Dear John,

As I near the end of my time in Congress, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to you and all the people of California’s 47th District. Representing you in the House has been an honor—and a lot of hard work (and airplane rides!) 

When I ran for Congress, I pledged to increase government transparency, and I have delivered on this promise. On a monthly basis, I published a list of my official meetings, so you could see how I’m spending my time working for you. I hosted dozens of town halls, and my office responded to hundreds of thousands of constituent messages. You deserve a representative who stands on their own two feet and gives you straight answers about what they’re doing for our district and California. 

In Congress, I have tackled our community's affordability challenges, including by passing new laws that crack down on Big Pharma’s price gouging and raising fees on polluters who profit off our public lands. In the House, I have passed bills to strengthen mental health coverage and increase representation in our democracy. During the pandemic, I obtained a commitment for the government to provide free COVID testing to all Americans. While there is more work to do—including bringing down housing and child care costs and reversing the unfair SALT tax deduction—I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish in six short years.

As I depart office, I have instructed my team to hand off federal casework, contacts, and resources to your next representative, Congressman-elect Dave Min. I am confident that he will represent us well, and I am rooting for his success. If you need urgent assistance in the next two months, please call Senator Alex Padilla’s office at (619) 239-3884 or visit his website at https://www.padilla.senate.gov/.

As for what I’m doing next, I will be returning to teaching law at UC Irvine. If you want to keep in touch, I encourage you to follow me on social media @RepKatiePorter on all platforms. These accounts will be converted from official to personal use at the conclusion of my time in Congress. 

I leave this office with hope for the future of our district and our country. Thank you for your trust, your engagement, and your dedication to the principles of democracy. I look forward to continuing to make a difference for our community and am forever grateful for your support.

Very truly yours,

Katie Porter
Member of Congress