Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. has represented Sacramento County in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. The 6th Congressional District is located just east and north 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.
As a first-generation American born and raised in California, Congressman Bera grew up believing America was a land of opportunity, where if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could reach your full potential. He attended California’s public schools from grammar school through medical school, earning both his B.S. and M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. With help from his family, scholarships, and working part-time, he put himself through medical school while taking advantage of federally-funded student loans and graduating with less than $10,000 in debt. He credits much of his success to his country’s investment in him, and he’s working to ensure that we continue to invest in hard-working Americans to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation.
During Congressman Bera’s twenty-year medical career, he worked to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of healthcare. After graduating from medical school in 1991, he did his residency in internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, eventually becoming a chief resident. He went on to practice medicine in the Sacramento area, serving in various leadership roles for MedClinic Medical Group. Chief among his contributions was improving the clinical efficiency of the practice. He then served as medical director of care management for Mercy Healthcare, where he developed and implemented a comprehensive care management strategy for the seven-hospital system.
Congressman Bera went on to put his medical experience to work for his community, serving Sacramento County as Chief Medical Officer. In that role, he fought to reduce the cost of health care, create jobs, and deliver care to tens of thousands of Sacramento residents. He then moved into education, working as a clinical professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions and outreach at the University of California, Davis, where he taught the next generation of doctors. He also helped the University’s student-run clinics find innovative ways to engage with the community and deliver care to those who needed it most.
In Congress, Bera uses the skills he learned as a doctor to listen to the people of Sacramento County and put people ahead of politics to move our country forward. His priority is to work alongside people in both parties to address our nation’s most pressing challenges and make government work. Bera believes Congress should be a place for service, not for politicians who only look out to protect their own careers, pay, and perks.
Representative Bera has also made it a priority for his office to make government work for Sacramento County. His office has now helped return more than $14 million to local taxpayers – everything from backlogged veterans’ benefits to Social Security savings. His office also has helped more than 24,000 Sacramento County residents since 2013.
Congressman Bera is the longest-serving Indian American serving in Congress. He has lived in Sacramento County for over 20 years with his wife Janine, who is also a medical doctor. They are proud parents to their daughter, Sydra.
