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Op-Eds
Click below to read my latest columns in op-eds and columns.
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Energy Empowers Growth in Louisiana.
July 24, 2012Energy empowers growth and Louisiana knows this better than any other state. The oil and natural gas industry serves as an integral part of the state's economy, supporting almost 400,000 jobs annually across the state. Leading to an overall contributi< Read more > -
Obamacare: The Ultimate Bait-and-Switch.
July 4, 2012"But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." – then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (March, 2010) During the debate to pass Obamacare, the President and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore up and down the individual mandat< Read more > -
IPAB is not the way to lower Medicare costs
June 6, 2012Robert McNamara, who served as secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, stated in a 2003 documentary: "Never answer the question that is asked of you. Answer the question that you wish had been asked of you." Health and Human Servi< Read more > -
USDA: 150 Years of Supporting the American Farmer in South Louisiana
May 16, 2012Over the past year our nation has begun a slow recovery from the tough economic times facing our country, but one sector of the economy continues to drive the American comeback: agriculture. American farmers fuel billions of dollars into our nation's< Read more > -
BUCSHON, BOUSTANY, and DesJARLAIS: Health care access denied
March 27, 2012Obamacare rationing will leave seniors without necessary medical assistance< Read more > -
Election-Year Politics No Excuse For Obama's Energy Policy
March 12, 2012As the price of gasoline skyrockets, President Barack Obama continues to ignore the need for a rational domestic energy policy. Since the President was sworn into office, the price of gasoline has doubled. The national average of a gallon of regular un< Read more > -
Building Stronger Ties to Beijing
February 14, 2012Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's arrival in Washington Tuesday comes at a pivotal moment for U.S.-China relations. This visit by the likely next president of China is a chance to discuss Beijing's responsibilities in strengthening the global ec< Read more > -
ObamaCare Endangers Human Life
February 14, 2012As physicians and Members of Congress we were deeply disappointed in President Obama's new so-called "contraception mandate," including his decision to coerce employers into providing coverage for medications that terminate human life.< Read more > -
Repeal Ponzi Scheme Known as CLASS
January 18, 2012Obamacare" appears ready to collapse under its own weight. Look at the CLASS Act, a government-run long-term care program Congress is likely to vote to repeal from the 2010 law. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) ignored< Read more > -
Offshore Rule Would Expand Reach on Rigs
December 5, 2011As Louisiana's representative on the House Ways & Means Committee and Chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee, I relish fighting on the front line against the Obama Administration and its assault on Louisiana's energy producers. However, I was s< Read more > -
Obama's "Venture Socialism" Kills Jobs in South Louisiana
November 22, 2011From imposing a six-month drilling moratorium off the Louisiana coast to supporting the failed $535 million taxpayer subsidized solar company Solyndra to delaying progression of the Keystone XL Pipeline, President Obama has proven he simply does not under< Read more > -
Don't tap SPR; get Gulf drilling up and running
March 14, 2011Oil prices hit $105 a barrel last week, the highest in more than two years. Meanwhile, rigs sit idle in the Gulf of Mexico, and Louisiana workers continue to wait while permits slowly trickle out.< Read more > -
Time to dredge nation's waterways
March 14, 2011Vigorous economic growth in the United States is essential for a full recovery of the global economy. Implementation of an aggressive, export-oriented trade policy is imperative to achieve the necessary growth to reverse the high level of unemployment here in the U.S. and to restore American competitiveness.< Read more > -
Speed Permitting Process
January 6, 2011American energy production is vital to our national security, yet it is under attack. Not only do these delays in the permit process hurt job growth in the region, they make us more dependent on foreign oil, something I have fought vigorously throughout my career in Congress. Production must be clean and safe, and I feel we are heading in the right direction.< Read more > -
Boustany Calls for Removing Drilling Moratorium
June 13, 2010Ill-conceived decisions made by the President and members of his Administration threaten our way of life, as the moratorium on deep water energy production has led companies to begin moving rigs overseas and eliminating Louisiana jobs. As our state struggles through this challenge, why isn't the President working to help Louisiana workers and families?< Read more > -
Boustany: Recess Appointment Circumvents Public Vetting
July 15, 2010Dr. Berwick's writing suggests he does not believe that kind of individualized care is either possible or beneficial. If true, seniors and low-income families who depend on Medicare and Medicaid deserve to know what kind of care Dr. Berwick envisions for them. Unfortunately, President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Berwick prevents any public vetting process from taking place.< Read more > -
The Best Tool of Heart Surgeons and Legislators: Listening
May 26, 2010My constituents in Southwest Louisiana tell me they want solutions to the problems we face. Rising health care and energy costs, higher taxes and more bureaucracy all impact them directly. Washington needs to listen, and America Speaking Out gives my constituents and you the opportunity to be heard.< Read more > -
Putting Americans back to work
March 17, 2010Threats of higher costs and more regulation from Washington stifle job creation by entrepreneurs, innovators and small-business owners. To create jobs, Washington must get serious about passing comprehensive tax relief and expanding business opportunities in global markets.< Read more > -
Moving forward on health care
January 22, 2010If congressional Democrats are serious about reaching a bipartisan consensus, they should scrap the current House and Senate measures and work toward common-sense solutions.< Read more > -
Reform Medicare, Don't Loot It
January 6, 2010According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the Senate bill cuts more than $135 billion from hospitals serving seniors. It eliminates $40 billion from home health agencies, $15 billion from nursing homes and nearly $8 billion from hospices. Each of these important Medicare services helps our seniors during very difficult times for them and their families, and these cuts would hurt their care.< Read more > -
Commentary: Democrats' plans are a prescription for pain
July 16, 2009As a doctor, I saw firsthand the problems many patients face finding a doctor, navigating the system, and paying their health care bills. Unfortunately, Democrats' plans in Congress fail to focus on quality.< Read more > -
Health Care in America Needs Some Work
June 10, 2009Too often, people are denied access to the doctor of their choice, especially as fewer and fewer doctors accept patients with Medicare and Medicaid – the government's current health care plans.< Read more > -
The President's Failed Plan
June 9, 2009The Obama Administration's recent decision to accelerate stimulus funds falls well short of what Americans need to get back to work. American workers need a commonsense plan to make small businesses and entrepreneurs competitive again, not simply more government spending.< Read more > -
Where We Agree and Where We Disagree
June 2, 2009As a doctor and member of the House Republican Health Care Solutions Group, I have seen first hand American families and small businesses worried about rising costs and losing their coverage. The Urban Institute reported that President Obama's health care plan would cost at least $1.5 trillion, more than double the $634 billion called for in the President's original budget.< Read more > -
Making Transportation a True Priority
April 22, 2009I believe integrating transportation needs as part of current and future plans is vital and am committed to securing the funding needed. Necessity, not popularity, needs to determine how these funds are distributed. Realistic expectations for what can be completed and the work involved will help the public hold their elected officials accountable.< Read more > -
Cap & Trade - A Bad Deal for Louisiana Workers
April 7, 2009Across Louisiana, energy production drives our economy and creates good-paying, high-quality jobs. Funds from offshore production are rebuilding our coast, and the environment thrives because of the quality work by those in the oil and gas industry.< Read more > -
Improving care while reducing costs for all Americans
March 17, 2009Controlling rising costs remains the top priority on the health reform agenda. Rising health costs make health insurance coverage unaffordable for millions of Americans. Others face massive increases in copayments, premiums and deductibles. Nevertheless, solutions to these problems must first allow Americans to maintain their existing private coverage.< Read more > -
Democrats Quick to Politics on Healthcare in Stimulus
February 11, 2009Congress must decide whose interests we serve – patients and doctors who need better information on clinical effectiveness or third party payers whose primary concern is cost.< Read more > -
Overcoming Obstacles, Lowering the Price at the Pump
August 12, 2008Increasing American energy production must be one part of the solution. In Louisiana, we are prepared to lead. As the world consumes more oil, extreme environmentalists continue to block safe oil exploration in the deep waters off our coast and in restricted federal lands. Increasing American production leads to more American jobs, and as our national economy begins to slow, keeping good paying jobs in Louisiana is critical.< Read more > -
One Step in the Smart Direction
July 14, 2008The OCS is one of the greatest potential sources of oil and gas yet to be explored because of the existing federal ban. Both Congress and the President prohibited exploration off most of our nation's coast in the 1980's, but Louisiana allowed energy discovery. Now, Louisiana ranks fourth in energy production, and money from the energy industry is rebuilding our coast to protect against another hurricane.< Read more > -
The Price at the Pump
May 27, 2008Increasing American energy production is the single most legitimate solution to our energy crisis. Responsible American energy production leads to more American jobs, more supply to lower cost and reduced dependence on foreign sources like Venezuela and the Middle East. It is a win-win-win solution, but many Washington Democrats continue to oppose any increased American production.< Read more > -
An Exciting Time for Louisiana in Washington
January 22, 2008Since I joined Congress, our delegation secured funding for hurricane recovery, passed the Water Resources Development Act that authorized $1.9 billion for Louisiana waterway projects and pressed off-shore oil production revenues through Congress when many said it could not be done.< Read more > -
A Worthwhile Prescription: Expanding, Not Dismantling Healthcare Coverage
September 12, 2007 < Read more >