Michael Burgess: “I want to come to the floor of the House today to talk and honor the legacy that is that of Dr. Michael DeBakey, the…”

“I want to come to the floor of the House today to talk and honor the legacy that is that of Dr. Michael DeBakey, the father of cardiovascular surgery, and to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of H.R. 1154, the bill to designate a Congressional Gold Medal for the famed Houston heart surgeon. This bill was introduced by my good friend from Texas, Representative Al Green. And Mr. Speaker, we've heard in great detail the number of accomplishments of this singular individual. But, Mr. Speaker, I felt it was incumbent upon me, as one of the very few physicians in the House of Representatives, to come to the floor and talk just a little bit about how Dr. DeBakey forever changed the face of the practice of medicine in this country. As a fellow physician, Dr. DeBakey's work and medical advancements are indeed legendary. His dedication to healing those around him came not only from his talent as a physician, but his ongoing commitment to medical education, the larger medical community, and indeed, the entire profession, the practice of medicine. His motto, as always, was 'Strive for nothing less than excellence.' This motto should be adopted by every one of us in this House and indeed across the country.”