Katie Porter

Public safety is a core function of government. I strongly oppose and will fight to eliminate private, for-profit prisons and curtail other corporate profit generators that contribute to the unfair treatment of low-income communities, especially communities of color. I also would invest in helping law enforcement work across jurisdictions and governments to take organized criminal enterprises and transnational crime syndicates that fuel the majority of fentanyl, violence, and the most high-profile instances of retail theft. Finally, I would tackle recidivism by investing in programs to provide meaningful pathways to employment both during and after incarceration.

The tragic reality is we know how to keep people safe from gun violence — by banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, instituting universal background checks, ending the gun industry’s broad legal immunity, regulating guns like other consumer products, and more — but we lack enough leaders at the federal level who have the necessary courage to stand up to the gun lobby. We need to pressure our elected officials to act — and vote them out when they don’t.

Our immigration system is a mess. For decades, Washington has failed to provide meaningful citizenship opportunities to immigrants. But I’m of a generation that sees, respects, and understands the value immigrants bring to our communities and our economy. We need a fair and orderly system that provides broad, widespread citizenship opportunities. We can start by modernizing our outdated registry laws that overlook generations of immigrants who make our country stronger. I also support enshrining Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections into law, and I’m pushing to deliver on the right to seek asylum when fleeing persecution.

Yes. Immigrants enrich our communities and make our economy stronger. Washington’s decades-long failure to provide meaningful citizenship opportunities to immigrants hurts all of us. We need a fair, orderly immigration system that provides people with the opportunity to become citizens.

Our nearly 15-year-old $7.25 an-hour minimum wage directly reflects how Washington caters to big corporations ahead of everyday people. I support a $20 hourly federal minimum wage and a $25 hourly California minimum wage, both of which should be indexed to inflation.

Workers are the backbone of our economy. I strongly support the right to form and/or join a union and believe Washington must deliver policies that provide that opportunity to all workers. I’m a champion for passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, cracking down on anti-worker behavior like retaliation, union-busting, and wage theft, and making it easier for workers to form unions through card checks.

Chronic street homelessness is the tip of a giant housing affordability iceberg. So many Californians are struggling to find housing they can afford. This crisis has been years in the making, and it’s a direct result of the federal government failing to take action for decades. We need a major federal investment in housing. I got my start in public service by helping families stay in their homes during the foreclosure crisis. Housing remains a top issue for me, and I’m running for the U.S. Senate to push housing affordability to the top of Washington’s priority list.

We need to stop running our housing policy to benefit Wall Street. Right now, housing is a subcommittee of the Banking Committee. That tells us all we need to know: Washington sees housing as an engine to line Wall Street’s pockets, not as a precursor for job opportunities, educational opportunities, good health outcomes, etc. In addition to forming a housing committee, Congress must invest in more workforce housing to make it easier for new communities to take root and grow. I’m also interested in innovative financing models that find a middle ground between renting year-to-year and a 30-year fixed mortgage.

Yes. I have called for a lasting bilateral ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

We must work with allies to protect democratic values abroad. However, any security aid provided must come with respect for U.S. and international law. Foreign countries that receive aid have a responsibility to do all they can to prevent harm to civilians, and the U.S. has a responsibility to hold them accountable. I refuse to pledge unconditional military aid to any ally. There must always be continuous, robust discussions about why providing aid is in our interest, what we’re giving, how it’ll be used, and what the end game is that’ll bring about enduring peace.

Funding must be evaluated in light of threats facing our country and the world. I’ll never rubber stamp spending, but I believe investing in our servicemembers and their well-being is paramount. Our Department of Defense is a hub of innovation and research, and so, for example, I’ve supported better protocols for treating burn victims, such as injured servicemembers and civilians. Regardless of funding levels, we need more oversight of how the Pentagon spends taxpayer dollars. I’ve exposed big defense contractors for ripping off taxpayers. I’ve never taken donations from defense contractor PACs and have no problem holding the industry accountable.

One of the most fiscally responsible things we can do is take bold, urgent action to protect communities from the climate crisis. I strongly support reducing carbon emissions and investing in a clean energy future, holding polluters accountable for the damage they’re doing to our planet while eliminating their special tax breaks and other sweetheart deals, and investing in making all communities — not just a select few — more resilient to natural disasters worsened by climate change.

Whoever dominates the clean energy space today will have the strongest economy tomorrow. That can and should be the United States, led by California. Clean energy has the potential to unlock hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing, research, education, and more. I support continued investments in clean energy and efforts to protect workers and communities so no one gets left behind as we push boldly toward clean energy. For example, I’ve been pushing to invest federal dollars in California’s hydrogen economy, and I’m proud that the Biden-Harris administration recently announced $1.2 billion that’ll do just that.