News Coverage
WBUR: Mass. Delegation Seeks Two-Month Extension of Meals Waiver
Ninety-five school districts and community organizations in Massachusetts will need to close sites providing free meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture extends a waiver set to expire on June 30, according to members of the state's Congressional delegation."We urge you to swiftly extend the area eligibility program waivers for Massachusetts and other states through August 31, 2020, to ensure continuity of meals throughout the summer," the … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
MassLive: Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren introduce bill to offer refunds for canceled airline travel
A new bill introduced in the Senate would mandate airlines offer full cash refunds for canceled tickets instead of future travel credits.The bill, titled Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act of 2020, was introduced Wednesday by both of Massachusetts senators, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, as well as Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and California Sen. Kamala Harris.If passed, the bill would mandate all airlines operating in the United States - including … Continue Reading
May 12, 2020
WBUR: Pressed By Warren, Fauci Says Coronavirus Is Not Contained
Answering questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the coronavirus has not yet been contained, and that without robust federal mitigation measures in place by the fall, the country could see a resurgence that leads to “more infections and more deaths.”“Do we have the coronavirus contained?” Warren asked Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during Tuesday’s hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions … Continue Reading
May 08, 2020
CNN Business: Elizabeth Warren, other Massachusetts Democrats probe Walmart on store with more than 80 coronavirus cases
Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation are pressing Walmart on its handling of a store in the state where 81 workers tested positive for the coronavirus and another location where an employee died."We are writing to express serious concern about your company's failure to keep Walmart employees in Massachusetts safe amidst the coronavirus," 11 House and Senate Democrats wrote to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon Thursday in a letter obtained by … Continue Reading
May 08, 2020
WGBH: Warren, Pressley Push For More Community Health Center Funding
More than 100 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to the top leaders of the House and Senate Thursday urging they support additional funding for the nation’s community health centers.The 139 senators and representatives, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, both of Massachusetts, along with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, requested an immediate infusion of $7.6 billion in emergency funding and $77.3 billion to secure the long-term finances of community health … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Newsweek: Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker Join Forces on Bill to Ban Most Factory Farming by 2040
Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Thursday that she would be co-sponsoring Sen. Cory Booker's bill to phase out large-scale factory farming by 2040. The Farm System Reform Act would prohibit new large factory farms from going into business and force others to cease expansions before halting operations entirely within two decades. Warren's support for the law comes after multiple reports of unsafe conditions in the meatpacking industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Ro Khanna is also … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Bloomberg Green: Warren Blasts ‘Bailout’ for Oil Companies as Trump Eyes Aid
The Trump administration shouldn't create a special relief program to bolster oil and gas producers while ignoring companies with "legitimate needs" that have been harmed by the coronavirus, Senator Elizabeth Warren argued Thursday. Oil companies "do not deserve special access to taxpayer-financed bailout funds at a time when millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Warren, a progressive who … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
The Verge: Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders demand Amazon explain whistleblower firings
Nine Democratic senators are calling on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to provide information on the firing of workers who called for greater protections from COVID-19. In a letter, the senators cite four workers who were fired after raising concerns about safety conditions at the company's warehouses. Amazon has disputed that the firings were retaliatory, citing other policy violations. "Given the clear public history of these four workers' advocacy on behalf of health and safety conditions for … Continue Reading
May 05, 2020
The Boston Herald: Markey, Warren seek veterans’ home probe as more coronavirus outbreaks emerge at nursing homes
U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren are calling for an investigation into the federal Department of Veterans Affairs' oversight of veterans homes as coronavirus ravages long-term care centers. Soldiers' homes in Holyoke and Chelsea emerged early on as centers of deadly COVID-19 outbreaks in Massachusetts. Eighty-four veterans have died at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home since March, and 80 residents and 81 employees have tested positive. Twenty-eight veterans who tested positive for … Continue Reading
April 30, 2020
Vox: Exclusive: Elizabeth Warren and Jan Schakowsky have a plan to end mask and medicine shortages amid the Covid-19 crisis
Under a new bill from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a new federal agency would take responsibility for eliminating protective gear shortages and other supply scarcities critical to the coronavirus response. The legislation, to be released on Thursday and shared first with Vox, seeks to remedy the critical supply shortages reported in some Covid-19 hot spots. It also serves as a counter to President Donald Trump's reluctance to exploit the full power of the … Continue Reading
April 30, 2020
The Boston Globe: Warren, Markey demand data from assisted-living operators on coronavirus impact
Amid growing alarm over the spread of COVID-19 at senior care sites, US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts are demanding information from assisted-living operators about coronavirus infections and deaths at their facilities and the steps they are taking to fight the pandemic. The push for scrutiny of a sector not currently regulated by the federal government is also coming from a key House Democrat, Carolyn Maloney of New York, who chairs the House Committee on … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Forbes: Warren Urges SEC To Demand Companies Disclose Their Exposure To ‘Climate Risk’
Largely throughout Elizabeth Warren’s run to become the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, she had serious concerns about how climate change would impact our economy. As we see in a letter made public just yesterday, that concern hasn’t gone away.In her letter, addressed to the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Warren touches on one key point: climate change joins the suite of risks that companies have and making disclosures as to whether a company … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
The Boston Globe: Elizabeth Warren and 30 other senators call for a $50 billion bailout for child care providers struggling because of coronavirus
Senator Elizabeth Warren and 30 of her Senate colleagues are calling for the next coronavirus rescue bill to include a $50 billion bailout for struggling child care operations whose services are seen as key to restarting the economy as the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.In a letter Wednesday, the lawmakers called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to create a relief fund specifically for child care providers, many of which have been closed … Continue Reading
April 28, 2020
NBC News: Warren, Ocasio-Cortez propose halt to big mergers during coronavirus pandemic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are teaming up on a proposal to halt mergers and acquisitions for large companies during the coronavirus pandemic, elevating a progressive cause as Democrats and apparent nominee Joe Biden craft the party's platform ahead of the 2020 election.The “Pandemic Anti-Monopoly Act” would impose a moratorium on mergers and acquisitions involving large companies until the Federal Trade Commission “determines that small … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
POLITICO: Schumer, Warren demand investigations of small business loans
Sens. Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats are calling on government watchdogs to investigate the $670 billion small business rescue program that Congress replenished with funding this week, amid concerns that large companies got too much of the money. Senate and House Democrats sent requests to the inspectors general of the Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department asking them to investigate how banks implemented the Paycheck Protection Program and whether … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
The Boston Globe: Warren calls for investigation of small business loan program, saying banks were ‘playing favorites’
Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez are calling on inspectors general to launch an investigation into whether banks issuing federal loans for small businesses were “playing favorites” by giving preferential treatment to bigger customers.The Democrats, in a letter sent Thursday to Small Business Administration Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware and General Richard Delmar, the Treasury Department’s acting inspector general, called on the watchdogs to review … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
The Hill: Warren, Levin roll out plan for coronavirus 'containment corps'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) introduced a plan on Thursday to create a "containment corps" that would carry out a national coronavirus contact tracing program. The Democratic proposal would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a plan within 30 days to "hire, deploy and train" individuals who would be responsible for investigating cases of the coronavirus and performing contact tracing. "In order to keep our communities … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Vox: Exclusive: Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown’s plan to protect consumers from financial ruin
The $1,200 stimulus checks from the government have quite a loophole. Banks and loan sharks can seize the money before it lands in your account — a wrinkle that favors debt collectors over the vulnerable people the checks are supposed to help. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are calling for Congress to put a stop to it in the next coronavirus package out of Capitol Hill. The plan is part of a broad set of proposals, shared exclusively with Vox, that the pair of senators … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
MassLive: It is time to pause all debt payments and cancel student loan debt amid coronavirus outbreak, Elizabeth Warren says
As lawmakers hammer out a fourth COVID-19 relief package, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown on Tuesday proposed a host of measures, including pausing all debt payments, to provide quick relief to American consumers grappling with a pandemic that's cost millions their jobs and made it tougher to pay bills. While the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided stimulus checks of at least $1,200 to most American adults, Warren of Massachusetts and … Continue Reading
April 15, 2020
Vox: Exclusive: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith have a plan to fix the pandemic child care crisis
Child care workers in America are in an untenable position right now. Some are on the front lines of the coronavirus response, caring for children of essential workers while often lacking health insurance themselves. Others are unable to make ends meet as families keep their kids at home and day care centers shutter. Meanwhile, parents are left wondering whether their children's care providers will even be in business when the pandemic is over, making child care possibly harder to find and … Continue Reading