I'm not afraid to stand up to corporate interests, especially when the health of Orange County families is on the line. That's why I've taken the fight to Big Pharma to lower prescription drug prices—and I'm not backing down. 🧵👇
To me, hearings aren’t just a time to get information from witnesses, but also an opportunity to invite the American people into critical conversations happening in the halls of Congress. For many, the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs is a matter of life and death. (2/8)
During a hearing last Wednesday, I called out a Big Pharma CEO for taking home a *half a million dollar bonus* just for tripling the price of a lifesaving cancer drug. In 2017, that same CEO made $13,000,000—or 200x more than the average American. (3/8)

As working families struggle to make ends meet, Big Pharma executives “earn” multi-million dollar paychecks that are funded partly through price gouging. On Thursday, I confronted another CEO about his compensation. He struggled to justify it. (4/8)

Later that day, I spoke with @chrislhayes about how Big Pharma's price gouging burdens almost every American, regardless of whether or not they're the ones taking the drug.

Here’s why: taxpayers foot the bill through Medicare. (5/8)

I introduced legislation—the Freedom from Price Gouging Act—to specifically crack down on this corporate abuse. The House passed my bill along with other measures to drive down prescription drug costs last DECEMBER. The Senate still hasn't taken it up. (6/8)
Adopting my Freedom from Price Gouging Act is just one step our government can take to lower the cost of prescription drugs and combat corporate greed. I wrote about my bill—and a few other ideas—last year ⬇️ (7/8)

thehill.com/blogs/congress…
Whether it’s writing legislation to crack down on price gouging or holding Big Pharma accountable in hearings, I’m going to keep doing the work to bring down prescription drug prices, because our healthcare system shouldn’t put profits before patients. (8/8)

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More from @RepKatiePorter

25 Sep
Some of you may have heard that the President signed an Executive Order yesterday to “protect people with pre-existing conditions.” As a mom, I’m pretty good at sniffing out little white lies, and this set my parent spidey senses off. (1/7)
I asked myself, why would the President need to protect people with pre-existing conditions when the ACA already does that? Maybe it’s because he’s trying to tear the law apart in court, which would put millions of Americans at risk of losing their coverage in a pandemic. (2/7)
This Executive Order—which carries zero legal weight—is nothing more than a press release to distract from the Administration trying to rip up the ACA. Don’t take my word for it, see this explanation from health and legal expert @nicholas_bagley.

(3/7)
Read 7 tweets
2 Jul
Our transportation system is outdated and contributes to the climate crisis.

I was proud to join House colleagues in passing the Moving Forward Act, which includes four proposals I worked on to keep Orange County families safe.
Vehicle safety features are designed for the body type of the average male, which can lead to devastating consequences for women involved in car crashes.

My amendment requires that we develop stronger standards and designs that would better protect women on the road. (2/4)
I'm also committed to keeping our kids safe. That's why I authored amendments with @RepCardenas and @RepJahanaHayes to study the impact of idling buses and cars in school zones and with @CongressmanRaja to strengthen requirements for booster seat testing and safety. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
26 Jun
The Government Accountability Office, a non-partisan watchdog, just released a bombshell report on the Paycheck Protection Program (link here for oversight nerds like me). There’s a lot to unpack, but I want to share a few takeaways I’m thinking about:

gao.gov/reports/GAO-20…
PPP is a 650,000,000,000 taxpayer funded program that gives grants to companies who keep their workers on payroll during #COVID19. It needs to work. The money has to go to the people who need it. But @SBAgov has essentially no plans to review 99% of PPP loans. (2/4)
According to the report, small businesses that didn’t need the money returned at least 3,800 loans. How are you going to know if the other 4,576,388 loans are legitimate? Any answers, @stevenmnuchin1 or @SBAJovita? (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
20 Apr
Along with my staff, I make calls to constituents to personally respond to their contacting my office. So many people are reaching out, and I wanted to hear their stories and offer help. Here are my key takeaways:

Thread ⬇️⬇️
2/X People are scared and are struggling to get accurate information. Many are asking for the first time in their lives for government assistance; they need support and encouragement. My office is ready to work with our community.
3/X Small businesses are struggling with lost income. Most are closed. I talked to a non-profit founder who received his EIDL money (economic injury disaster loan) through the SBA a week ago. Most businesses are waiting—and worried.
Read 8 tweets
25 Mar
When I was elected, I committed to being transparent and accountable. I have kept that promise throughout my time in Congress. (1/4)
Last week, I developed cold-like symptoms followed by fatigue. I stayed home and spoke to my healthcare provider. (2/4)
Over the weekend, I had a fever over 100.4 degrees. As instructed, I continued to isolate in my bedroom and phoned my provider. I carefully followed all instructions to visit my doctor and received a test for COVID-19. I am waiting for results. (3/4)
Read 5 tweets
25 Mar
I’ve taken #coronavirus seriously from Day 1. Today marks 8 weeks since I pushed the CDC to brief Congress on the threat posed by #COVID_19. Since then, I’ve been working around the clock to address this crisis. Here’s some of what I’ve been up to: (THREAD)
When Orange County had one of the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, I immediately sent a letter to the CDC. At the time, I was one of a few federal officials calling for us to prepare for this now-pandemic. (2/?)
One of my top responsibilities as a Congressmember is to keep #CA45 residents informed about the facts. That’s why I produced a FAQ on the coronavirus outbreak and have been updating it regularly since January. (3/?)
Read 18 tweets

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