Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. has represented California's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. The 7th district is located just east of California's capitol city, Sacramento, and lies entirely within Sacramento County.
Representative Bera is currently a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. He is also a senior member on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Congressman Bera is also Vice Chair for Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition, a group of over 100 forward-thinking Democrats who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.
I was born and raised in California and benefited from California's excellent public schools, from kindergarten to medical school. I earned my B.S. and M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. With some help from my family, scholarships, and while working part-time and taking advantage of federally-funded student loans, I was able to graduate with less than $10,000 in debt. As a former educator and a father of a daughter who's now going to college, investing in the next generation is very important to me. Ensuring our youth are ready for tomorrow's jobs is one of the most critical things we can do to help everyone get ahead in our economy.
But today, far too many students aren't getting the education they need. Graduating college students are struggling with record levels of debt while they look for work. Many parents are also concerned whether their kids are learning the skills they need to keep up in our changing economy. We have to make sure the same opportunities I had are available to future generations.