Stanford Daily - “We are concerned by the donations Rep. Eshoo has accepted from the pharmaceutical industry.”
Here are the facts:
Rep. Eshoo has received more money from Pharma than any other current U.S. representative while she chairs the House Health Subcommittee and is in charge of America’s healthcare? Conflict of interest!
There is a nexus between Rep. Eshoo and Big Pharma: Rep. Eshoo has legislated to increase patent protection of biologic drugs from 5 years to 14 years via H.R 1548. Rep. Eshoo does not favor Medicare for All (H.R. 1384) that 118 of her colleagues in the House support. Through millions of dollars in lobbying, pharmaceutical companies have worked to keep the rules in their favor while working with politicians like Rep. Eshoo..
Rep. Eshoo claimed 15 years of work with the pandemic, but never codified it and it failed. Interestingly, she has been silent on generic medications that would save lives during the pandemic - again preferring to protect Pharma profits. The list of failures is long:
Rep. Eshoo did not hold a single congressional hearing to discuss America’s opioid crisis. In fact, she was completely missing on H.R 6 that was passed by Congress and became law - not even as a cosponsor - a bill that promotes opioid recovery and treatment. As you know, Pharma companies were fined $26 billion for playing a significant role in funneling a flood of opioid painkillers to communities across the U.S. Over a million people died over two decades. Rep. Eshoo was silent.
In contrast, Rishi will fight for Medicare for All, the Bring Drug Prices Down Act and other like-minded bills to protect Americans from the current sky-high healthcare costs in America. Rishi will never sellout to Pharma, but will champion a cheaper, better, higher quality healthcare option for every American.
Rishi Kumar is running against Rep. Anna Eshoo who is the largest recipient of Pharma Money in Congress (Source). She chairs the House Health Subcommittee and passed legislation that increases our healthcare cost - (See articles Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle)
Rishi is People-Powered: Rishi pledged to not accept PAC or Special Interest Group campaign contributions. He will make choices independently, not at the behest of lobbyists. Rishi’s allegiance is squarely with the people, not with groups trying to buy our elections.
Rishi has a people-centric agenda: Rishi has a proven political track record of people-centric values, addressing the top challenges fearlessly.
Rishi gets results: Rishi led the charge and successfully pushed back against the San Jose Water Company to reject, reduce or suspend 7 water rate increases. Rishi held over 100 neighborhood meetings to address rising crime, and used his knowledge of high-tech resources to reduce burglaries in Saratoga by 41%! He even created a series of tips to protect your city, which you can find here
Two candidates are running in this race, but it is only Rishi Kumar who is meeting directly with district residents:
Rishi has met with thousands of citizens in each of the 31 district cities since March 2019. Rishi has held 3 town hall meetings every month - one in each county - to give every voter a chance to be heard.
Whom can you TRUST?
Can elected leaders who accept PAC money truly represent the people?
QUOTE: Anna Eshoo’s record on drug prices is terrible, and the reason why is obvious,
David Mitchell, founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs. She’s taken enormous sums of money from drug corporations, and she does their bidding in Washington.
....and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Cal.) — the chair of the Energy and Commerce panel’s health subcommittee — have each continued to accept contributions from PACs affiliated with companies including Pfizer, Amgen, and Novartis throughout 2019
Patients for Affordable Drugs Now last year even sank $500,000 into ads attacking Eshoo for receiving drug industry money.
Democratic lawmakers’ continued willingness to accept pharmaceutical industry campaign contributions also comes despite a climate in which voters have come to dislike the pharmaceutical industry more than any other, according to a recent Gallup poll.
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Eshoo’s bill establishes a 12-year marketing monopoly for brand-name biologics, apart from patent protection. Even worse, it rewards branded biologic drug manufacturers with additional years of exclusivity if they make slight changes to their existing drugs, a strategy known as “evergreening." According to the FTC, her bill would stifle innovation by encouraging manufacturers to focus their research efforts on making minor modifications to existing drugs rather than on developing “new inventions to address unmet medical needs.
A scathing report by the Federal Trade Commission in June said no added protection, much less 12 years, was warranted and warned that the Eshoo legislation would ensure sky-high drug prices and stifle innovation on the most promising frontier of medical research.
Congresswoman Eshoo is the #1 career recipient of campaign contributions from Big Pharma in the U.S. House of Representatives.(Source)
Anna Eshoo is currently the largest recipient of drug company money. She’s addicted to drug company money, and it’s a preexisting condition and Obamacare is not going to solve it for her, said Ajluni, who's a member of the Silicon Valley DSA and the Santa Clara County Single-Payer Health Care Coalition (Source)
New Health Subcommittee Chair Has Taken More Pharmaceutical Money Than Any Other Rep California’s Anna Eshoo has sponsored legislation backed by the pharmaceutical interests funding her campaigns
Eshoo has a record of advancing legislation that benefits the pharmaceuticals industry. In 2009, she introduced legislation, along with Texas Republican Joe Barton, to give pharmaceutical companies 12-year exclusivity periods for biologic drugs, beyond the length of their patents, to protect them from competition by the generic drug industry(Source)
Last October, your Democratic colleague from Illinois, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, along with 15 other Democrats signed letters to five drug companies that benefitted greatly from the new tax breaks and publicly-funded research. In those letters, they ask each one about their pricing policies, particularly those for life-saving drugs; about their use of the tax reduction windfall and; about their employment policies. Your name was not on that letter, though you issued campaign statements in August about how you “championed affordability, innovation and patient protections for prescription drugs.(Source)
A congresswoman from Silicon Valley wants to lead on health care. New attack ads say she's 'in the pocket of Big Pharma'(Source)
When politicians like Congresswoman Anna Eshoo take money from Big Pharma, it’s hardworking Californians desperate for lower prescription drug prices who are being hurt
Anna Eshoo’s record on drug prices is terrible, and the reason why is obvious," David Mitchell, founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs, said in a statement when the ads launched in August 2018. “She’s taken enormous sums of money from drug corporations, and she does their bidding in Washington.(Source)
Eshoo’s name has for years been conspicuously absent from important pieces of legislation that could lower drug prices," Patients for Affordable Drugs Action said in its announcement. "Instead, Eshoo lent vigorous support to policies that would extend drug companies’ monopolies and keep prices high.(Source)
.... were looking for a Democrat to target who is allied with Big Pharma, the group could hardly do better than Eshoo. Over her 25-year career, Eshoo’s campaigns have pocketed more than $1.5 million from employees of pharmaceutical firms and other health care companies. In Congress, Eshoo has consistently voted in favor of the industry.(Source)
District 18 (now District 16): Anna Eshoo (D) Received: $7,500 to the campaign Response: "To assist families dealing with the aftermath of the fires, I have made a contribution excess of the amount you note to The Diocese of Sacramento Fire Assistance Fund," Eshoo said in an email.*(Source)
Rishi Kumar, a Democrat, is the only trusted alternative to Rep. Eshoo. Rishi has been running a grassroots campaign since March 2019, and has met with thousands of residents in the 31 cities of our congressional district.
Rishi is respected by Saratogans for his fierce advocacy on their behalf, and was re-elected with the most votes in Saratoga's election history. (see video.)
Rishi conducts 3 face to face town hall meetings per month, and a weekly "Rush Hour with Rishi" video call with district residents. He considers it vital to stay in touch with the community he serves, and to give every voter a chance to be heard. In addition, amidst the chaos of the pandemic, Rishi has been running his Reality Check podcast, where he meets with healthcare professionals, policy experts, small business advisors, and more to provide guidance during these uncertain times.
Rishi is not a career politician, but a high tech executive, a citizen-centric Democrat and a councilmember of Saratoga serving in his 2nd term. Rishi believes in applying a high tech innovation framework to offer services “cheaper, faster, better.”
Rishi is a solid activist public servant. He lowered burglaries in Saratoga by 41% and successfully led the charge against the San Jose Water Company to reject, reduce or suspend 7 water rate increases for a million people here in Silicon Valley.
Rishi is ready to take on tough challenges with clear pragmatic solutions and outcomes. Check out his position papers on this website: Click on Articles in the menu bar. Have you seen Rishi’s vision plan to address our housing, transportation and homelessness challenge?
Rishi has a plan to grow our economy, to reduce the cost of healthcare, to address air traffic noise, and to fix our problems with PG&E and their Public Safety Power Shut-offs (PSPS) that have given California “3rd world status.”
Rishi is committed to growing our innovation economy and to positioning Silicon Valley for economic success. As we see how AI, automation, and globalization will impact jobs and lives in the 21st-century, we must choose leaders who understand technology and its implications in our lives and our economy. The U.S Congress is full of representatives that are technology illiterate. Rishi Kumar gets tech, and can lead us into the future.
The shadow of big money on everyday Americans is hindering our well being, our health and our economy. The leadership of the United States has reached a shocking level of corruption. We need new leaders who will not kowtow to the establishment, but stand up for what is right.
Rishi’s leadership is the cultural and directional shift Washington needs. Rishi has pledged to refuse PAC money and SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP money. He is the only Democrat in this race who has done so. Rishi will be #UnBought and #UnBossed, serving the people of California, not Washington Lobbyists. This stance will never be compromised.
Rishi is a good communicator and organizer, and possesses "Boundless energy". He is among the best councilmembers I can recall in my 50 years here
, People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.
Please support Rishi's efforts to change the culture of Washington
Rishi puts the people of our district first - watch the videos below
Too often our politicians recite planned talking points and rehearsed speeches, without giving any real substance to their plans to better the quality of life of those they are seeking to serve. That’s why Rishi has been running a different kind of campaign — one that puts the residents of our district first and the critical issues our families face on a daily basis. Rishi is committed to listening.
Rishi's Activism: As a Saratoga City Councilmember, Rishi took on an investor owned water utility company and helped reject, reduce and suspend seven of their rate increase proposals that would have adversely impacted a million residents of Silicon Valley. Here is a video of Rishi's speech at a CPUC public hearing (11/17).
Rishi dropped burglaries by 41%: Rishi also focused upon neighborhood crime which has become a significant source of concern in every Silicon Valley city. Click on this link to download a safety tips sheet specifically geared for your city. As Saratoga's councilmember, Rishi stemmed the tide on increasing burglaries.
