News Coverage
Vox: Exclusive: Pressley, Warren, and Lee reintroduce bill to fight racism in public health
The coronavirus pandemic has made the everyday realities of structural racism abundantly clear: A year into the pandemic, statistics show that Black and Latino people are three times more likely than white people to contract Covid-19 and two times more likely to succumb to the illness altogether. The impact of the virus extends to jobs, mental health, housing, and education, too — setting people of color further back.Meanwhile, new data shows that Black and brown communities aren’t being … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
Boston Globe: Warren slams SEC over GameStop-Reddit-Robinhood saga, calling the stock market a casino
Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, asking that the group explain to Congress and the public what they are doing to address the recent market activity surrounding GameStop and other companies.The Massachusetts senator wrote that the SEC, which oversees the stock market, has failed to control “years of distortion in securities markets,” exacerbating wealth inequalities. She is asking that the SEC respond to her questions by … Continue Reading
January 26, 2021
Boston Globe: Markey, Warren, and Castro lead Democrats urging Biden to protect immigrant families living in churches
WASHINGTON—More than two dozen congressional Democrats are asking President Biden to grant temporary protection from deportation to 40 immigrants living in houses of worship as part of his pledge of a new approach to immigration centered on decriminalization, reuniting families, and creating paths to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living without legal status in the US.The immigrant families living in churches and synagogues across the country — including several in Massachusetts — … Continue Reading
January 24, 2021
Boston.com: Elizabeth Warren said the pandemic has derailed many women’s careers, leaving behind ‘lifetime consequences’
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is likely to have “lifetime consequences” for women’s careers, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Sunday. In an interview with CNN, Warren detailed the ways the collapse in jobs due to a battered national economy has impacted more women in the U.S. than men. “The pandemic has really set women back, and make no mistake, this is not something that women are going to recover from in just the space of a few months or even a few years,” the Democrat told Abby … Continue Reading
January 24, 2021
Newsweek: Elizabeth Warren Calls for Unity 'Against Insurrection' as Trump Impeachment Trial Delayed
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts urged lawmakers to unify "against insurrection" as former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial is delayed.During an interview with CNN's Abby Phillip on Sunday, Warren, a Democrat, asked, "how about if we're unified against insurrection? How about if we're unified for accountability?" ahead of the impeachment trial."Unity starts with accountability," Warren added.…Read the full … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
Politico: Democratic lawmakers are poised to crack down on the private equity industry.
Private equity firms went all out for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, giving his campaign six times more money than they donated to President Donald Trump. That’s not going to do them much good with progressive Democrats in Congress.Democratic lawmakers are poised to crack down on the industry, which they say threatens both the economy and workers through its debt-laden takeovers of companies in industries from health care to food, sometimes followed by painful restructuring and mass … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Business Insider: US military has 'failed' to counter white nationalism in its ranks, lawmakers say
Democratic lawmakers are urging the Defense Department to "immediately" investigate extremist activity within the US military and implement a plan to prevent the ideology from further spreading within its ranks."As you are aware, several insurrectionists who attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 have been identified as active duty service members, reservists, retirees, and veterans," fourteen US senators said in a letter to the acting inspector general of the Defense … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
The Root: Democratic Lawmakers Ask HHS to Allocate Portion of COVID-19 Relief Funds to Grassroots Groups in Communities of Color
In the midst of a vaccine rollout plagued by slowdowns as well as lingering suspicions from Black Americans and others about trusting the government’s response, Democrats are calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to direct funds from the recently passed $900 billion COVID relief bill to grassroots organizations in communities of color so they can conduct testing and other coronavirus related outreach.This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
The Hill: Warren claps back at DeVos following resignation announcement: 'Good riddance'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted a scathing send-off for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who tendered her resignation Thursday evening, calling her “the worst Secretary of Education ever."“Betsy DeVos has never done her job to help America’s students. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that she’d rather quit than do her job to help invoke the 25th Amendment,” Warren wrote. “Good riddance, Betsy. You were the worst Secretary of Education ever.”… Read the full … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
Boston.com: Watch: Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey delivered scathing rebukes of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn election results
Massachusetts senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren delivered blistering rebukes of the efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, hours after a violent mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to hide and evacuate. The speeches by the Democratic senators were delivered after the Congress reconvened Wednesday evening to complete the Electoral College tally. The proceedings were completed early Thursday morning … Continue Reading
December 31, 2020
Politico: Elizabeth Warren's next chapter
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer replaced, lamenting that there's no one ready to step in. Elizabeth Warren has a different approach.The Massachusetts Democrat is a member of Schumer’s leadership team and is working closely with the Senate minority leader on a policy priority that could fuel the first intra-party fight with President-elect Joe Biden.A few months before the election, Warren asked Schumer to join her effort to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt for … Continue Reading
December 24, 2020
Masslive: Sens. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren oppose Springfield biomass project by Palmer Renewable Energy
Massachusetts’ two U.S. senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, have asked the state to suspend and reassess the approval it gave 12 years ago for a still-unbuilt Springfield biomass plant that would take wood chips and burn them for electricity.Developer Palmer Renewable Energy said Wednesday it has already begun work at the site, 1000 Page Blvd. in East Springfield.The two Democratic senators want the project put on hold at least until the incoming Biden administration comes out with a … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
NBC News: Senators ask Justice Department watchdog to investigate federal executions under Trump
After a second federal inmate scheduled to be executed next month recently tested positive for the coronavirus, several senators are asking the Department of Justice's independent watchdog agency to investigate what motivated the Trump administration to resume the federal death penalty this year.Since July, the Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr has put 10 federal inmates to death, with three more executions scheduled in January just days before President-elect Joe Biden's … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Military Times: Private military housing companies face questions about military families with disabled members
Two senators are pressing privatized housing companies for extensive details on their treatment of military families with disabled members who need accessible housing.Some private companies that have partnered with the Defense Department “do not appear to be following federal laws that protect persons with disabilities,” according to letters sent Dec. 18 to top executives of six companies, signed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.Citing the findings of a small … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
CNBC: Sen. Warren introduces bill to provide free Covid testing for teachers, students and essential workers across U.S.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pushing legislation that would provide free Covid testing for teachers, students, essential workers and others who have high exposure to the coronavirus, expanding federally funded screening efforts throughout the U.S.The Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act of 2020 would require the Department of Health and Human Services to “stabilize the testing supply chain” by manufacturing tests and testing supplies, or find contractors who can do it for the agency, Warren … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Bloomberg: Tobacco Companies Tried to Profit Off Virus, Lawmaker Group Says
A group of U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, has sent letters to two of the world’s largest tobacco companies alleging they attempted to “profit off the back of a global health crisis.”The letters sent to British American Tobacco Plc and Philip Morris International Inc., dated Dec. 16 and Dec. 18, respectively, cite a Stanford University study that found tobacco companies promoted their products during the pandemic on social media platforms popular with young adults by … Continue Reading
December 18, 2020
Politico: Warren re-ups bill to ban stock trading by lawmakers
While Georgia’s two Republican senators fend off campaign attacks on their stock trading, their Democratic colleague Elizabeth Warren is re-launching her bill to prevent lawmakers from making individual stock trades.Georgia Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler both came under recent fire for buying and selling stocks at moments when they were privy to sensitive information about the companies they invested in. Each is now a candidate in Georgia’s high-stakes January 5 runoff … Continue Reading
December 15, 2020
Forbes: The Bankruptcy Code Is Stacked Against Black Families. Elizabeth Warren’s New Bill Would Change That
Bankruptcy offers an exit route for families and businesses trapped by debt. In 2019, Forever 21, Barneys New York and Payless ShoeSource declared bankruptcy. Donald Trump’s businesses have declared bankruptcy on six occasions.The Bankruptcy Abuse and Protection Act of 2005 made bankruptcy much more expensive and time-consuming for ordinary Americans to access. After the passage of BAPCA, typical costs for declaring bankruptcy rose from $663 to $986 for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and from $1,847 to … Continue Reading
December 14, 2020
Politico: Senate Democrats press Trump on possible vaccine shortage
Senate Democrats are pressing the Trump administration to explain whether the United States could soon face a critical shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses, citing recent reports that the White House passed on Pfizer’s repeated offers to purchase additional shots."We are concerned the failure to secure an adequate supply of vaccines will needlessly prolong the COVID-19 pandemic in this country, causing further loss of life and economic devastation," a group of senior lawmakers wrote to leaders … Continue Reading
December 14, 2020
Mother Jones: Exclusive: Read Elizabeth Warren’s Scathing Report on “Corrupt” Prison Audits
The organization responsible for accrediting US prisons, jails, and detention centers runs a “corrupt” process that puts a “rubber stamp” on dangerous facilities while taking in millions from the private prison industry, according to a scathing report from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), shared exclusively with Mother Jones.The report, the result of a nearly 19-month investigation by the senator’s office, examined the American Correctional Association (ACA), a nongovernmental organization … Continue Reading
