Biography

Congressman Charles W. Boustany Jr., M.D., a cardiovascular surgeon with more than 30 years of clinical experience, was first elected to Congress in 2004.  Boustany represents Louisiana’s Third Congressional District, covering South Louisiana.  Boustany has championed health care reform, international trade, and sound energy policy with a keen awareness of providing solutions for all Americans.

Official Portrait

Serving as a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Congressman Boustany plays a pivotal role in protecting taxpayers’ dollars by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal government programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and in entities such as the Internal Revenue Service. Boustany has been regularly recognized by his House Republican colleagues for his strong conservative leadership on these issues.   

Additionally, Boustany sits on the Ways and Means subcommittees for Trade and Human Resources. Boustany’s focus on international economic affairs allows him to be a strong voice on matters of foreign and domestic trade to expand markets and business opportunities for U.S. produced goods and services. Coupling his interest in revising the federal tax code to make it easier for American businesses to compete, Boustany seeks to promote an atmosphere of job creation while maintaining American competitiveness.

With much of America’s energy flowing through South Louisiana, Congressman Boustany promotes responsible American energy production to help the American economy prosper. Boustany remains a leading proponent of natural gas production and liquefied natural gas exportation, these opportunities are enhanced by advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Boustany continues to support expanding American oil and gas production, both onshore and offshore.    

As a heart surgeon, Congressman Boustany understands the importance of healthcare and is at the forefront of health care policy in Congress.  He believes the patient-doctor relationship is the most critical component of healthcare and has worked to implement patient-centered health care solutions.  Increased access to tax-free health savings accounts (HSAs) represent one opportunity for patients to strengthen their control over their health care decisions, and Boustany introduced legislation allowing seniors and veterans to participate.

Congressman Boustany was raised in Lafayette and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1978. He graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1982.  He returned to Lafayette in 1990 and began a successful medical practice.  For fourteen years, he ran a small business and was committed to helping others by providing the highest quality healthcare to his patients and the community.  In Congress, Congressman Boustany is committed to serving the people of South Louisiana with the same dedication and care that he provided as a surgeon and community leader.

Charles and his wife Bridget reside in Lafayette and have two adult children.