Michael Burgess has tackled some of the most challenging issues facing our Nation. He has always had the needs of Texans and Americans at the forefront, both of those, Texans and Americans. As one of the very few physicians in Congress, Dr. Burgess' expertise has been an absolute guiding light on healthcare policy, and his unwavering advocacy for the unborn has been a testament to his absolutely deep moral convictions. Dr. Burgess, let me say: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Mr. Speaker, I could tell you things about him from being with him in a Texas lunch and knowing him personally and watching him up close and personal as he sits on what we call ``The Texas Row'' back here. I don't have enough time to tell you about the stories and the discussions we have had and what it revealed about the man, Dr. Michael Burgess. I could be here for a long time. I don't know how much time you have, Mr. Speaker, but I can be here for a long time. In Texas, we believe in rolling up our sleeves, getting the job done, and never backing down from a fight. Let me tell you all: That epitomizes one Dr. Michael Burgess, who has done that right here in what I call these hallowed Halls of Congress. His dedication to conservative principles and his commitment to values that make not only Texas strong, but this country strong, has left an indelible mark on this institution. Michael, we are sad that you are leaving. I am still not sure we are going to let that happen, but bless you, brother. As you return to the Lone Star State, we know that you will continue to embody the spirit of Texas, where faith and family and freedom remain at the center of everything we do. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Michael Burgess epitomizes that. He really epitomizes that. So, Dr. Burgess, as you step into the well-deserved next chapter, we must also recognize the support of your beautiful wife, Laura, who has been your steadfast partner throughout these 22 years of service. You know what they say, behind every great leader is a strong family, but it is one that he built. It is one that he built, and his bride, Laura, has shared in those sacrifices that come with public service, standing by him with grace and strength. Before I begin to conclude, I do want to yield to my friend also from Texas, Dr. Brian Babin, for his comments as we absolutely salute Dr. Michael Burgess and applaud him and just absolutely love the work that he has done. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin). Mr. BABIN. Thank you, my friend, Randy. I appreciate you having this Special Order for such a very, very close friend. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to recognize really a close friend, a fellow Texan, Dr. Michael Burgess, for his distinguished career of 22 years, serving here in the U.S. House of Representatives. I thank you, Mike, for being a wonderful mentor over the years, and for showing me and so many others of our colleagues just how to serve the American people with integrity and with honor and the shining example that you have been to all of us here. No matter the topic, your position on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as the chairman of the Rules Committee, or at one of our Doctors Caucus meetings over the years, you have always been an invaluable resource to me and countless others. We will miss your knowledge, your expertise, your brilliant intellect, your wise counsel, and how well you represented our great Lone Star State. Your legacy will carry on for many, many generations to come, and I thank you for being a dedicated public servant, a proud Texan, and a great American, without any question. I also want to extend our deepest sympathies and our prayers at the recent tragic and untimely loss of your daughter, Christine. We want to wish you, Laura, and your entire family all the best. Godspeed, my friend. May God bless you all. We will see you soon, and I want to keep in contact with you for the rest of our days. God bless you. Thank you. Mr. WEBER of Texas. I thank Chairman Babin for his great remarks, his heartfelt words, because he shares the sentiment of all of us, Dr. Michael Burgess. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) for his remarks. Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Weber for the opportunity to participate in this important discussion this evening. I can't think of a person who I have interacted with for the last 22 years that I have enjoyed any more than Dr. Burgess. Sitting in that general area back there, occasionally he would veer away from ``The Texas Row'' and interact with the Okies, where we analyzed the [[Page H7293]] leadership, analyzed the committees, and analyzed the work product. His insights were just as amazing as his personality. Let's be honest. If you have toiled through the Budget Committee, as Dr. Burgess did, as a good Member; if you worked diligently for decades almost on the Energy and Commerce Committee; and then had enough patience and grit and willpower to be a Rules Committee member for a number of years and chairman of the Rules Committee, that says something about your commitment to this body, this country, this Constitution, and, yes, Doc--I will admit it as an Okie--your commitment to the Republic of Texas. Mr. WEBER of Texas. I thank the gentleman, an admirer of the Republic of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy). Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. I am here tonight, as we all are, to celebrate the career, the legacy, and the friendship of Chairman Dr. Michael Burgess. We are going to miss you. It has been an honor to serve alongside you in two committees, the Rules Committee and the Budget Committee, and an honor to work with you on healthcare policies and any number of things. I have learned from you. I have probably made your life a little more interesting than you would prefer on the Rules Committee, but it has been an honor to serve alongside you. I truly mean that. There are a lot of words that are thrown around about people who have an impact on us when we are here, but I will always remember your grace in front of a number of circumstances, but particularly in the last couple of weeks. I will just say, as you said this last week: ``And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,'' Philippians 4:7. Your faith stands as a testament to all of us. Godspeed. {time} 1915 Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Brett Guthrie. Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. I appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, I am here to honor one of my dear friends. When I first got on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the battle that was going on in that committee was over healthcare policy, and Dr. Burgess knew it frontward and backward. As a matter of fact, I always liked looking at his copy of the Affordable Care Act. I think it was tabbed, and he even diagrammed sentences, I believe, in that to make sure he understood it and could explain it and tried to figure out how to fix it. He was always going that direction. I was on the committee when he was chair of the subcommittee, and I became his vice chair. That is when he became more than a friend; he became a mentor. He was somebody that I just admired the way that he studied, he learned. He was an expert on whatever subcommittee you were on, particularly healthcare. He mentored me. He set a standard that I tried to live by when I had the chance to become the subcommittee chair, now chairing the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is a privilege. Congress truly is a snapshot of America. We come from all walks of life. We bring different perspectives. Chairman Burgess being an OB/ GYN, I will never forget the series of hearings we had on maternal health. If you controlled the studies for all the things you think was causing a problem in maternal health, we still were having issues with maternal health and the life expectancy of the mother. We had detailed hearings because he brought his experiences, his care, and said this is a problem