Hearings, whiteboards, and my toughest witness

When I first was elected to Congress in 2018, I was eager to jump right into delivering for voters—addressing the high cost of healthcare, standing up to the gun lobby, and protecting our coastline. But like anyone who comes in ready to shake up an organization, I was quickly told I needed to wait my turn and play by the rules.

I wasn’t going to let ‘the way things were done’ stop me from delivering for my constituents. I quickly realized that I had real power in congressional hearings, where Members of Congress have the opportunity to ask direct questions to witnesses and extract information.

It’s not just about getting a sound bite or ‘going viral.’ Those few minutes allow me to draw attention to issues Americans are facing, reveal the incompetence of some Trump Administration officials, and even secure free COVID tests for all Americans at the very start of the pandemic.

Congressional hearings are sometimes treated as these perfunctory things (I mean, how many people are watching C-SPAN), but they’re really such an opportunity for Members of Congress to hear from experts, hold those with power accountable, and learn valuable information that helps us create and push forward real policy. Aside from creating laws, Congress has a duty to oversee the government and how taxpayer dollars are spent—and hearings are a key part of that.

Prior to being in Congress I was a professor, so using a whiteboard to break things down during these hearings came naturally to me. And as a parent, I’ve had my share of practice questioning people. I can promise you my kids are tougher witnesses than people like Ben Carson.

I’m proud to be standing up to special interests and holding power to account—that’s my job. Thanks for being in this fight with me.

Katie Porter