Friday 30 July 2021
Weekly Report From Your Congresswoman Dear friends, It's been a very busy week in Washington with Congress working on must-pass legislation before heading home for the August recess. My days have been packed chairing long hearings, casting votes all day and into the evenings on funding the functions of the federal government, and making progress on the bipartisan infrastructure framework. As I head home, I look forward to some down time and then resume meeting constituents across our district. While I won't be sending out legislative updates in August because Congress won't be in session, I will continue to hold weekly Telephone Town Hall Meetings. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The second quarter economic report was released this week and it's clear that federal investments from the American Rescue Plan helped shore up the U.S. economy to pre-pandemic levels. We've now made up the losses of the last 18 months and our economy grew by an annualized rate of 6.5% in the most recent quarter, the fastest rate in almost four decades. Three million new jobs were created and all signs show that the American economy will continue to improve. Welcome news. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• CDC data released this week confirms that the Delta variant of Covid-19 appears to cause more severe illness and is much more contagious than previous strains. Breakthrough infections may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases, meaning even if you're vaccinated, you can still spread the virus. As the Delta variant spreads, the CDC has recommended that fully vaccinated Americans resume wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high Covid-19 transmission rates. According to this data, Santa Clara County and San Mateo County are considered to have "substantial" Covid-19 transmission rates, meaning residents are urged to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Wearing masks in restaurants, businesses, public spaces and any other indoor space is essential to keep ourselves, our families, and our community safe. I think it's important to note that this new guidance from the CDC is being put into place because the incoming data tells us the virus has changed and how we must adjust to the variant. As I've said countless times, the best way to stop the surge of Covid-19 rates is to get vaccinated. Vaccines have proven to prevent severe illness and death, even against the Delta variant. If you or your children age 12 and older have not been vaccinated yet, you can sign up for an appointment at your county's website below immediately. San Mateo CountySanta Cruz CountySanta Clara County Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack This week four brave police officers gave riveting testimony at the first hearing of the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Each one is a hero and each gave powerful testimony about the truth of that day. It was powerful testimony with hard-to-watch video footage of the brutality of the mob and what they subjected the Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers to. 
Bill O'Leary via AP We all thank the officers for their valor in protecting the Capitol and for their courage to share their testimony. We have a duty to the Constitution and our country to pursue the truth of the January 6th insurrection and to ensure that such an assault on our democracy cannot happen again. The four officers did just that. Now Congress should. You can watch the hearing HERE. Health Hearing This week I held a hearing of the House Health Subcommittee which I chair to examine the challenge of advancing treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's. We heard powerful testimony from patients, caregivers, advocates, and researchers. Millions of Americans and their families face the heartbreaking challenges of a deadly neurodegenerative disease. While we've made progress in the quest to better understand neurodegenerative diseases, there's still so much more to do to support clinical research and development. Congress must also work with the FDA to ensure there is a greater flexibility in evaluating and approving new treatments. The pace of the drug approval process must match the urgency of the challenge which is to give neurodegenerative patients a fighting chance to live the lives they were meant to live. You can watch the hearing HERE. Legislation Anna Introduced and Cosponsored • The Passport Backlog Elimination Act Due to high staffing shortages at the State Department and high demand for passports, there's a huge backlog on passport applications and renewals. Right now, processing of a passport application can take up to 18 weeks and my Palo Alto office has been inundated with requests for help from constituents. I've cosponsored the bipartisan Passport Backlog Elimination Act to require the Secretary of State to submit a plan to eliminate the passport backlog within 30 days of the enactment of the legislation. • The No Student Loan Interest Act A college education shouldn't come with a lifetime of crushing debt. I introduced the No Student Loan Interest Act with Congressman Swalwell to ease the burden of student debt and eliminate and forgive all interest charges on existing federal student loans, as well as eliminate all interest charges on future federal student loans. No interest now and none in the future. Major Votes in the House This Week Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Legislation This week the House advanced nine bills to fund government agencies and programs in the upcoming fiscal year. These bills comprise our nation's budget and the following is a list and brief description: - Labor-HHS-Education: Makes historic investments in American workers and in expanding health and educational opportunities, with record-breaking funding for low-income schools; expanded Pell Grants; NIH research; job training grants; Minority-Serving Institutions; worker protection initiatives; and many other key investments. Specifically, in California's 18th Congressional District, 10,000 youth and 78,000 adults are eligible to receive federally funded job training through this bill. This bill also provides $4.7 million for K-12 schools in our district and $48.3 million for veterans' healthcare in our district.
- Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA: Invests in agricultural research; funds conservation initiatives that help farmers and ranchers conserve their land; expands funding for critical child nutrition initiatives; and makes key investments to make the food supply more secure and safe.
- Energy and Water Development: Makes bold, future-focused investments to spur energy innovation that will create jobs and reinvigorate the economy while working to mitigate and adapt to climate change; improve the nation's water infrastructure; assist drought mitigation efforts on the west coast; and strengthen national security.
- Interior-Environment: Confronts the climate crisis with increased funding to mitigate the changing climate and creating a Civilian Climate Corps; creates good-paying American jobs through investments in renewable energy development; makes investments to improve education and health care in Indian country; and expands environmental justice efforts.
- Military Construction and Veterans Affairs: Provides funding for military construction across the country and overseas; Invests in military housing and child care needs, women's and mental health priorities, and the climate crisis; and responds to the challenges posed by Russia and China.
- Transportation-Housing and Urban Development: Provides critical funding for roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and aviation and invests in safe, affordable and fair housing initiatives to help vulnerable populations, including seniors, the disabled, homeless families and youth, domestic violence survivors, and veterans.
- Financial Services and General Government: Supports a range of functions in the Executive and Judicial branches including the Treasury, Executive Office of the President, District of Columbia and Federal Judiciary as well as independent agencies including the CFPB, SBA and Election Assistance Commission.
- State and Foreign Ops: Funds the Green Climate Fund to help developing countries transition to clean energy, increases global humanitarian assistance by $700 million and reaffirms strong support for United Nations organizations and restoring American leadership on the world state.
The bill supports women's health by increasing funding for family planning; removing the Helms amendment restriction that would have prohibited safe abortion and health care services for vulnerable women in low-income countries; and permanently repealing the Global Gag Rule on non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. assistance.
I offered an amendment to the bill to suspend U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan following unprovoked aggression against Armenia and Artsakh last fall that resulted in six weeks of hostilities, took thousands of lives, and caused a devastating humanitarian crisis. I'm very pleased this amendment was included in the final bill
- Legislative Branch: Ensures adequate funding to secure the U.S. Capitol against threats to our democracy while ensuring the building is accessible to people with disabilities.
These bills also include funding for 10 local projects I requested funds for and secured to expand education, mitigate traffic, combat wildfires, and increase senior and mental health services. Learn more about these specific projects HERE. Letters Anna Sent This Week Addressing Gender Inequality in Sports In March, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hosted its annual Division 1 College Basketball Tournament, widely referred to as March Madness. During the 2021 tournament the NCAA was deservedly criticized for the obvious disparities in accommodations between the male and female players. From the workout rooms to the welcome package, food options, and COVID-19 tests, it was made abundantly clear that the men's teams were provided amenities far beyond those provided to the women players. This week I sent a letter with my House colleagues to NCAA President Dr. Mark Emmert urging the NCAA to release publicly and share with Congress the complete findings of their external review of gender equity issues in the NCAA, known as the Kaplan Report. The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's (USWNT) is currently appealing a ruling regarding gender-based pay disparities against the players. I'm proud to have joined an amicus brief in support of the appeal. With four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, the USWNT is highlight accomplished, yet paid considerably less than the men's team. Addressing Misinformation on Facebook Misinformation and disinformation have run rampant on Facebook and Instagram since the beginning of the epidemic. Facebook has housed and even recommended pages and groups that share misinformation about masks and handwashing, myths about children's ability to contract Covid-19, false claims about the dangers of Covid-19, and lies about vaccines efficacy. I wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week demanding answers to how the company is handling Covid-19 vaccine misinformation and disinformation. Facebook should commit to rectifying deadly mistakes that it has made over the past year. These actions are simply not defensible. Celebrating Hometown Olympians As we enter the final stretch of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, I want to congratulate the six Olympic athletes from our congressional district who competed. Bravo to Menlo Park natives Abby Dahlkamper and Tierna Davidson, members of the women's soccer team who played in the quarter finals this morning, table tennis player Lily Zhang from Palo Alto, rugby player Folau Niau from Palo Alto, mountain biker Haley Batten from Santa Cruz, and badminton player Timothy Lam from Mountain View. They've made our country and the Bay Area proud! Constituent Success Story Every day my Palo Alto District Office staff works hard and smart to assist constituents. We recently helped Tuna schedule his naturalization ceremony. He was born in Turkey and now lives in Mountain View. He and his wife applied for naturalization at the same time, but Tuna encountered problems getting an appointment for his oath ceremony. My office reached out to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and we were able to schedule Tuna's oath ceremony at the same time as his wife's. Now that they're naturalized, they're able to travel to Turkey with their two-year-old daughter so she can meet her grandparents. Tuna wrote to me after his oath ceremony and said: "We are now a family of three proud American citizens, reaching a new milestone in our more than 10 years of journey." It is so gratifying to use the power of a congressional office to help constituents like Tuna. My Palo Alto office has dedicated professional staff who help hundreds of constituents a week with everything from Social Security to immigration cases and so much more. If you need help with a federal agency, call my office at (650) 323-2984. If You Ask Me… Simone Biles is an American hero, not just for being the greatest gymnast of all time, but also for being a champion for mental health. This week, Biles withdrew from the Olympic gymnastics competitions saying she was carrying "the weight of the world" on her shoulders and she needed to focus on her mental health. "We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do," said Biles. Her decision took an enormous amount of courage and reminded the world that we have to look out for our personal health and mental health. Unfortunately, this past year has been incredibly detrimental to America's mental health. In a recent poll, half of adults reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to the coronavirus. One can only imagine the mental impacts on the American families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones because of the virus. As Chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee, I'm committed to fixing America's broken mental health care system. I've fought to include funding to expand affordable mental health care services in recent spending packages and my Subcommittee continues to work on suicide prevention and ensuring every person can access the mental health care they need. There's so much more work to be done to meet the needs of the American people. Telephone Town Hall Meeting Unfortunately, I had to cancel this week's Telephone Town Hall Meeting due to unexpected late night votes in the House, but I've rescheduled the next meeting for Wednesday, August 4th, at 6:45 p.m. PT. You can sign up for next week's event HERE. 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 87,862 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, 1,724 constituents contacted my office about issues including: - 153 messages in support of reforming our tax code to ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share
- 55 messages in support of funding for mental health services
- 51 messages in support of the Support Through Loss Act
Newspaper Articles About Anna's Work Anna's Recommended Reading # # # Covid-19 kills. It has claimed the lives of 600,000 of our fellow Americans. The surest prevention is getting vaccinated. Let's continue our individual responsibilities for the common good by getting fully vaccinated as soon as possible.
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 | 
