Congresswoman takes down oil exec suggesting she doesn’t understand tax rule

Representative Katie Porter laid into an oil executive on Tuesday after he suggested that she did not understand a tax break for the fossil fuel industry during a congressional hearing.

The California congresswoman had a fiery rebuke for Mark Murphy, president of Strata Production Company, a New-Mexico-based oil firm, when he argued his industry gets no special tax breaks and that she was “operating” from a “misconception”.

The Democratic representative, a former professor who taught classes about bankruptcy, has become a social media favorite for her rapid-fire and well-informed questioning of powerful executives over issues like drugs pricing.

During the virtual hearing on Tuesday, Rep Porter asked Mr Murphy about how much of the oil industry’s intangible drilling costs “do you get to deduct right away from your taxes?”