News Coverage
ABC News: Senate Dems ask government watchdog to investigate 'political pressure' on FDA, CDC
Senate Democrats are calling on an internal government watchdog agency to investigate allegations that the White House has sought to undermine coronavirus messaging from government experts that conflicts with President Donald Trump's political priorities.In their letter, dated Thursday and obtained first by ABC News, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., slammed the Trump administration for "repeatedly applying political pressure and imposing orders … Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Reuters: Senator Warren asks big U.S. banks for details on pandemic performance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is asking large U.S. banks to disclose how they performed under a recent Federal Reserve exam of their finances during the coronavirus pandemic.In a letter sent to 14 large firms Wednesday, Warren asked each to provide its results from a confidential Fed test, arguing the central bank’s “limited transparency” on whether banks could weather a severe economic downturn is insufficient.“The safety and soundness of the banking sector cannot be … Continue Reading
October 06, 2020
Boston.com: Elizabeth Warren, Katherine Clark urge DEA in letter to finalize ‘partial fill’ regulation to combat opioid epidemic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katherine Clark are calling out the Drug Enforcement Administration for failing to finalize a regulation they say is “crucial” in combating the opioid epidemic.In a letter released Tuesday, signed by the Massachusetts Democrats along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, the lawmakers urged the DEA to implement the “partial fill” regulation. The measure would help reduce the number of … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
The Washington Post: Warren, Durbin slam government’s ‘failing’ efforts to contain coronavirus in federal prisons
In a pair of letters to U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal, two Democratic senators suggest that the government’s response to coronavirus outbreaks in federal facilities is failing, and they question the BOP’s reliance on solitary confinement to isolate sick prisoners rather than granting compassionate release.Federal prisoners, corrections staff, government inspectors and civil rights advocates have complained for months that the … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Forbes: Elizabeth Warren: Executives Of Predatory Colleges Should Be Held Personally Liable For Misconduct
Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Monday for the owners and executives of predatory schools and colleges to be held personally liable for school misconduct.“Millions of Americans are being crushed by over $1.5 trillion dollars in outstanding federal student loan debt, with Black and Brown communities disproportionally impacted, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis hits the same communities the hardest,” said Senator Warren in a statement. “Much of that debt came from … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
The Boston Globe: Sen. Elizabeth Warren chides Trump for ‘undermining’ work of scientists
Like many members of Congress who woke up to the stunning news Friday that President Trump had tested positive for coronavirus, Senator Elizabeth Warren wished her ideological opposite a speedy recovery.But the Cambridge Democrat, a liberal firebrand and frequent Trump critic who sought her party’s 2020 presidential nomination, also laid into what she said was the president’s deeply irresponsible behavior throughout the pandemic.“My thoughts are with the President, First Lady, White House … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Boston.com: A group of top CEOs pledged to change the way they do business for the common good. Elizabeth Warren says they haven’t.
Remember when a group of nearly 200 high-profile CEOs announced last year they were redefining the purposes of their businesses to prioritize not just short-term stockholders’ interests but the greater social good?Sen. Elizabeth Warren does.But the Massachusetts senator says that — more than 13 months later — the group, known as the Business Roundtable, hasn’t been living up to those ideals.Read the full article on the Boston.com … Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
The Hill: Warren won't meet with Barrett, calling Trump's nomination an 'illegitimate power grab'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Tuesday that she will not meet with President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, calling the nomination an “illegitimate power grab.”The former 2020 presidential candidate took to Twitter to announce she will not meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett as Senate Republicans prepare to confirm Trump’s nominee before the Nov. 3 election. Warren slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in particular, saying she will “not lend legitimacy” to his “efforts to … Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
HuffPost: Democrats To Unveil Bill Addressing Government’s Cultural Genocide Of Native Americans
Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will introduce legislation Tuesday to make the federal government address the “intergenerational trauma” it has caused for Native Americans with its former Indian boarding school policy, a nearly century-long policy of forcibly removing Indigenous children from tribal lands and putting them into boarding schools to be assimilated into white culture.Their bill, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policy Act, … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
The Washington Post: Democrats seek investigation into Pentagon’s coronavirus fund following Washington Post article
Congressional Democrats sharply criticized a Defense Department decision to repurpose a $1 billion coronavirus fund into an economic stimulus for defense contractors, a change the lawmakers say violated congressional intent. Three House Democratic representatives and a U.S. senator asked for investigations on the matter following a Washington Post article that revealed the change.The funds, set aside under the Cares Act economic stimulus package passed in March, were given to the Pentagon to … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Vice: Wyden and Warren Demand Investigation into IRS Warrantless Location Tracking
Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren want a formal investigation into the IRS' use of smartphone location data to track Americans without a warrant.On Thursday, the two Senators sent a letter to the body tasked with oversight of the IRS demanding it investigate how a section of the IRS bought access to this data.The news highlights the continued tread of law enforcement agencies obtaining location data that would ordinarily require a warrant to do, by simply purchasing the data from commercial … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Business Insider: Elizabeth Warren, AOC blast Wells Fargo CEO for blaming 'very limited pool of Black talent' for the bank's trouble hitting its diversity-hiring goals
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Sherrod Brown all slammed the CEO of Wells Fargo for his repeated claims that the bank's difficulties in hiring diverse employees were because of a lack of Black talent."While it might sound like an excuse, the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from," Charlie Scharf, Wells Fargo's CEO, wrote in a June memo to employees, according to Reuters. Scharf also repeated this claim in a Zoom … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Bloomberg: Senators Blast ‘Feckless’ OSHA Response to Meat Plants’ Virus Outbreaks
A speedier and more forceful response by U.S. officials could have prevented the large outbreaks of Covid-19 at meat plants that sickened thousands and killed dozens of workers, according to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.The senators decried the “feckless” response by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which earlier this month fined Smithfield Foods Inc. $13,494 and JBS Foods $15,615 for failing to protect workers, respectively, at a South Dakota pork plant and a … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Buzzfeed News: Elizabeth Warren And Bernie Sanders Want Big Banking Reforms Following The FinCEN Files Investigations
Lawmakers, regulators, and activists across the globe Monday called for swift action into the findings of a new investigation from BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists about corruption in the global banking system and how governments facilitate it.In the FinCEN Files, a series of stories that began publishing Sunday, BuzzFeed News and its partners revealed how the giants of Western banking move trillions of dollars in suspicious transactions, enriching … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
WBUR: Senators Warren And Markey Call For Shutdown Of Weymouth Compressor
Both of the state's U.S. senators called Monday for Enbridge to halt operations at its Weymouth compressor station, warning that the facility should not become operational mere weeks after an equipment failure prompted a release of natural gas. In an email, the energy giant said it was moving forward with plans to make sure the plant is "fit for service."Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey urged Al Monaco, Enbridge's president and CEO, to pause all activities at the site near the Fore River … Continue Reading
September 20, 2020
Masslive: Sen. Elizabeth Warren at Ruth Bader Ginsburg vigil: SCOTUS ‘fight has just begun’
At a vigil for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday night led hundreds in a chant of “I will fight,” and delivered a speech warning that American democracy was at stake as President Donald Trump geared up to nominate Ginsburg’s replacement.Warren’s remarks came a night after Ginsburg died at 87 from complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. NBC News reported that the longtime justice said her “most … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
CNBC: Schumer, Warren propose forgiving $50,000 in student debt for borrowers due to pandemic
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced a resolution Thursday that would broadly cancel federal student loan debt due to the coronavirus crisis. The resolution calls on President Donald Trump to take executive action to forgive up to $50,000 in debt for borrowers....Read the full article on CNBC … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Reuters: Senator Warren blasts U.S. CEOs for 'empty' social promises
WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Thursday blasted U.S. business leaders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co’s Jamie Dimon and Walmart’s Doug McMillon, for falling short on a “splashy” promise to look beyond profits when running their businesses.Writing to the CEOs in their capacity as former and current chairs respectively of the Business Roundtable, Warren, a Democrat, said the country’s top business group had been lobbying for “narrow, short-term interests” rather … Continue Reading
September 16, 2020
Stars and Stripes: Sen. Warren introduces bill to make it easier for service members to terminate their leases
WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she will introduce a bill Wednesday alongside a bipartisan group of senators that aims to make it easier for service members to terminate residential and car leases as the coronavirus pandemic has put a tight squeeze on renters across the country.The Modernizing Notice of Lease Terminations for Servicemembers Act would allow active duty, reservists and National Guard troops to break leases electronically, including by email, if they are … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
CNBC: Democratic senators grill U.S. health officials on Trump interference in coronavirus vaccine process
Democratic senators on Wednesday grilled U.S. health officials about whether President Donald Trump is interfering in the development of potential coronavirus vaccines. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on vaccine safety as infectious disease experts and scientists in recent weeks have said they worry the vaccine approval process in the U.S. could be … Continue Reading