Julia Letlow
RepublicanU.S. Representative, LA-5| Age | 45 (b. 1981-03-16) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2021-04-14 (~5 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Presbyterian (Protestant Christian) |
| Education | B.A. (2002) and M.A. (2005) in speech communication from the University of Louisiana at Monroe; Ph.D. in communication from the University of South Florida (2011). |
| Prior occupation | University administrator and educator; held roles at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (director of external affairs and strategic communications) and as director of education and patient safety at Tulane University School of Medicine. |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Marital status | Widowed (husband Luke Letlow died December 2020); engaged to Kevin Ainsworth as of 2025 — Luke Letlow (deceased Dec. 29, 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Start, Louisiana |
| Notable relatives | Husband Luke Letlow was elected to the same U.S. House seat (LA-05) in 2020 but died of COVID-19 before being sworn in; Julia won the special election to succeed him. |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2021 |
| Committees | House Committee on Appropriations · House Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Vice Chair) · House Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies · House Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs · House Committee on Education and the Workforce |
| Caucuses | Congressional Coalition on Adoption · Climate Solutions Caucus · Republican Governance Group |
| Leadership | Vice Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies |
| Ideology | Conservative Republican; scored 87% on Heritage Action's legislative scorecard for the 117th Congress. |
| Signature legislation | Parents Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 5) - passed the U.S. House 213-208 on March 23, 2023; not enacted into law |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| Meta Platforms Inc. (stock) | stock · 2024 |
| Walt Disney Co. (stock) | stock · 2024 |
| Walmart Inc. (stock) | stock · 2024 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — STOCK Act Late Disclosure Violations — 211 Unreported Stock Trades
Rep. Julia Letlow filed a periodic transaction report on January 13, 2026 disclosing 224 stock and bond transactions totaling between $225,000 and $3,185,000, of which 211 were executed more than 45 days earlier and thus in violation of the STOCK Act's mandatory 45-day disclosure window; roughly 100 trades were reported more than a year late. The trades had been made by investment firm Merrill Lynch under a discretionary management arrangement without Letlow being notified that individual-transaction reporting was triggered. After retaining the law firm Dickinson Wright to audit her filings, Letlow self-reported the violations to the House Ethics Committee on October 25 (2025). On February 3, 2026, the committee's director of financial disclosure sent a letter confirming it had agreed to her request to waive the standard $200 late-filing penalty. Opponents, including Sen. Bill Cassidy's campaign, characterized the violations as law-breaking; Letlow denied breaking federal law and maintained she was two layers removed from the trading decisions.