U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX 26th District) is 72 years old. In an interview for Lone Star Politics, he said his age was a key factor in not running for reelection. He notes the very public conversation voters are having about the age of the top candidates for president. Former President Donald Trump is 77 years old. President Joe Biden just turned 81 years old.
"You don't want to wait until it's so painfully obvious that this guy's too old to serve," said Burgess, "You would hope someone's family members would do some reality testing."
Burgess told NBC 5 he didn't want to hold on to power too long. First elected in 2002, the local obstetrician said he was healthy and had no major medical problems. He wants to spend more time with his family in his later years.
"I have a lot of things going for me, but at the same time I have to accept the fact that I've been doing this for 22 years and I was in my mid-50s when I got there. I already had a career," said Burgess, "This year, probably more than others, there's been more discussion on candidates ages and are they up to the task."
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He told NBC 5 his decision was not because of recent chaos in Congress: where an Oklahoma Senator challenged a union leader to a fight, public discussion about whether former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy did or did not punch a Republican colleague in the kidney, and several weeks long showdowns over the budget and selecting a new Republican speaker.
"You know how people are. They challenge each other," said Burgess.
The Congressman will serve out the rest of his term, which ends in January 2025. He said the main priority for the Republican-led House of Representatives is getting spending under control after the federal government pumped out money to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and President Joe Biden's priorities.
Lone Star Politics
Covering politics throughout the state of Texas.
Burgess said he supports rolling back items from Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act capped the amount Medicare pays for drugs and pumps billions of dollars into renewable energy projects across the country. The nearly $900 billion law was signed by Biden in August 2022.
The longtime doctor said a personal priority is to get Medicare to update the reimbursement rates to doctors. He argues they've gone years without an update and have not kept up with inflation.
Burgess defeated the son of the incumbent U.S. Rep. Dick Army for his post in 2002, saying he was not known politically until voters sent him to Congress. He told NBC 5 he was not endorsing a successor at this time and was going to try to keep influential national groups and power players in Washington D.C. out of the race.
"What's important is the voters in the district do that picking and not power players in Washington D.C," said Burgess.
