News Coverage
Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Warren Takes Aim at Firms That Pulled the Plug on Toys ‘R’ Us
The decision by five investment companies to pull the plug on a Toys “R” Us reorganization earlier this year is coming under fire from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. In an Oct. 16 letter to the companies, Ms. Warren (D., Mass.) asked why the investment firms had pressed to liquidate the retailer amid viable options to reorganize it and she urged them to contribute to a fund benefiting laid-off employees. The letter went to executives at Solus Alternative Asset Management, Angelo … Continue Reading
October 04, 2018
Kaiser Health News: Congress Targets Misuse of Hospice Drugs
Hospice workers would be allowed to destroy patients’ unneeded opioids, reducing the risk that families misuse them, according to one little-noticed provision in the bipartisan opioids bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for his likely signature.The bill would empower hospice staff to destroy opioid medications that are expired, no longer needed by the patient because of a change in treatment or left over after the patient dies.A spokesperson for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, … Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
HousingWire: Warren unveils sweeping legislation to address affordable housing crisis
Affordability concerns continue to plague homeowners and renters across the country, forcing organizations and legislators to seek a solution.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., recently introduced a proposal that could potentially ease America’s ongoing affordable housing crisis.The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, which Warren introduced at the end of September, aims to provide $470 billion for affordable housing trust funds and expand the variety of financial institutions subject to … Continue Reading
September 28, 2018
Fast Company: Elizabeth Warren has a plan to help end the housing crisis
America’s housing crisis reaches across income levels and geography, but the further one goes down the socioeconomic ladder, the more dire it becomes: Currently, the U.S. is short 7.2 million homes for the 11 million residents living on very low incomes. The affordable rental market is so constrained that 71% of low-income families spend over half their income on rent. Absent any meaningful federal investment in affordable housing in the last few decades, local governments, nonprofits, and in … Continue Reading
September 27, 2018
Glamour: Elizabeth Warren Has a Powerful Message for Sexual Assault Survivors Watching the Kavanaugh Hearing
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Thursday spoke with Glamour exclusively about the historic Senate hearing involving Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the Republican push to move forward with his confirmation, calling it "fundamentally wrong." At the Hart Senate Office building, where Kavanaugh's accuser Christine Blasey Ford was also testifying, Warren stood alongside Ford's supporters, telling Glamour that she was "here with people of conscience who believe that when a woman … Continue Reading
September 26, 2018
Reveal: Sen. Warren’s new bill is designed to combat modern-day redlining
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday unveiled a bill that one racial justice advocate said would be the first law since 1968 “to redress a century of housing discrimination.” The Massachusetts Democrat, who helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has railed against modern-day redlining since a February expose by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Reveal found 61 cities where people of color were more likely to be denied a home mortgage than their white … Continue Reading
September 25, 2018
MarketWatch: Elizabeth Warren proposes legislation for affordable housing crisis
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday introduced legislation to address the affordable housing gap. The bill, called the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, would direct about $500 billion, primarily to build and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income Americans. It would also create incentives for local governments to eliminate land use restrictions that drive up costs. It would also steer down payment assistance monies to communities historically denied … Continue Reading
September 25, 2018
American Banker: Warren wades into CRA overhaul with revamp plan of her own
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Tuesday threw a new twist into efforts to reform the Community Reinvestment Act.Just as the federal bank regulators try to modernize their CRA policy through reforms authorized under the current law, Warren released a bill that would apply CRA requirements to a broader array of institutions — including credit unions — and make penalties tougher for any violations."Obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act ... to provide credit to lower-income and … Continue Reading
September 25, 2018
The Atlantic: Elizabeth Warren’s Ambitious Fix for America’s Housing Crisis
Ten years ago, the subprime-mortgage crisis stripped millions of Americans of their homes. Many haven’t gotten those homes back and now face skyrocketing rents. Ask an economist, or any recent graduate trying to afford rent, and they’ll tell you: America is still in a housing crisis. On Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill tackling the issue head on, trying to lower the cost of homes in neighborhoods with greater economic opportunity.The legislation, titled the American Housing … Continue Reading
September 21, 2018
Government Executive: Democratic Senator Questions Mulvaney’s Hatch Act Compliance
The acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made waves this summer with his warnings that Republicans face a tough mid-term election climate. Now Mick Mulvaney, the former Tea Party-aligned House member whose main job is White House budget director, has been hit with questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on whether he has complied with the Hatch Act. The law bans federal officials from engaging in partisan political activity on the job. In a Sept. 19 letter … Continue Reading
September 21, 2018
7News: Lawmakers speak out about the Merrimack Valley gas disaster
Lawmakers are speaking out about the Merrimack Valley gas disaster and what they feel needs to be done moving forward. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren says she is frustrated with Columbia Gas after she and Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera met with people impacted by the gas explosions on Friday.Warren also met with senior officials Thursday night and said she feels they did not answer her questions about what went wrong last Thursday.Read the full story on the WHDH website … Continue Reading
September 21, 2018
Eagle-Tribune: Sen. Warren says she, Markey are putting pressure on gas companies to restore service
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday that the Columbia Gas Co. "owes an explanation to everyone" about why its over-pressurized lines caused numerous explosions and fires in the area last week. Warren, who visited the Beacon Courts housing project in South Lawrence, said she and her Bay State colleague, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, are putting pressure on the federal government to find out "exactly what the problem is" and to make sure there is no risk of a similar incident happening.They are … Continue Reading
September 19, 2018
Sputnik: Over 130 US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Admit Hurricane Maria Death Toll, Apologize
More than 130 US lawmakers are calling on President Donald Trump to acknowledge the official death toll from Hurricane Maria and apologize for his recent comments about the fatalities, a letter to Trump said. "We write to denounce your recent statements about the fatalities in Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Irma and Maria and their aftermath. These comments were grossly inaccurate, callous, embarrassing and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States. We call on you … Continue Reading
September 19, 2018
Indianz: Bipartisan bill includes Indian Country in suicide prevention efforts
A simple change in federal law will help tribes address suicide in their communities, according to a bipartisan group of lawmakers. States already receive federal funds to develop and implement prevention programs. The Native American Suicide Prevention Act will ensure that Indian Country is included in those efforts, lawmakers said as the Senate version of the bill was introduced on Tuesday."Any conversation on suicide prevention must begin at the grassroots, and tribal communities must be … Continue Reading
September 19, 2018
The Hill: Warren suggests Mulvaney broke law by speaking to GOP donors
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday said that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney might have broken the federal Hatch Act by meeting with Republican donors and campaign officials earlier this month. "Your appearance at this private event with Republican donors and campaign officials raises questions about your compliance with the Hatch Act and other federal laws, your judgment, and your management of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Consumer Financial … Continue Reading
September 19, 2018
American Banker: CFPB chief's meeting with GOP donors may be illegal, Warren says
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has raised ethical questions about a recent private meeting where acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney reportedly discussed the midterm elections with Republican donors and party officials. Warren said Mulvaney's appearance at the closed-door event in New York City on Sept. 8 could violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive-branch officials — with some exceptions — from engaging in certain forms of political activity.At the … Continue Reading
September 19, 2018
Politico: Warren slams Mulvaney for donor meeting
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) suggested Wednesday that Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, may have violated federal law by speaking to a group of donors, in the latest of a series of stinging letters to the Trump administration official. Warren questioned whether Mulvaney, who is also White House budget director, violated the Hatch Act in appearing at a “closed-door event in New York City” this month with Republican Party officials and contributors, … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
USA Today: Senators: Natural gas pressure was 12 times normal level before Massachusetts explosions
The pressure in the natural gas pipelines under three Massachusetts communities spiked to 12 times their normal level last week, just before the explosions and fires that destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man, according to Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.The Massachusetts Democrats were briefed on the explosions in and around Lawrence by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating.Markey and Warren are demanding answers from Columbia Gas and its … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
The Hill: Warren joins Sanders in support of striking McDonald's workers
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday voiced her support for McDonald's workers who are on strike to protest the fast food chain's response to sexual harassment in the workplace. "I stand with @McDonalds workers who are striking today to protest sexual harassment on the job, and retaliation for reporting it," Warren tweeted."Low-wage workers are especially vulnerable to workplace discrimination and sexual harassment," she added. "It’s wrong, and it has to stop."Read the full article on … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
TIME: Elizabeth Warren's New Argument: Corruption Drives Inequality
President Donald Trump pledged to “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C., but his Administration has been beset by ethics scandals both big and small. Now, one of his potential opponents in 2020 has put together a detailed legislative proposal to tackle a wide range of issues involving lobbying and self-dealing in Washington, some of which seem aimed directly at Trump’s indiscretions.Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act would institute a lifetime ban on lobbying for … Continue Reading