Boustany, Charles, 1956-

BOUSTANY, Charles W., a Representative from Louisiana; born in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La., February 21, 1956; graduated Cathedral Carmel High School, Lafayette, La.; B.S., University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, La., 1978; M.D., Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, La., 1982; surgeon; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Ninth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2005-January 3, 2017); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress in 2016, but was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate.

<p>Charles William Boustany Jr. (/bʊˈstæni/; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former Congressman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served as the U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 (numbered as the 7th district from 2005 to 2013). He is a member of the Republican Party.</p>

<p>Boustany stepped down from the U.S. House in January 2017; he was a candidate for the United States Senate in 2016 in a bid to succeed the retiring Republican David Vitter. Boustany did not advance beyond the primary election, finishing third in the jungle primary behind Republican John Neely Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives by Clay Higgins, a Republican who is a Lafayette law enforcement officer residing outside the district in St. Landry Parish.</p>

<p>Boustany was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the son of Madlyn M. (née Ackal) and Charles W. Boustany, Sr. (1930–2009); his paternal grandparents, Alfred Frem Boustany and Florida (née Saloom), were immigrants from Lebanon. His maternal grandparents were also Lebanese.</p>

<p>Former Congressman Charles Boustany, Jr., M.D., is a partner at Capitol Counsel LLC, where he focuses on health care, tax, and trade issues. Boustany joined Capitol Counsel at the beginning of 2017 after over a decade of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served Louisiana’s 7th district from 2005-2013 and the 3rd district from 2013-2017, following the elimination of Louisiana’s 7th district.</p>

<p>During his 12 years in Congress, Dr. Boustany served on the influential House Ways and Means Committee and was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tax Policy. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Dr. Boustany established himself as an expert and leader on tax, trade, health care, and entitlement policy. Boustany was a co-founder of the Friends of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Caucus, co-founder of the House Doctors Caucus, and a co-chair of the bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group.</p>

<p>As a Congressman, Dr. Boustany authored legislation on a wide range of subjects, from tax issues to welfare. Dr. Boustany initiated the IRS investigation that uncovered the abusive practice of targeting individuals and organizations based on political and religious beliefs. Additionally, he developed and co-authored landmark legislation that repealed the sustainable growth rate formula for physician payment and transitioned physician payment to a system that rewards quality and value rather than volume. Dr. Boustany also authored trade enforcement language that created the tools for more effective trade enforcement in an effort to stop abusive practices.</p>