News Coverage
Washington Post: Elizabeth Warren takes on Wall Street’s role in our surging medical bills
When we think about private equity, we often think about companies like Toys R Us: purchased with borrowed money, loaded up with debt that ultimately all but destroys the firm. The investors make out, the employees and consumers lose out. But there’s another model too: Buy into a business where you can suck money out of consumers.That describes the health-care business. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has something to say about that.The Post can exclusively reveal that earlier this week, … Continue Reading
October 18, 2019
Boston Globe: Mass. lawmakers call for US crackdown on ransomware attacks
Congressional representatives from Massachusetts are calling for a federal crackdown on ransomware, a form of malware that hackers have used to cripple state and local agencies — sometimes for weeks — by locking their computer systems and demanding payment to release them.In a letter released Friday, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, along with eight of the state’s representatives, asked Homeland Security for more help with a problem that has affected communities across the … Continue Reading
October 17, 2019
Out: Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin Demand Trump Protect Trans Migrants
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin are calling on the Trump administration to protect transgender asylum seekers.In a Thursday letter, Warren and Baldwin call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “immediately reverse policies” that harm transgender migrants seeking refuge in the United States “and take swift action to protect [their] health and safety.” “While in detention, transgender migrants and asylum seekers are … Continue Reading
October 16, 2019
The New York Times: How Unpredictable Work Hours Turn Families Upside Down
Unpredictable schedules can be brutal for hourly workers, upending their lives. New research shows that African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities — particularly women — are much more likely to be assigned irregular schedules, and that the harmful repercussions are felt not just by the workers but also their families.The findings come from continuing surveys of 30,000 hourly workers by the Shift Project at the University of California. The researchers compared workers who earned the … Continue Reading
September 18, 2019
Wall Street Journal: Warren Probes Apollo and KKR on Backing For-Profit Colleges
Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from private-equity firms about their investments in for-profit colleges, the latest push by a high-profile Washington lawmaker to investigate how buyout firms affect the public.The Democratic senator from Massachusetts, joined by Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.), wrote to six private-equity firms—including Apollo Global Management Inc. and KKR & Co.—asking for financial information and other details about their investments in for-profit colleges, the … Continue Reading
September 16, 2019
Boston Globe: Chinese tariffs are taking a toll on Mass. lobster businesses, and lawmakers are speaking up
Federal lawmakers from Massachusetts are urging the US trade representative to “explore new markets for American lobster exports” following a year-plus of heavy Chinese tariffs on the imported crustacean.In a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the lawmakers said, “US lobster exports to China are down more than 80 percent since June 2018, which is reflected in the losses reported by local Massachusetts lobster companies.” Here’s a look at the issue.What’s the impact on … Continue Reading
September 13, 2019
Curbed: Sen. Warren has a plan for military housing
A striking report released by the Army Inspector General this week found that housing for members of the U.S. military run by private companies is substandard and poorly maintained, and in many cases, provides the companies with long-term profits.At a time when the federal government is redirecting funds appropriated for schools and other infrastructure improvements on military bases to pay for the border wall, the report underscores continued difficulty to provide quality housing and living … Continue Reading
September 08, 2019
WesternMass News: State senators urge federal officials for more research on EEE virus
Now with the threat of EEE in the Bay State rising, state senators are speaking up to bring change.Senators Markey and Warren are pressing health officials for additional research on EEE, a deadly disease that is still surrounded by questions.The total number of human cases of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Massachusetts has risen to 7 after officials confirmed two new human cases of EEE with the latest being a 5-year-old girl from Sudsbury, who had just started kindergarten.Read the full … Continue Reading
September 03, 2019
New England Public Radio: After Public Outcry, Feds Agree To Reopen Certain Medical Deferral Requests
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now says it will reopen certain medical deferred action cases, including for a number of Boston-area immigrants who previously received denial letters.The announcement comes after a tumultuous week in which federal agencies contradicted one another and severely ill patients feared a total end to the humanitarian process that allows immigrants to remain longer in the U.S. while they receive medical treatment.WBUR first reported the apparent end … Continue Reading
August 30, 2019
WBUR News: ICE Confirms The End Of Medical Deferrals; Mass. Delegation Urges Trump To Reconsider
After a week of confusion around a long-standing medical deferment program for immigrants with serious illnesses, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday made things clear: the program no longer exists.ICE spokesperson Shawn Neudauer told WBUR in a statement that "ICE does not exercise discretion on a categorical basis to exempt entire groups of aliens from the immigration laws enacted by Congress."Though ICE does have a process by which individuals can apply for a temporary … Continue Reading
August 28, 2019
Boston Globe: Warren, Markey, Pressley letter demands answers on asylum delays in Boston
Three members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation are questioning the Trump administration’s decision to divert immigration officers from Northeast offices to assist with processing asylum cases at the southern border, leaving behind a backlog of 40,000 New England cases.In a letter to acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Ken Cuccinelli, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Senator Edward J. Markey, and Representative Ayanna Pressley called the move an “unfair and unjustified … Continue Reading
August 26, 2019
Rolling Stone: Elizabeth Warren: Trump’s Student-Loan Watchdog Pick Is ‘Revolving Door Corruption’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) blasted the chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for appointing a high-ranking official from a scandal-plagued loan servicer to be the Bureau’s new student-loan watchdog.On Monday, Warren’s office released three fiery letters the senator had sent to Trump-nominated CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Robert Cameron, the man picked to serve as the CFPB’s new student-loan ombudsman. The ombudsman position was created to … Continue Reading
August 15, 2019
Bloomberg: Elizabeth Warren Presses Tom Barrack Over Deals With Saudis
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding Donald Trump ally Tom Barrack explain how he won business with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after working closely with the president and his administration.In a letter to Barrack, the lawmaker highlighted deals the financier’s Colony Capital Inc. arranged after he met with Saudi officials including Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman while serving as head of Trump’s inaugural committee and as an adviser to the presidential transition team. The … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
HuffPost: Elizabeth Warren Introduces Bill To Cancel $640 Billion In Student Loan Debt
The Massachusetts senator and the House majority whip, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), introduced the Student Loan Debt Relief Act on Tuesday. The bill would eliminate student debt entirely for 75% of borrowers and partially for another 20% of borrowers. “[Student loan] debt not only affects the people who try to carry it ? it affects our entire economy,” Warren said at a press conference. “Finding a way to cancel a big chunk of that student loan debt means freeing up young people to do more.” … Continue Reading
July 18, 2019
CNBC: Elizabeth Warren attacks the private equity industry with new regulation proposals
The Massachusetts senator, in tandem with colleagues on Capitol Hill, introduced what she calls the “Stop Wall Street Looting Act.” It stands no chance of enactment so long as Republicans control the White House and Senate, but it matters because Warren has risen to the top tier of 2020 Democratic contenders. Warren framed her proposal as an effort to shrink the amount of money wasted on 21st century financial engineering and redirect it to improve the living standards of average American … Continue Reading
February 20, 2019
GQ: Elizabeth Warren's Universal Child Care Program Will Save American Families Thousands of Dollars
Elizabeth Warren made it clear [that she wants] to be a populist crusader who doubled as a check on the power of corporations and the super-rich. She proposed a "wealth tax," a 2 percent tax on families with assets over $50 million and 3 percent on those with assets over $1 billion. It would generate an estimated $2.75 trillion over the next ten years, and now we know what Warren wants to do with that money: fund a national child-care program. Earlier this year, a New York Times poll found … Continue Reading
February 19, 2019
New York Times: Elizabeth Warren Proposes Universal Child Care
Elizabeth Warren's plan, the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act, would create a network of government-funded care centers based partly on the existing Head Start network, with employees paid comparably to public-school teachers. Families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level would be able to send their children to these centers for free. Families earning more than that would be charged on a sliding scale, up to a maximum of 7 percent of their income. The plan … Continue Reading
February 19, 2019
WaPo: Elizabeth Warren proposes universal child care, paid for by tax on ultra-millionaires
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a plan Tuesday for creating a "universal child care" system in the United States paid for by a tax on the very wealthy. The plan proposed by Warren would ensure that every American would be able to enroll children up to 5 years old in a child-care program while paying no more than 7 percent of their income in fees. Families below a certain income level - $50,000 a year in today's dollars, for a family of four - could use the facilities free of charge, … Continue Reading
February 19, 2019
Vox: Elizabeth Warren's Ambitious Plan to Fight the Opioid Epidemic, Explained
Elizabeth Warren is widely known for her public battles with big banks and Wall Street. She's gotten attention for her wealth tax proposal. She's praised, even by some conservatives, for her book The Two-Income Trap. As a US senator for Massachusetts, Warren has built a formidable record on the opioid crisis, which now kills more Americans than gun violence or car crashes. She's called for more research into alternative painkillers, including medical marijuana. She's tried to holdPresident … Continue Reading
January 28, 2019
The Week: How Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax could save America
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has a big new idea: She wants to directly tax the assets of the richest Americans. Her associates are calling it the "ultra-millionaire tax." This is not crazy. Taxes on wages and income are common, including taxes on the money people get when they sell assets. Straight-up wealth taxes like Warren is proposing - which go after the value of things that individuals own - are less common, but not unheard of. "My proposal will help address runaway wealth … Continue Reading