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About Susan

Biography

Congresswoman Susan A. Davis represents California’s 53rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Susan’s interest in public affairs grew out of her experiences as a social worker, parent, youth mentor, and military spouse. Growing up, Susan remembered her father, a pediatrician, sometimes leaving the house in the middle of the night to care for his young patients. Through these life experiences, Susan developed an understanding of and deep commitment to improving her community and country.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Susan grew up in Richmond, California. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in sociology. She then earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina.

After graduation, Susan and her husband, Steve, lived in Japan with their two children, Jeffery and Benjamin, while Steve served as a doctor in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

Residents of San Diego since 1972, Susan and Steve have been married for 38 years. They have two grandchildren, Henry and Jane.

In Congress, Susan has earned a reputation as a bipartisan consensus builder. She is proud to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and the Education and the Workforce Committee.  She is focusing on the issues of defense, education, environment, health care, and veterans affairs.

Making a difference in Congress:

Defense and National Security
• Increased spending on defense and homeland security
• Consistently supported military pay raises
• Worked to restore free and reduced-cost school meals programs for military families
• Introduced legislation to expedite commuter border crossings while increasing security

Education
• Introduced legislation to encourage highly qualified teachers to teach in low-income schools
• Introduced legislation to ensure that children in Even Start programs are taught with the latest research

Environment
• Opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Supported increasing fuel economy standards for trucks and SUVs
• Secured critical funding to protect San Diego’s wildlife and open spaces

Health care
• Introduced groundbreaking legislation to allow women direct access to their OB/Gyn
• Introduced legislation to regulate the dietary supplement industry by giving the Food and Drug Administration the necessary tools to take dangerous dietary supplements off the shelf
• Sponsored a bill to require that health plans provide coverage for second medical opinions

Veterans
• Introduced a bill to increase VA home loan guarantees for veterans
• Sponsored legislation to increase benefits payments to hospitalized veterans
• Reduced out-of-pocket health care costs for lower-income veterans

Prior to her election to Congress:

1983-1992 — Susan served on the San Diego City School Board - serving as President or Vice President for five of those years.

1990-1994 — Susan was the Executive Director of the Aaron Price Fellows Program, a program designed to teach multi-ethnic high school students leadership and                           citizenship skills.

1994-2000 — Susan served three terms in the California State Assembly, where she chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency, and Economic Development.