Press Releases
Senator Warren Investigates Whether Trump Administration Is Improperly Withholding Aid for Puerto Rico
Boston, MA - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) yesterday wrote to the heads of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to inquire about reports that the Trump Administration is using the shutdown as an excuse to intentionally withhold Congressionally-appropriated aid for Puerto Rico recovery efforts, in addition to efforts in several other states and territories, as the island struggles to recover from Hurricane … Continue Reading
January 22, 2019
Senator Warren Joins Sanders, Colleagues in Reintroducing Legislation to Prevent Mining Activities on Sacred Apache Tribal Land Given Away in 2015 Defense Bill
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and four of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Save Oak Flat Act, which cancels a mandated land swap that threatens the sacred Apache Leap site in central Arizona with environmental damage from nearby high-risk copper mining. The Senate bill is also cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). … Continue Reading
January 18, 2019
Warren, Markey, Moulton: Community Concerns Must Be Heard, Safety Issues Addressed Before Extending and Amending Seabrook License
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Seth Moulton (MA-06) today urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reevaluate and abandon its plan to approve the license amendment and license renewal for the Seabrook Nuclear Plant without waiting for a planned hearing on the license amendment, set to take place this summer. The lawmakers also express their concerns with how the Seabrook plant operator plans to … Continue Reading
January 18, 2019
Senator Warren Inquires about Treasury Secretary's Unusual Calls with CEOs of the Nation's Six Major Banks
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent separate letters to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and to the CEOs of the nation's six largest banks -- Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo & Co., Goldman Sachs & Co., JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup Inc., and Bank of America. The letters follow an announcement on December 23rd by the Treasury Department that Mr. Mnuchin called the CEOs of the six banks about whether they had adequate liquidity during a sustained period … Continue Reading
January 17, 2019
Warren Questions Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan on Excessively High Fees the Bank Charged College Students
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Timothy J. Sloan, CEO and President of Wells Fargo & Company requesting more information about the exorbitant fees Wells Fargo charged students for financial products marketed to them through agreements with their colleges. A report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) prepared in February of 2018, but only recently released through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveals that the fees … Continue Reading
January 16, 2019
Senator Warren Delivers Floor Speech on Government Shutdown
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor in which she discussed how the ongoing government shutdown has affected workers and families in Massachusetts. In her remarks, which were delivered on the 26th day of the longest shutdown in American history, Senator Warren called on President Trump and Republicans to re-open the government now so that hundreds of thousands of federal workers can get the paychecks they have … Continue Reading
January 16, 2019
Warren Joins Smith, Colleagues in Introducing the Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in introducing legislation to secure back pay for the federal contractor employees who continue to go without pay during the current government shutdown.The Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act aims to help low- and middle-income federal contractor … Continue Reading
January 16, 2019
Warren Questions Nation's Largest Banks on Their Assistance to Americans Affected by Government Shutdown
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) yesterday sent letters to the CEOs of Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, US Bancorp, and Wells Fargo seeking information asking how the nation's largest retail banks are helping workers and businesses facing financial hardship due to President Trump's government shutdown. The letters follow a request made last week by federal regulators encouraging financial institutions to work with customers affected by the … Continue Reading
January 15, 2019
New GAO Report Reveals Key Areas for Improving Critical Patient Record Matching Across Health Providers
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced the release of a new report today from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealing a number of key areas for improving patient record matching across U.S. health care providers. Titled "Approaches and Challenges to Electronically Matching Patients' Records across Providers," the study is the result of a provision coauthored in 2016 by Senator Warren, along with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sheldon Whitehouse … Continue Reading
January 15, 2019
Massachusetts Lawmakers Decry Large Backdated Gas Bills for Merrimack Valley Natural Gas Disaster Impacted Families
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representatives Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) today asked Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and NiSource why customers impacted by the Merrimack Valley natural gas explosions and fire are receiving large backdated bills with due dates in January after the company assured they would not, highlighting the lack of communication with residents about the bills. They also asked the … Continue Reading
January 15, 2019
Warren Asks Ethics Officials Whether Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Violated Ethics Laws While Seeking New Job
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to the Designated Agency Ethics Officials (DAEO) at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to request information regarding White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney's compliance with federal ethics laws governing negotiations over post-government employment. The letter follows a report indicating that Mr. Mulvaney began discussions about becoming … Continue Reading
January 11, 2019
Warren Joins Shaheen, Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Close Big Pharma Advertising Tax Loophole
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and fourteen of their Senate colleagues in introducing the End Taxpayer Subsidies for Drug Ads Act, legislation that would prohibit pharmaceutical drug manufacturers from claiming tax deductions for consumer advertising expenses. Advertising expenses by pharmaceutical drug manufacturers have more than quadrupled over the past two decades, rising from $1.3 billion in 1997 to … Continue Reading
January 10, 2019
Warren Investigation Uncovers New Evidence That Financial Contractor Comerica Left Retirees, Veterans Vulnerable to Fraud
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Bureau of the Fiscal Service Commissioner Kimberly McCoy sharing the results of an investigation of fraud affecting Social Security and VA beneficiaries using the Comerica-administered Direct Express program. The letter comes as the Treasury Department seeks applications to re-bid the agreement Comerica Bank currently holds as the Direct Express … Continue Reading
January 09, 2019
New Government Report Shows Many College Students Are Unable to Afford Food, Recommends Federal Action to Address Food Insecurity in Higher Education
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), released a new report today from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing that college students around the country are struggling to afford food and basic nutrition. The report is … Continue Reading
January 08, 2019
Warren, Gillibrand, Velázquez, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Establish Puerto Rico Hurricanes Commission
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), along with Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), led four of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation to establish a "9/11-style" independent commission to investigate the federal response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. The National Commission of the Federal Response to Natural Disasters in Puerto Rico Act would analyze several factors that impact the … Continue Reading
January 08, 2019
Senator Warren and Chairman Scott Lead Request for Inspector General Audit of DOL's Controversial Child Labor Rule
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Chairman of Education and Labor Committee, led a letter to the Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (IG) Scott Dahl requesting an audit of DOL to determine whether the agency deviated from agency regulatory and data quality requirements when it developed a proposed rule relaxing child labor standards in health care occupations. Joining Senator Warren and Chairman Scott in … Continue Reading
January 07, 2019
Senators Warren and Markey Applaud the End of the Six-Month Lockout of 1,250 Union Workers by National Grid
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) are pleased that on Monday, members of United Steelworkers Locals 12003 and 12012 at National Grid of Massachusetts voted to ratify a new contract agreement with the company, ending the lockout of 1,250 employees. "While we are thankful for all of the hard work put into these negotiations, lockouts are unsafe, unfair, and should never be used as a negotiating tactic, damaging public trust … Continue Reading
January 04, 2019
Senators Warren and Markey Call on Columbia Gas to Ensure Damaged Roads and Sidewalks Are Repaired in Wake of Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and its parent company NiSource reminding them of their responsibility to repair the more than 70 miles of damaged roads in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover that were dug up as a result of the deadly September 13 natural gas disaster. The Senators make specific mention of ensuring that the damaged roads and sidewalks be repaired consistent … Continue Reading
January 04, 2019
Warren Joins Jones, Colleagues in Effort to Examine and Address Disproportionate Student Debt Burden Among Borrowers of Color
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senators Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-N.M.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), in sending letters to nearly 100 key stakeholders nationwide to solicit feedback that can help improve federal policies for student borrowers of color and make access to higher education more equitable. Stakeholders receiving the letter include experts in education policy and leaders in business, advocacy, academia, civil rights, … Continue Reading
January 03, 2019
Senator Warren Sworn-in to a Second Term
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren was sworn-in to office for a second term on Thursday, January 3, 2019, the first day of the 116th Congress. In her remarks to a gathering of supporters and colleagues Wednesday morning, Senator Warren thanked her constituents for being with her in the fight to make Washington work for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected."Winning is not just about the elections, it is about what you do with this job once you've got it...We … Continue Reading