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Rep Anna Eshoo

Anna's Weekly Report - October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021
e-Newsletters
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Friday 1 October 2021
Weekly Report From Your Congresswoman

Dear friends,

It's been a very busy and highly tense week in Congress. We've worked across the aisle to fund the government and avert a harmful shutdown, and we're working on two historic pieces of legislation that invest in physical infrastructure (roads, public transit, broadband, electrical grids, water systems, etc.) and human infrastructure (climate change mitigation, child care, stronger workforce, lower drug prices, affordable health care, education, etc.).

As I write this message to you, we're still working to find a path forward to ensure both pieces of legislation are sent to the President's desk to be signed into law, and I remain hopeful that we will come to an agreement soon. We cannot fail to make once-in-a-generation investments that will fuel transformative changes in the lives of America's families.

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The U.S. is now approaching the tragic milestone of 700,000 Americans lost to Covid-19. If you or your children age 12 and older have not been vaccinated yet, 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

Avoiding a Government Shutdown

This week I voted to fund the federal government and avoid a harmful shutdown. The legislation was quickly signed into law by President Biden on Thursday. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans filibustered the provision that suspends the debt limit, putting the U.S. in danger of defaulting on our debt if we don't come to a solution before October 18th. Suspending the debt limit ensures the U.S. pays the bills it has incurred and avoids economic chaos. To be clear, about 93 percent of these debts were incurred during the Trump Administration and the remainder was the large and necessary American Rescue Plan Act when the pandemic hit and our economy came to a screeching halt.

The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution states: ‘The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law… shall not be questioned.' Since 2011, Congress has honored the Constitution and addressed the debt limit seven times on a bipartisan basis.

House Democrats passed standalone legislation this week to suspend the debt limit and should Senate Republicans fail to pass this bill, they will be abandoning their oath to the Constitution and allowing economic calamity. The full faith and credit of the United States should never be toyed with.

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U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo presiding over the House floor as Speaker Pro Tempore

If You Ask Me...

Medicare should be able to negotiate lower drug prices with drug companies, just as the VA does for our veterans and the Pentagon does for our men and women in uniform. American prescription drug prices have increased year-after-year, consuming more and more of families' budgets. Some have had to choose between buying their prescriptions drugs or buying groceries. For example, one in four diabetes patients report rationing their insulin. Thirty percent of Americans have skipped a medication dose due to cost.

Congress has an historic opportunity to help the millions of Americans struggling to afford skyrocketing drug costs by requiring the HHS Secretary to annually negotiate lower drug prices for the drugs without market competition and extend those lower prices to all insured Americans. This policy will save the federal government and taxpayers nearly $500 billion over 10 years, and with these savings, we can expand Medicare coverage by including vision, dental, and hearing needs. The policy would also cap out-of-pocket spending on drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and stop drug price hikes like the ones we saw from EpiPen. I'm working to ensure this provision is included in the Build Back Better Act.

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 114,333 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, 2,569 constituents contacted my office about issues including:

  • 325 messages in support of including strong climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act
  • 302 messages in support of the Build Back Better Act
  • 135 messages concerned about the environmental impact of the cruise industry

My Apologies...

I had to cancel my weekly Telephone Town Hall Meeting because of late night votes, and I will resume next Thursday.

Newspaper Articles About Anna's Work

Anna's Recommended Reading

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I close with this thought. Always know how deeply grateful I am for the trust you've placed in me to represent you.

Sincerely,
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Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress