January 22, 2014

WAMC Northeast Public Radio: Senator Warren Promotes Priorities In Massachusetts Tour

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is touring the state to promote her agenda for the year ahead. She stopped in western Massachusetts today.

By: Paul Tuthill
January 22, 2014

Senator Warren met with about 100 constituents in the lobby of the downtown Springfield building where the senator's western Massachusetts office is located. Warren spoke about her agenda for the year ahead in Congress, highlighting three priorities-reducing college student loan debt, increasing government funding for medical research and shoring up Social Security.

"Our job, our job together is to make sure our government works not for the rich and powerful , but for us."

This was the second day of a two-day tour by the senator with stops planned to highlight her legislative priorities.

Warren toured Baystate Medical Center in Springfield to highlight her push to double funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

"We do it for economic reasons. Every dollar put into the NIH yields $2.23 in business activity. That's jobs. The second reason we are the threshold of powerfully important discoveries."

The Democrat also met with students at UMass Amherst during her first visit to the UMass flagship campus. Warren is co-sponsor of a bill that would make colleges more accountable for student loan defaults by imposing a financial penalty on schools with high student loan default rates. Warren is also supporting an effort to allow students to refinance their outstanding student loan debt.

"That at least gives them a shot at paying off this debt."

Read the full story here.