Biography
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) was born and raised in southern California and represents California’s San Fernando Valley. Sherman is currently serving his twelfth term in Congress and has served in the House of Representatives since 1997.
Congressman Sherman currently serves on three major House Committees. He is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, and a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. In 2019, Sherman was elected as the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. This Subcommittee also has nonproliferation jurisdiction efforts. Later in 2019, Sherman vacated his House Foreign Affairs Asia Subcommittee Chairmanship after the Financial Services Committee elected Sherman to serve as Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets.
During his tenure in Congress, Sherman has developed a reputation as a strong advocate for the interests of working families. He has worked to craft and advance priorities such as robust environmental standards, federal aid to education, real healthcare reform, and the protection of Social Security and Medicare. The Congressman has also supported policies to expand U.S. exports, prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and promote a just and effective U.S. foreign policy.
According to USA Today and The Washington Post, Congressman Sherman led the effort to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for unlimited bailouts to Wall Street giants. In 2009, he took an important role in crafting legislation that ended bailouts putting taxpayers on the hook for risky Wall Street behavior, by successfully defeating the Treasury Department’s proposal for permanent, unlimited TARP.
A consumer rights advocate, Sherman was among the leaders behind the formation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which protects consumers from financial institutions issuing credit cards and offering costly overdraft protection. Sherman also protected families’ retirement funds and college savings and put controls on companies which reward corporate CEOs multi-million dollar bonuses for bad performance.
Early in his congressional career, while serving on the House Budget Committee in 1997, Congressman Sherman authored an amendment to the annual Budget Resolution providing an additional $700 million for the acquisition of environmentally important lands in FY ‘98. The Sherman Amendment was included in the Joint Budget Resolution and effectuated by a $699 million appropriation. Sherman also secured $20 million to acquire land and to complete the Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Congressman Sherman’s public service career includes serving on the California State Board of Equalization from 1991 to 1996. He was Chairman of the Board from 1991 to 1995. As a board member, Sherman led the successful fight to repeal the snack tax, which previously required grocers to differentiate between a cupcake and a muffin, imposing an inconsistent tax burden on Californians for food.
Sherman received a BA from UCLA, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Later he received his law degree from Harvard, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Sherman then worked as a CPA [inactive], attorney and Certified Tax Law Specialist.
Congressman Sherman is married to Lisa Kaplan Sherman and they have 3 daughters, Molly, Naomi, and Lucy.
