For the past 39 years, Anna has been a public official in service to the residents of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.
As a San Mateo County Supervisor for 10 years, Anna led the establishment of the Health Plan of San Mateo, took on the AIDS crisis to save lives, preserved thousands of acres of open space and protected the most vulnerable citizens.
Anna was elected to Congress in what has been dubbed “The Year of the Woman.” She was the first Democrat and first woman in the history of the District to win her Silicon Valley Congressional District, then the 14th Congressional District (CD).
As a Member of Congress, Anna has been a health care pioneer, a champion of new medical research and groundbreaking cures, a human rights and consumer advocate and a staunch proponent of clean energy innovation and the environment.
She cares deeply about her constituents and commutes home weekly to be with them … in person when safe and on her weekly Telephone Town Hall Meetings in every community. Last year she hosted a virtual Town Hall with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, with over 2,000 constituents participating. Anna looks forward to returning to in-person Town Hall Meetings once public gatherings are safe and our public health crisis is behind us.
Chair of the House Health Subcommittee.
Anna is the first woman in the history of the U.S. Congress to Chair the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. As Chair of this powerful committee, she has worked to end the COVID-19 pandemic and produced legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs, eliminate racial and social inequities in health care delivery and build on the success of the Affordable Care Act by adding 4 million enrollees to the plan.
Anna’s health care work has been and continues to be incredibly prescient, impactful and life-saving.
Anna authored the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act “to improve the Nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response capabilities for emergencies, whether deliberate, accidental, or natural.” This Act established the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) which played a major role in helping private sector innovators rapidly develop and deploy lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines.
Anna’s fought for and secured historic investments in new medical research to fight the most aggressive, recalcitrant diseases, such as pancreatic, liver and ovarian cancer, and most recently amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In a November 4, 2021 hearing of the Health Subcommittee, she challenged, “Is there anyone who dares to vote no?” for the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS. President Biden signed the bill into law on December 23, 2021, giving hope to the ALS community.
As Chair of the Health Subcommittee, Anna oversaw the largest overhaul of Medicare since its inception, including reforms to lower prescription drug costs by enabling Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices, just as the Veterans Administration has for years, and cap out-of-pocket costs on seniors’ prescription drugs.
The Senior Most Member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Anna is recognized as a national leader on technology policy and was named one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley by the Mercury News. She’s championed Net Neutrality and is the author of the electronic signature bill that has streamlined digital transactions.
Anna has written what academic experts call the strongest and most comprehensive privacy legislation in Congress to safeguard personal information and hold companies accountable for violating individual privacy. She’s also a leader in combating the spread of disinformation and extremism on social media platforms that amplify hatred and incite violence.
Consensus Builder and Proficient Legislator.
Anna is proud to have authored over 50 bills and amendments that have been signed into law.
These laws reflect Anna’s drive to protect the most vulnerable Americans, foster innovation and economic growth, expand healthcare and address climate change. Her legislative efforts capitalize on her expertise in healthcare, telecommunications, technology and the environment and her ability to build consensus by working across the aisle on a bipartisan basis. The bipartisan U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress honored Anna in 2017 by awarding her the prestigious Statesmanship Award.
Anna is an undaunted legislator who never gives up on fighting for what’s right. She doggedly advocated her entire career for the U.S. to officially recognize the 1915 slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide. Finally, in 2019, she adroitly seized an opportunity to pass the House Resolution recognizing the genocide and succeeded, ending over 100 years of official silence by the U.S.
Anna’s voting record, bill sponsorship and campaign platform reflect her priorities and her work prepares her for the public policy challenges ahead.
Endorsements and Awards.
Over the course of her legislative career, Anna has been repeatedly endorsed, rated A+ or 100% or a “Candidate of Distinction” by a wide range of organizations, including the Sierra Club; Peninsula Young Democrats; Planned Parenthood Action Fund; San Mateo County API Democrats; the Stonewall Democrats; the Conservation League of California; the Human Rights Campaign; the Alliance for Retired Americans; Mom’s Demand Action; and End Citizens United Action Fund.
She is also the recipient of a number of awards, including: the Innovator in Biotechnology Award and the Congressional Champion of Hope Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Please see www.annaeshoo4congress.com for more information.
Personal Story.
Anna is a first generation American whose parents fled their homelands for freedom from religious and ethnic persecution, and for the promise of America. They instilled in Anna a deep love and respect for America, our Constitution, and our democratic ideals of equality and justice for all.
Anna’s family experience has had a tremendous impact on her social justice, human rights and immigration policy work and it guides her efforts to protect the vulnerable and underrepresented and level the playing field - whether they’re consumers, patients, children, seniors or racial minorities.