Friday 22 October 2021
Weekly Report From Your Congresswoman Dear friends, Negotiations continued this week in Washington to develop agreement on the contours and content of the Build Back Better legislation. Over 98 percent of House and Senate Democrats are in total agreement with each other on the plan which is an economic launchpad for American families. There are four to five Democrats who disagree in the House and two in the Senate, and with a 50/50 Senate and a three-person margin in the House, you and the rest of the country have unfortunately, been subjected to ‘sausage-making' 24/7. I believe we will get there and I'm more than prepared to vote for significant climate change mitigation, an infrastructure bill, child care, lower drug prices, a stronger workforce, affordable health care, tax cuts for the middle class, and investments in education that will fuel transformative changes in the lives of America's families. Vaccine Update Booster Shots This week the FDA and CDC authorized the Johnson & Johnson booster shot for individuals 18 years and older, and the Moderna booster shot for individuals who meet the following requirements: This means all three FDA-approved vaccines are approved for a third shot. The FDA and CDC also authorized "mixing and matching" vaccines, allowing the vaccinated to get a booster shot from a different manufacturer than their initial doses. Vaccines for Children Ages 5 to 11 Years Old
The independent Advisory Committees of the FDA and the CDC will be meeting on October 26th and on November 2nd and 3rd to recommend the authorization of vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 years old. The Administration has procured enough vaccine doses for the country's 28 million children ages 5 to 11 years old. When authorized by the FDA and recommended by the CDC, this Pfizer vaccine will be a dose and formula specifically for children in this age group. This will assist families and parents across the country and remove the hesitations and worries about an unvaccinated child.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• If you or your children age 12 and older have not been vaccinated yet or want to receive a booster shot, you can sign up immediately for an appointment at your county's website below. San Mateo CountySanta Cruz CountySanta Clara County Major Votes in the House This Week The Secure Equipment ActI've fought for over a decade to address vulnerabilities in our telecommunications infrastructure that directly impact our national security. Equipment made by Huawei and ZTE, companies linked to the Chinese government, increase the vulnerabilities of our telecommunication systems and put the U.S. at risk. This week I voted for and the House passed my bipartisan, bicameral legislation cosponsored by Rep. Scalise to prohibit the FCC from issuing licenses for any telecommunications equipment made by Huawei or ZTE. Criminal Contempt of Congress The bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol issued subpoenas to several individuals and only one, Steven Bannon, refused to appear. Bannon has information central to this investigation and the Committee brought a criminal contempt of Congress charge forward. I voted for and the House passed a resolution citing Bannon for contempt of Congress and recommended criminal prosecution against him. Enforcement of House subpoenas through criminal referrals such as this one safeguards the House's constitutional authority to conduct necessary and appropriate oversight and investigations. Now it's up to the Department of Justice to seek an indictment from a grand jury. Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act This week I voted to reauthorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) which funds services for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children across our country. Pump for Nursing Mothers Act Current law requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the work day. However, nearly one in four women, including teachers, nurses, farmworkers, and airline employees, are not covered by this law. This week I voted for legislation to extend breastfeeding protections to cover all employees. Letters Anna Sent This Week Addressing the Housing Crisis My constituents face some of the highest housing costs in the country and amid the current economic crisis, many face the possibility of being evicted. More than a quarter of Americans experiencing homelessness live in the Bay Area, and with rents in our region being the second-highest in the country, many more risk being kicked out of their homes because they can't afford to live here. That's why I sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer highlighting the urgent need for substantial affordable housing investments as part of the broader Build Back Better Act. While Congress continues to negotiate the size and scope of the economic package, it's critical that any cuts made to the overall package do not come at the expense of affordable housing that is desperately needed in our communities. The housing investments included in the Build Back Better Act could provide needed housing in our communities and effectively end homelessness in the United States. I want CA-18 to be an affordable place to live and we cannot miss this historic opportunity to improve the lives of so many Americans. Read our letter HERE. Addressing Local Power Outages In September I wrote to PG&E CEO Patricia Poppe, demanding an explanation for the recent power outages my constituents in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties have been experiencing and urged her to take steps to ensure both safety and reliability to ratepayers. In her response to me on October 1st she acknowledged that the situation is not acceptable and committed to working to improve the reliability of its service. I've urged PG&E to provide regular updates to the community about their progress to address these issues, including the number and duration of outages. I also expressed concern that PG&E representatives have not provided a clear timeline for implementing long-term measures to improve safety. You can read PG&E's letter HERE and my response HERE. State and Local Tax (SALT) Update As long-time readers of my newsletter know, I've worked hard to address the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction that was bulldozed in the 2017 Republican tax law. Before the $10,000 cap was implemented, families in our district deducted an average of $63,083 in state and local taxes every year. The elimination has caused a substantial tax increase on middle class families in our District, in California and other high-tax states. One concern that's been raised is the removal of the cap on the SALT deduction reduces tax revenue for the federal government. However, this week the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated the revenue effects of several SALT proposals and found that substantially increasing the SALT cap and making it permanent would have little impact on government revenues. In other words, it would cost very little to provide this critical tax relief to the middle class while ensuring the wealthiest taxpayers still pay their fair share. You can find their estimates HERE. This information has been very helpful to me and several colleagues as we push for the inclusion of SALT relief in the Build Back Better Act. As a founding member of the SALT Caucus, I'm committed to restoring fairness to our tax code, protecting the middle class, and ensuring residents aren't taxed out of high-cost areas. Hearing on Improving Children's Health and Cancer Screenings This week I held a hearing of the Health Subcommittee to examine 12 bipartisan bills to improve the health of children and families. We heard powerful testimony from parents who lost their children to cancer and health experts who explained how the legislation will strengthen our public health systems. Three of the bills focus on screening and prevention of lung, breast, and prostate cancer. Six of the bills focus on children's health, including legislation to combat childhood cancer, a bill to research the effects of technology and media on infants and children, and legislation to prevent stillbirths and birth defects. The other bills aim to improve cardiac care and improve oral health literacy. You can watch the hearing HERE. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day This Saturday, October 23rd, the Drug Enforcement Administration will host its 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This event offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 drop off locations nationwide. Clear out your medicine cabinets of unneeded prescriptions and bring them to a local collection site. Visit www.DEATakeBack.com to find a collection spot near you. If You Ask Me... Our democracy is in imminent danger because of serious attacks on voting rights and our election systems. This year alone, 19 Republican-controlled state legislatures have enacted 33 laws to disenfranchise voters, and there continues to be a ripping away of hard-won voter protections in the courts. We need to make it easier to vote, not harder and our nonpartisan election systems must be protected. Sadly, this week Senate Republicans voted to undermine our democracy by blocking legislation that would make it easier to register to vote; ensure states have early voting for federal elections; allow all voters to request mail-in ballots; and legislation to make Election Day a federal holiday (my legislation). The failure of this legislation to even be debated underscores the urgent need to get rid of the filibuster so the Senate can actually function and pass critical bills. Voting goes to the core and the heart of our democracy and it must be protected. Telephone Town Hall Meeting This week I met with constituents in Mountain View during my weekly Telephone Town Hall Meeting. My special guest was Dr. Hayden Schwenk, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Over two thousand constituents dialed in and we spent 65 minutes answering constituent questions on many issues. If you missed the meeting you can listen to it HERE. Stay tuned for an invite to next week's Telephone Town Hall Meeting. I will continue to hold these weekly meetings in every community in our Congressional District throughout the year. In the Words of My Constituents Every week hundreds of my constituents call and write to me to express their concerns, share their passions, and ask questions regarding legislation and policies. Over 122,398 constituents have contacted me so far this year. I actually read every communication and every constituent receives a personal response to their specific questions and comments from me. This week, 2,390 constituents contacted my office about issues including: - 205 messages in support of including strong climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act
- 139 messages in support of including the Billionaire Income Tax in the Build Back Better Act
- 51 messages in support of the Universal School Meals Program Act
Newspaper Articles About Anna's Work Anna's Recommended Reading # # #
I close with this thought. Always know how deeply grateful I am for the trust you've placed in me to represent you.
Sincerely,
Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress | 
