Press Releases
Senators Warren, Durbin, and Schatz Introduce Bill to Reform Higher Education Accreditation and Strengthen Accountability for Students and Taxpayers
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016 (AREAA). The legislation would take steps to reduce student debt and to protect students and taxpayers by reforming higher education accreditation and strengthening the Education Department's (ED) ability to hold accreditors accountable. AREAA would rebuild our college quality assurance system with … Continue Reading
September 22, 2016
Senators Ask Labor Department to Investigate Wells Fargo's Potential Violations of Fair Labor Standards Act
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) today sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Tom Perez and Wage and Hour Division Administrator David Weil requesting that DOL investigate whether Wells Fargo violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with respect to its account … Continue Reading
September 20, 2016
Senator Warren: Wells Fargo CEO Skirts Accountability by Blaming Scam on Low-Level Employees While Pocketing Millions
Warren Asks if Wells Fargo Will Claw Back Compensation for Senior Executives, Including Carrie Tolstedt Video from the hearing available here WASHINGTON, DC - At today's Senate Banking Committee hearing, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Wells Fargo Chairman and CEO John Stumpf about his unwillingness to hold himself or senior executives accountable for the recent fraud that resulted in a $185 million settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) … Continue Reading
September 20, 2016
Senators Release Wells Fargo Answers on Executive Compensation
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) released Wells Fargo Senior Executive Vice President Hope Hamilton's response to questions from the Senators about the compensation of Senior Executive Carrie Tolstedt. Ms. Tolstedt is the former Senior Executive Vice President of Community Banking who led the division responsible for the misconduct. She announced her retirement … Continue Reading
September 16, 2016
Senators Ask if Wells Fargo Will Use Clawback Provisions to Recover Bonuses from Senior Executives, Including Carrie Tolstedt, Following CFPB Settlement for Employee Misconduct
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), today sent a letter to Wells Fargo Chairman and CEO John G. Stumpf asking whether the bank will use its clawback authority to recover compensation it has paid to senior executives, including to former Senior Executive Vice President of Community Banking Carrie Tolstedt. The … Continue Reading
September 15, 2016
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Statement on Marine National Monument Designation
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren released the following statement about the Marine National Monument designation off the coast of New England: "The ocean and seafood industry are critical parts of our coastal economy, culture, and identity. Nearly a year ago, I joined several of Massachusetts colleagues in urging President Obama to further engage all regional stakeholders before advancing any plans to use his Executive Authority to designate a marine National Monument off the … Continue Reading
September 15, 2016
After Urging from Warren, Franken and Brown, HUD Releases New Guidance to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren applauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for releasing federal guidance on how local governments can make sure that their nuisance ordinances don't endanger survivors of domestic violence and other victims of crime. "Domestic violence survivors, crime victims, and other people should never be forced to choose between calling 911 and keeping a roof over their heads. But nuisance ordinances do exactly that by … Continue Reading
September 15, 2016
On 8th Anniversary of Lehman Bankruptcy, Senator Warren Calls for IG Review of DOJ's Failed Response to Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Referrals
Washington, DC - On the eighth anniversary of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to conduct an investigation into the inability of the DOJ to prosecute any of the individuals referred to the agency by the FCIC for potential law-breaking related to the 2008 financial crisis. Recently-released documents revealed that the FCIC referred nine individuals and 14 corporations to the DOJ in … Continue Reading
September 13, 2016
Senator Warren Presses FEMA About High Cost of Flood Map Appeals for Mass. Cities and Towns
Washington, DC - At a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing today, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials about mistakes in federal flood insurance maps and the high cost of appeals shouldered by Massachusetts cities and towns. "Over three years ago, FEMA released many flood maps that our cities and towns knew were not accurate, and those mistakes have created real problems for many Massachusetts communities," … Continue Reading
September 13, 2016
Congressional Delegation Announces $2.4M Grant for the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company's Gardner Branch Line
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey along with Representatives Jim McGovern and Niki Tsongas announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $2,376,682 grant for track improvements along the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company's Gardner Branch rail line in Central Massachusetts. The rail project will reduce the risk of derailments that could impact the drinking water supplied to the City of Worcester. "This federal … Continue Reading
September 09, 2016
Lynch, Warren, Markey Announce $4.2 Million in Grant Funding for Quincy Center MBTA Station
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) announced that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will receive $4.2 million in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Grant Program. The MBTA will utilize this grant funding to help build a new Quincy Center bus terminal and make intermodal enhancements. Earlier this year, … Continue Reading
September 09, 2016
Scott, Warren Highlight GAO Study on 401k Annuity Options for America's Workers
Washington, DC- Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), released the findings of a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) they co-requested on the challenges working Americans face in making their 401(k) savings last throughout retirement. Specifically, GAO analyzed whether employers' 401(k) plans provided workers with appropriate options to annuitize their savings-of the plans GAO surveyed, very few of them offered such options. GAO … Continue Reading
September 09, 2016
Sens. Warren, Markey, and Reps. McGovern, Neal, and Tsongas Announce $2.6M in Grants to Massachusetts Fire Departments
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey along with Representatives Richard Neal, Jim McGovern, and Niki Tsongas announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded four fire departments in Massachusetts $2.6 million in grants through the Staffing for Adequate & Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) and the Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) programs. SAFER grants are awarded to support the hiring of trained, "front line" … Continue Reading
September 08, 2016
Senators Question Aetna's Billion-Dollar Break-up Fee and Decision to Leave ACA Exchanges After DOJ Challenges Merger with Humana
Washington, DC - In a letter sent to Aetna's CEO today, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) raised questions about the company's decision to withdraw from the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care exchanges after the Department of Justice (DOJ) challenged Aetna's proposed merger with Humana. "Aetna's decision regarding its participation in the ACA exchanges appears to be an effort to … Continue Reading
August 30, 2016
Warren and Grassley Ask Standard-Setting Committee About Next Steps to Incorporate Medical Device Identifiers on Insurance Claim Forms
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter asking the Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12) about steps it is taking to include medical devices' unique device identifier (UDI) on health insurance claim forms. ASC X12 is the body responsible for setting standards for and recommending any changes to the standard electronic claims forms. Including UDI on these forms will help strengthen the post-market tracking of medical … Continue Reading
August 30, 2016
Senators Raise Concerns About Mylan's EpiPen Price Hike and Expanded Patient Assistance Program
Washington, DC - In a letter sent today to the CEO of pharmaceutical company Mylan, 20 senators expressed their serious concerns about the company's recent significant price hikes for the life-saving EpiPen Auto-Injector. The senators raised questions about Mylan's decision to expand its patient assistance program, which allows the company to sharply increase prices while passing the cost of these increases onto insurance companies and ultimately to consumers, and to introduce an authorized … Continue Reading
August 23, 2016
Senator Warren Applauds New Army Helicopter Engine Design Contract for GE's Lynn Facility
Boston, MA - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today applauded the announcement that GE Aviation has been awarded a two-year contract as part of the U.S. Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP). This contract will support more than 100 engineers working on the GE3000 engine for Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, primarily at GE Aviation's facility in Lynn, MA. Under the contract, the Army will conduct a Preliminary Design Review of the GE3000 engine. "Our military has long … Continue Reading
August 17, 2016
Sens. Franken, Brown, and Warren Push to End Local Nuisance Ordinances that Endanger Domestic Violence Survivors
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)-along with over 20 of their colleagues-urged the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for action to combat unfair and discriminatory nuisance ordinances that disproportionately affect survivors of domestic violence. Local nuisance ordinances are generally aimed at combating crime and ensuring the public safety, but they can also unintentionally punish victims for … Continue Reading
August 04, 2016
Mass. Delegation Demands End to GOP's Abusive Subpoenas of State Attorneys General
Washington, D.C. -- The Massachusetts Congressional delegation is urging U.S. House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith to cease House Republicans' blatant abuse of congressional subpoena authority in an effort to deny the causes of global climate change. In July, Smith issued subpoenas to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and eight environmental organizations, claiming that a coordinated environmentalist plot exists to deprive … Continue Reading
July 15, 2016
Senators Urge Education Department to Reform Student Loan Servicing to Better Protect Borrowers
Washington, DC - In a letter sent today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), along with Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) urged the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and its Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) to make … Continue Reading
