U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria represents Virginia's Second Congressional District. Prior to her election in 2018, Rep. Luria served two decades in the Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. Rep. Luria served at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer, deployed to the Middle East and Western Pacific, and culminated her Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a member the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Rep. Luria was one of the first women in the Navy's nuclear power program and among the first women to serve the entirety of her career in combatant ships. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the committee's Vice Chair, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, she served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy. Rep. Luria graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and received a master's in engineering management from Old Dominion University.
Access to quality and affordable health care is essential to a good life in America. That's why I have supported numerous bills to improve our healthcare system for all Americans. I voted for the Elijah Cummings Lower Drugs Costs Now Act of 2019, which could lower the costs of prescription drugs for over 600,000 Coastal Virginians. The bill would give Medicare the power to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower prescription drug prices for those covered by private insurance companies. I also added an amendment to this bill that would help federal employees to benefit from the Medicare negotiations as well.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have fought to protect the second district's access to care by cosponsoring bills to improve access to telehealth. This is especially important to protect Virginians during these times of uncertainty. Providing more accessibility to communicate with your health care professional during these uncertain times is of the upmost importance.
I am also making sure communities of color are represented during the pandemic and that Congress is seeking to address disparities in health care. I co-signed a letter that would make sure to include minority communities during the clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine because they are disproportionally impacted by the virus. I'm also a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, a caucus that focuses on improving Black maternal health outcomes through awareness and science-based policies that do not include implicit bias.