News Coverage
Senators Warn DOGE’s Social Security Administration Work Could Break Benefits
Democratic senators have concerns that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could break the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) tech infrastructure. In a new letter addressed to SSA commissioner Frank Bisignano, senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden say that DOGE’s plans to “hastily upgrade” SSA IT systems could disrupt the delivery of benefits or result in mass data losses. The warning comes after WIRED reported in March that DOGE officials were planning to … Continue Reading
June 10, 2025
Business Insider: Millions of student-loan borrowers are getting a 'financial scarlet letter' that could risk their home purchases and job prospects, Elizabeth Warren says
Millions of student-loan borrowers could be facing a financial strain that will hinder their abilities to buy a house or get a new job, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. Ahead of a Tuesday meeting with Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's education secretary, Warren published a blog post — first viewed by Business Insider — detailing her concerns with the Trump administration's move to restart collections on defaulted borrowers' student loans. After Trump announced on May 5 that consequences … Continue Reading
June 10, 2025
ABC News: Senate Democrats file bill to prevent ban on transgender military service
Democratic lawmakers will submit a bill in the Senate on Tuesday that would reverse the Pentagon's new ban on transgender military service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria who now face being forced out if they had not previously self-identified as transgender. The "Fit to Serve Act" would prohibit the Defense Department from banning transgender service members from serving in the military. If passed, the law would prevent the DOD from denying access to healthcare on the basis of gender … Continue Reading
June 10, 2025
The Guardian: Senators call on company to reveal how it will profit from Trump Medicaid cuts
Two Democratic senators are demanding to know how a company that administers government benefits could profit from Republican-led cuts to Medicaid, the public health insurance program for people who are low-income, elderly and disabled. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden sent the letter to Maximus, Inc on Monday. The company is the largest private contractor to states who seek to outsource their administration of government assistance, including health insurance and food aid. “Maximus’s … Continue Reading
June 09, 2025
ABC News: Warren urges Department of Education IG to investigate DOGE access to student loan data
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is requesting the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General review the Department of Government Efficiency's alleged "infiltration" of the agency's internal federal student loan database. "The full extent of DOGE's role and influence at ED remains unknown," Warren wrote in a letter first obtained by ABC News. "This lack of clarity is not only frustrating for borrowers but also dangerous for the future of an agency that handles an extensive student … Continue Reading
June 07, 2025
CBS News: Sen. Warren asks for contingency plans on national security after Trump and Musk's social media fall out
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio for information on the Trump administration's contingency plans if billionaire Elon Musk breaches his companies' current contracts with the U.S. amid the ongoing public fall out between him and President Trump. In a letter to Rubio as acting national security adviser and obtained by CBS News, Warren said Mr. Trump and Musk's public disagreements about the upcoming reconciliation bill that escalated into a public online spat could … Continue Reading
June 06, 2025
The Hill: Warren, Wyden warn Trump policies could ‘decimate retirees’ savings’
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) are pressing the Trump administration over the impact the president’s sweeping trade policies will have on the finances of retirees and people close to retirement. “The economic chaos triggered by President Trump’s disastrous tariff policy has the potential to decimate retirees’ savings,” they wrote in a letter to the White House on Friday that was obtained by The Hill. “Simultaneously, the Trump Administration has taken a … Continue Reading
June 04, 2025
Reuters: US senators press antitrust enforcers over Rocket-Redfin deal
A group of U.S. Senators have demanded that federal antitrust enforcers explain why they did not seek to block Rocket Companies' (RKT.N), opens new tab $1.75 billion acquisition of real estate listing platform Redfin (RDFN.O), opens new tab, saying the deal could raise costs for homebuyers. U.S. senators including Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, the top Democrats on the Senate banking and antitrust committees, wrote to the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday … Continue Reading
June 04, 2025
Boston Globe: Warren to meet with Linda McMahon, who she criticized for giving Trump ‘a blank check to destroy American public education’
Senator Elizabeth Warren will meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon Tuesday, June 10, according to a letter obtained the Globe. This comes after Warren invited McMahon to a public forum on higher education affordability in May — an invitation McMahon rejected in favor of a one-on-one meeting with the senator. Warren’s letter, dated June 3, refutes a number of claims McMahon had previously asserted in her own letter about the merits of the Trump administration’s higher education … Continue Reading
June 03, 2025
Rolling Stone: Elon Musk's Reign of Corruption Chronicled in Elizabeth Warren Report
A new report by Sen. Elizabeth Warren itemizes 130 dodgy dealings by the man who calls himself the “Dogefather” As Elon Musk departs the Trump White House — at least officially — a new Senate report examines how the world’s richest man leveraged his access to the levers of federal power to boost his myriad personal businesses including his electric vehicle company Tesla, aerospace contractor SpaceX, social media platform X, and brain chip firm Neuralink. Musk is leaving his post as a … Continue Reading
May 30, 2025
The Verge: Senators probe whether RealPage pushed state AI law ban
Democratic senators are probing whether RealPage, a software company accused of colluding with landlords to raise rents, lobbied for a proposed ban on states regulating AI for the next decade. In a letter to RealPage CEO Dana Jones, four Democratic senators — Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tina Smith (D-MN) — ask for more information about the company’s “potential involvement” in a provision attached to Republicans’ budget … Continue Reading
May 29, 2025
The Guardian: Doge employees hold stock in firms set to benefit from cuts, Democrats allege
Employees of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) own lucrative stock in companies that stand to directly benefit from their work gutting federal agencies, Democratic senators have alleged. The potential ethics violations merit an investigation by the justice department and other oversight bodies, urges a letter co-authored by senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Jack Reed of Rhode Island and obtained by the Guardian. “We write regarding new … Continue Reading
May 29, 2025
Boston Globe: Led by Senator Warren, Mass. lawmakers demand answers about Trump’s ongoing attack on international students
Senator Elizabeth Warren led a delegation of Massachusetts lawmakers in demanding answers from the Trump administration about its revocation of international students’ visas, what they called the latest in a string of hostile actions aimed at students from abroad, according to a copy of a letter sent Wednesday. “This trend has been particularly damaging for Massachusetts, which is home to one of largest concentrations of higher education institutions and hosts over 80,000 international … Continue Reading
May 28, 2025
Reuters: Democrat Warren raises concern that US tariff deals will favor Big Tech over workers
Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday expressed concern the Trump administration's tariff negotiations would favor big technology firms at the expense of consumers and workers. In a letter, to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Warren said Big Tech has long sought to use trade negotiations to "undermine pro-consumer, pro-competition policies." She asked for details on the officials' interactions … Continue Reading
May 28, 2025
Reuters: US senator calls for AI competition in Pentagon contracting
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren urged the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure competitive AI contracting, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday, as tech billionaire Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok gains ground in the federal government. Warren's letter comes on the heels of Reuters reporting last week that Musk's DOGE team is expanding the use of Grok to analyze data, potentially violating conflict-of-interest laws and putting at risk sensitive information … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
Military Times: Warren presses Hegseth about fluoridation’s impact on readiness
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has sent a letter pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers about how potentially ending fluoride use in drinking water, as recently championed by the Trump administration's health care chief, could undermine military readiness. Warren's Thursday letter comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoride be added to drinking water in … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
HuffPost: Elizabeth Warren Probes Staffing Shortage And Backlog At Social Security
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants details about the Social Security Administration’s pending retirement claims and how many staff are left to sort through the growing backlog. In a letter to Social Security commissioner Frank Bisignano, Warren noted a recent report that claims processing has slowed 25% as a result of misguided efforts by President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” to root out fraud. “Instead of acknowledging the need for additional staffing, SSA … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
Elizabeth Warren Probes Staffing Shortage And Backlog At Social Security
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants details about the Social Security Administration’s pending retirement claims and how many staff are left to sort through the growing backlog. In a letter to Social Security commissioner Frank Bisignano, Warren noted a recent report that claims processing has slowed 25% as a result of misguided efforts by President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” to root out fraud. “Instead of acknowledging the need for additional staffing, SSA … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Boston Globe: Massachusetts leads the nation in lost NSF research funding
Massachusetts has lost more National Science Foundation money for science, math, and engineering research than any other state in the country, a Globe analysis of terminated grants found. Since the start of the Trump administration, the NSF cut 251 grants to Massachusetts institutions worth $249 million, federal data showed. That accounts for a lion’s share of the $265.4 million in NSF grants lost at 40 institutions across New England. The cuts could mean lost jobs and hundreds of research … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Native News Online: Remove the Stain Act of 2025 Reintroduced: Confronting a Shameful Chapter in American History
The Remove the Stain Act of 2025 will be reintroduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI), on Thursday, according to Sen. Warren’s Senate office. The Remove the Stain Act is a historic effort to address a long-standing injustice stemming from one of the darkest moments in U.S. military history—the Wounded Knee Massacre. This legislation aims to rescind twenty Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers for their role in the … Continue Reading