Dear friend, I’m not afraid to stand up to corporate special interests, especially when the health of Orange County families is on the line. Last October, I grilled a Big Pharma CEO about the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. My questioning focused on how his company spent more money on stock buybacks, which enrich shareholders and executives, than on research and development that save liv... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) and Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) today reintroduced legislation to shield patients with medical debt from long-term financial devastation. The Medical Debt Relief Act would remove paid off or settled medical debt from a patient’s credit report and institute a year-long waiting period before new medical debt can be reported. “No one chooses to get sick, yet under our... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today released a report documenting the devastating effects of Big Pharma’s mergers and acquisitions. It includes a case study of the 2002 takeover of Immunex, a small biotechnology firm, by Amgen, which at the time was the largest biotechnology company in the world. Through first-hand accounts, the report highlights how such consolidations curb scientific innova... Read more »

U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) and Unite Here Local 11, a union comprising more than 32,000 service workers in Southern California and Arizona, today called for critical oversight of millions of forgivable loans given to Columbia Sussex through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In a letter to Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, the Congresswoman and Unite Here Local 11 dema... Read more »

The House of Representatives has passed a key defense bill with five amendments by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45), including provisions to strengthen Pentagon oversight, increase consumer protections for servicemembers, and study risks to national security posed by social media companies. These amendments were accepted on a broad bipartisan basis and included in the National Defense Authorizat... Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today introduced bipartisan legislation with more than 60 of her colleagues that would remove paid off or settled medical debt from a patient’s credit report, as well as institute a 360-day waiting period before new medical debt can be reported. “Nobody chooses to get sick and take on medical debt,” Congresswoman Porter said. “It is wrong for families ... Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today called out Trump Administration officials for a proposal that would enable debt collection practices that place patients’ private information at risk. The Administration’s new policy, which allows debt collectors to use unsecured means of communication, is particularly concerning for Americans with medical debt, as the lack of data security could... Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) has introduced legislation to encourage the development of apps that will give users more information how electricity is delivered to homes and businesses. This bill would help consumers understand energy grid demand and supply, including how much energy is provided by renewable sources. “As a consumer protection attorney, I know from experience how kn... Read more »

WASHINGTON—A bill by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) to prevent drug manufacturers from profiting off unreasonable price hikes passed the House of Representatives today as part of broader legislation to lower prescription drug costs. The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which passed with Porter’s support, would allow federal officials to negotiate fair drug prices and included Porte... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) has introduced legislation that would improve reporting requirements for universities on the number of their graduates who can’t repay their student loans. Under the current system, institutions can artificially deflate the number of individuals who default on their loans and escape accountability. “If a large number of school’s graduates can’t repay their studen... Read more »