Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today released a report revealing how predatory mortgage lenders are still exploiting military borrowers, despite years of efforts to prevent such abuses. “AWOL: How Watchdogs Are Failing to Protect Servicemembers from Financial Scams” analyzes new government data and shows that NewDay USA and The Federal Saving Bank, two lenders that have been punished in the pa... Read more »
Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today released a report detailing how cozy relationships between a patient advocacy group and leading dialysis providers are putting patients at risk. The report, “Dying on Dialysis: Inside an Industry Putting Profits Over Patients,” describes how the American Kidney Fund receives a large majority of its funding from leading dialysis providers DaVita and Freseniu... Read more »
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 »
