Press Releases
Senator Warren Releases Report Raising Serious Concerns About College Accreditor and Federal Advisory Committee's Troubled Oversight
Washington, DC - A report released today by Senator Elizabeth Warren describes lax federal oversight of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), a college accreditor that has a long track record of failing to hold schools accountable for wrongdoing. The report comes in advance of a June meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) that will consider whether to renew ACICS's federal recognition. ACICS and other … Continue Reading
June 07, 2016
Sens. Warren and Lee Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Graduate Students Build Retirement Savings
Fact sheet Bill text Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced the Graduate Student Savings Act of 2016, which would allow funds from a graduate student's stipend or fellowship to be deposited into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). While fellowship or stipend funding currently is taxed as income by federal and state governments, it does not qualify as "compensation" and so cannot be saved in an IRA. "We should be encouraging young … Continue Reading
June 06, 2016
Senator Elizabeth Warren Releases Report Detailing GOP's Extremist Record of Obstructing Key Obama Nominees
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today released a report highlighting Senate Republicans' long record of delaying and blocking votes on President Obama's nominees to the judiciary and to other key administration positions, culminating in the GOP's ongoing obstruction of Supreme Court Nominee Chief Judge Merrick Garland. "The idea that Senate Republicans are willing to leave our highest court short-handed for nearly a year seems shocking. But the fact is that, for more … Continue Reading
June 02, 2016
Warren, Hatch, and Rubio Call for GAO Review of Sober Living Home Federal and State Oversight
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today sent a bipartisan letter calling for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of federal and state oversight of sober living homes. "The ongoing opioid epidemic has fueled a high demand for substance abuse services, and it is critical that individuals receive the care they need, and that facilities purporting to help individuals with substance use disorders are actually doing … Continue Reading
May 24, 2016
Warren, Markey, Capuano and Clark Urge Harvard to Allow Graduate Assistants to Organize for Collective Bargaining
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, along with Representatives Michael Capuano and Katherine Clark, have sent a letter urging Harvard University President Drew Faust to recognize collective bargaining units of graduate student research and teaching assistants if they wish to organize. "For decades, U.S. labor law has protected the rights of workers to organize. This critical labor protection has been central to building our nation's middle class and … Continue Reading
May 19, 2016
Senator Warren Lays Out Steps to Protect Workers in the "Gig Economy"
Washington, DC - In remarks delivered today at New America's annual conference, Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke about the challenges facing workers in the "gig economy," and identified several key steps that should be taken to better protect workers as our economy changes in the 21st century. "Massive technological change is a gift - a byproduct of human ingenuity that creates extraordinary opportunities to improve the lives of billions," Senator Warren said. "But history shows that to harness … Continue Reading
May 16, 2016
Senator Warren Urges IRS to Select Balanced Representation for Electronic Tax Advisory Committee
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter urging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to select consumer advocates, as well other members representing the needs of low-income, elderly, disabled, and non-English speaking taxpayers, to serve on its Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). The ETAAC, which was established to "provide an organized public forum...in support of the overriding goal that paperless filing should be the … Continue Reading
May 16, 2016
Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Urges FHFA to Delay New Policy on “Super Lien” Laws Affecting Homeowners in Community Associations
Washington DC - The Massachusetts congressional delegation wrote to urge Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Melvin Watt to delay implementation of the agency's new policy on state super lien laws until the agency has obtained and considered public comments on the issue. Massachusetts, 21 other states, and the District of Columbia have "super lien" laws giving community association liens priority over first mortgage liens. This allows community associations to foreclose on a … Continue Reading
May 12, 2016
Senator Warren, Congressman Conyers, 100+ Members of Congress Call for Diverse Federal Reserve
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.) Thursday released a letter signed by 116 members of the House of Representatives and 11 senators urging the Federal Reserve to reform its governance by committing to more diverse leadership and prioritizing full employment for all communities. Addressed to Fed Chair Janet Yellen, the letter calls attention to the lack of diversity across the Federal Reserve system. White men from the … Continue Reading
May 11, 2016
Warren and Cotton Raise Bipartisan Concerns About Financial Adviser Misconduct, Ask FINRA to Protect Investors
Text of the letter available here Washington, DC - In a bipartisan letter sent to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked about steps the independent regulator is taking to address misconduct among financial advisers and to protect investors. The letter comes after a recent study found high rates of misconduct among advisers under FINRA's supervision, and revealed ineffective sanctions for this … Continue Reading
May 11, 2016
Warren: Navient Should Fix Abysmal Student Loan Servicing, Not Spend Millions on Lobbying for Sweetheart Deals
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) Office of Federal Student Aid to raise concerns about the recent dramatic increase in lobbying expenditures by student loan servicer Navient. Navient's significant lobbying expenditures - which total almost $24 million since 2010 - come while the servicer has faced a number of federal and state investigations into problems with its servicing practices. Warren raised particular concerns … Continue Reading
May 03, 2016
Senators Urge Education Department to Fully Enforce Key Funding Accountability Provision in "Every Student Succeeds Act"
A PDF copy of the letter is available here Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), along with seven other senators, urged the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use the authority that it was given by Congress to fully enforce the "supplement, not supplant" provision in the recently-passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This provision helps ensure the law meets it goal of protecting the civil rights and educational opportunity for all … Continue Reading
May 02, 2016
President Signs POW/MIA Remembrance Act into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Friday, President Barack Obama signed the National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2015 into law. Congressman Lynch introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives, and United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the bipartisan Senate companion bill. The legislation honors American service members who are Prisoners of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA) by placing a commemorative chair on the grounds of the U.S. … Continue Reading
May 02, 2016
Senator Warren Releases Report Highlighting Benefits of New Overtime Rule for Workers and Families
A PDF copy of the report is available here Washington, DC - Today, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a report highlighting public comments from workers and their families in all 50 states in support of the proposed new federal overtime rule. This rule would benefit more than 13.5 million workers by making them newly eligible for overtime pay or strengthening their protections against being misclassified by employers. In a letter sent to the Office of Management and … Continue Reading
April 21, 2016
Senator Warren's Statement on Kinder Morgan's Decision to Suspend Work on the Proposed Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren released the following statement on Kinder Morgan's announcement that it will suspend its plans for the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline: "Across Massachusetts, residents raised significant concerns about the impact of the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline on homes, businesses, and our environment. This announcement confirms what our citizens have been saying since the beginning - this project simply isn't necessary to meet our … Continue Reading
April 21, 2016
Senator Warren Raises Concerns About SEC Decision to Approve Money Manager Application for Firm Owned by Steven Cohen
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today wrote to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White to raise serious concerns about the agency's decision to approve the application of Stamford Harbor Capital, L.P., a firm that is indirectly-owned by Steven A. Cohen, to register as a money manager for outside clients. Cohen is the former manager of SAC Capital Advisors, and in January was barred by the SEC from "supervising funds that manage outside money until … Continue Reading
April 19, 2016
On Massachusetts Tax Day, Support Grows for Warren's Bill to Simplify Tax Filing
Text of the letter available here Washington, DC - As the tax deadline for Massachusetts residents hits today, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that her Tax Filing Simplification Act has received the support of 54 tax experts from across the country. This legislation, which was introduced by Senator Warren and eight other senators last week, would simplify the tax filing process and decrease the costs of filing for millions of Americans. The bill was released in conjunction with a Warren … Continue Reading
April 18, 2016
Senator Warren’s Statement on FHFA’s Principal Reduction Announcement
Washington, DC- United States Senator Elizabeth Warren issued the following statement today about the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA's) recent announcement that principal reductions will be made available for certain homeowners: "While this program will help a small number of underwater homeowners, last week's announcement was a bitter pill to swallow for the millions of homeowners who could have benefitted from a much broader program years ago. As part of the 2008 bill authorizing … Continue Reading
April 15, 2016
Senate Passes POW/MIA Remembrance Act
WASHINGTON,DC - Yesterday, the United States Senate unanimously passed H.R. 1670, the National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2015, legislation introduced by Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston). United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the bipartisan Senate companion bill. The legislation honors American service members who are Prisoners of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA) by placing a commemorative chair on the grounds of the U.S. … Continue Reading
April 13, 2016
Statement from Senator Warren on Rejection of Banks' "Living Wills" by Fed and FDIC
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren released the following statement today: "Eight years ago, Too Big to Fail banks sparked a financial meltdown, then sucked up hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts. Today, after an extensive, multi-year review process, federal regulators concluded that five of the country's biggest banks are still - literally - Too Big to Fail. They officially determined that five US banks are large enough that any one of them could crash … Continue Reading
