Our men and women in uniform risk their lives to keep us safe. Congresswoman Porter honors that sacrifice by fighting to make sure that our veterans and their families are taken care of while they serve and when they return. 

Congresswoman Porter believes we have to take care of our veterans, especially those who were injured during their time in service. She co-sponsored the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021 which would help as many as 3.5 million veterans get the treatments they need for respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits. The Honoring Our PACT Act passed the House with an amendment from Congresswoman Porter to create a centralized, public website for all federally funded research on war-related illness and injury. The work doesn’t stop there for Congresswoman Porter, who is leading Congressional oversight efforts of toxic exposures for veterans formerly stationed at Fort Ord, California. 

Congresswoman Porter has been a champion for mental health care for servicemembers and their families. She helped lead the VA Governors Challenge Expansion Act, which would reduce military and veteran suicides by helping states get servicemembers, veterans, and military families the mental health care they need. This followed her successful effort to increase funding for these programs, which President Biden now aims to expand to new states, including California.

As a consumer protection attorney, Congresswoman Porter is passionate about protecting veterans from financial exploitation. Her office has released a report on the VA Home Loan program to spotlight the predatory practices scammers use to target veterans. To improve oversight and protect veterans from financial predators, she is leading the VA Home Loan Transparency and Consumer Protection Act of 2022. This legislation has the support of the Military Officers Association of America and the American Legion, and will make it easier for Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, and military families to get the information they need to stop fraudsters. Previously, Congresswoman Porter led calls for a study of predatory marketing targeting veterans online, which became law as part of the annual defense policy bill in 2021. 

Congresswoman Porter makes it a priority to work with and support the local military and veterans community. In 2019, Congresswoman Porter was the first freshman Congressmember to tour the Long Beach VA, which serves Orange County veterans. She toured Camp Pendleton with Rep. Mike Levin, and discussed the needs of active servicemembers when it comes to child care and housing. She also toured Orange County’s VetNet, which connects veterans to the resources they need to succeed in civilian life. She played an instrumental role in saving the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum, dedicated to Southern California’s Marine Corps Aviation heritage, which will be reopening at the Irvine Great Park in 2022.

Congresswoman Porter believes that veterans should be able to access the benefits that they have earned. Last Congress she introduced the Veteran Service Equity Act with Rep. Mike Levin, which would expand the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to include employees of nonpartisan Veteran Service Organizations. An updated version of the legislation will be introduced in the 117th Congress.