News Coverage
The Boston Globe: Markey, Warren want coronavirus relief checks sent quickly to people without direct deposit
As taxpayers begin to see coronavirus relief payments land in their bank accounts, Massachusetts senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren want the Treasury Department to ensure those without direct deposit receive their paper checks quickly as well. The two Democrats made the call in a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday. They urged the IRS to promptly mail checks to taxpayers who do not have direct deposit information on file with the IRS, citing reports that the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
CNBC: Warren and Harris introduce Senate bill to crack down on price gouging during the coronavirus pandemic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., introduced a bill Friday that would prohibit price gouging during national emergencies, including the Covid-19 pandemic.Under the Price Gouging Prevention Act, the FTC would be empowered to enforce a ban on excessive price increases of consumer goods during national emergencies. It would have to consider any price increase above 10% to be price gouging during such a declaration. The House bill was crafted based on a similar … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
ABC News: Warren, Pressley renew call for trove of national data on race and coronavirus, this time aimed at Medicare
Former 2020 candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren pushed yet again Friday morning for the federal government to shed a light on racial disparities rearing in the battle against coronavirus, this time calling on the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, whose agency collects data from millions of Americans enrolled in the government-run health care programs. Verma told reporters at a White House coronavirus task force briefing earlier this week that her agency had data … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
The Verge: Elizabeth Warren demands info on children’s privacy policies in letter to Zoom CEO
In a letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan today, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) raised new concerns about the service’s safety and privacy policies amid unprecedented consumer usage of the product in education and elsewhere. The letter pays particular attention to users under the age of 13 who are subject to special privacy protections under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The letter details a number of Zoom’s recent security and privacy issues, including the … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
The Hill: Warren releases plan to secure elections during coronavirus pandemic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a plan Tuesday intended to secure elections during the coronavirus pandemic through mail-in voting and increasing online voter registration.The plan, first reported by Mother Jones, calls on states to ensure every eligible American has the ability to vote by mail, sending voters a ballot with prepaid postage. Warren urged Congress to pass a bill proposed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) last month intended to ensure mail-in voting … Continue Reading
April 06, 2020
Boston.com: Massachusetts has asked for 1,700 ventilators for the COVID-19 surge. Only a fraction have arrived.
In preparation for a surge in coronavirus patients, Massachusetts has requested 1,700 ventilators from the national stockpile. Gov. Charlie Baker says the federal government has committed to sending them at least 1,000 of the “desperately” needed respiratory machines. But so far, 100 have arrived. And the state’s congressional delegation says it’s “absurd.”In a letter Monday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, all 11 members of the Massachusetts delegation expressed “frustration” that … Continue Reading
April 04, 2020
Boston.com: Members of Mass. congressional delegation seek more resources in battle against COVID-19 in veterans’ homes
Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are expressing their concern about the spread of the novel coronavirus at veterans’ homes. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and representatives Richard Neal and Ayanna Pressley sent a letter to Ryan Lilly, network director at the VA New England Healthcare System, expressing their concerns about the COVID-19 outbreaks at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, asking that more resources be obtained and deployed to … Continue Reading
April 01, 2020
VICE: Elizabeth Warren Calls on Uber, Instacart to Reclassify Workers as Employees
In a letter to the CEOs of Uber, Instacart, DoorDash, and Grubhub, Senator Elizabeth Warren called on the gig companies to do something they've fought for years: providing gig workers with "basic rights and protections" that might protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Because these workers perform essential delivery work and are critical to serving customers who cannot leave home during the pandemic, you have a responsibility to protect their health and the public’s health. To do so, I … Continue Reading
April 01, 2020
HuffPost: Elizabeth Warren Wants $15.5 Billion To Help Homeless During Coronavirus Outbreak
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would dramatically expand funding to protect people experiencing homelessness as the coronavirus pandemic makes its way across the country. The legislation, called the Public Health Emergency Shelter Act, was introduced in the House last month by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). It would provide $15.5 billion for the Emergency Solutions Grant program under the Department of Housing and Urban … Continue Reading
April 01, 2020
Boston.com: Airlines are offering credit for canceled flights due to the coronavirus. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey want there to be full refunds.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey want airline passengers to get more than just credit for canceled flights in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.In a letter Tuesday to 11 major domestic airlines, the two Massachusetts Democrats and seven of their colleagues called on the companies to issue full cash refunds to customers who cancel their flights during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as Americans who have had flights canceled while stranded in countries that implemented travel restrictions … Continue Reading
April 01, 2020
The Boston Globe: Elizabeth Warren calls on Uber Eats, Instacart, others to classify workers as employees
Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling on food delivery apps like Uber Eats, which have seen a surge in business because of coronavirus, to reclassify their workforce as employees and boost their pay as workers find themselves vulnerable to the outbreak but often lacking basic protections like paid sick leave.Warren made the demands in a series of letters to the CEOs of DoorDash, Instacart, Grubhub, and UberEats on Wednesday. Many workers at those companies are classified as independent … Continue Reading
March 31, 2020
Boston Globe: Warren to feds: Why did you take Massachusetts’ medical supplies?
Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressing federal officials for answers on why they seized at least two of Massachusetts’ recent orders for protective equipment, charging that it appears they are still interfering with states’ efforts to track down medical supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.In a five-page letter Monday, Warren asked Peter Gaynor, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, to outline how the agency is ensuring states aren’t outbid for supplies by the federal … Continue Reading
March 30, 2020
Associated Press: Pressley And Warren Call For Racial Data In Coronavirus Testing
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley are calling out an apparent lack of racial data that they say is needed to monitor and address disparities in the national response to the coronavirus outbreak.In a letter sent Friday to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Warren and Pressley said comprehensive demographic data on people who are tested or treated for the virus that causes COVID-19 does not exist. Over the weekend, cities with large black and nonwhite Hispanic … Continue Reading
March 12, 2020
CNBC:Elizabeth Warren calls for a ‘grassroots’ stimulus package to counter coronavirus economic impact
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday called on the U.S. government to respond to the coronavirus outbreak by passing a “big stimulus package” that offers health-care guarantees and injects money at the “grassroots level.”In an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, the Massachusetts Democrat explained that her far-reaching proposal addresses everything from COVID-19 testing to student loan holders to workers and businesses. The total package would cost $750 billion, up from the $400 billion original … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
WWLP: 22News is coming back to Berkshire County
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of WWLP-22News, and Charter Communications announced Friday that they have agreed to provide a special feed of 22News to Charter subscribers in Berkshire County....Under the agreement, 22News will be restored to the Charter channel lineup on a 24-hour news channel. Massachusetts Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, as well as Congressman Richard Neal have been working to restore access for Berkshire County viewers to 22News … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
The Hill: Warren presses big banks on preparation for coronavirus fallout
WASHINGTON - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a Democratic presidential candidate, pressed the chief executives of five major U.S. banks on how they are preparing for the potential financial damage of the coronavirus outbreak.In a series of Friday letters, Warren asked the chiefs of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to explain how they will "evaluate the risks to your institution and its customers associated with coronavirus, the extent to which your … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Boston Globe: Warren introduces bill to transfer funding from border wall to efforts to combat coronavirus
WASHINGTON - Massachusetts US Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduces a bill to transfer funding from construction of the border wall to fund efforts to respond to the novel coronavirus that is spreading across the world and is expected to arrive at some point in America."Coronavirus poses a serious health, diplomatic, & economic threat, & we must be prepared to confront it head on. So I'm introducing a bill to transfer all funding for @realDonaldTrump's racist border wall" to the US Health … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Politico: Warren calls on Trump admin to explain process for bringing back Americans infected by coronavirus
WASHINGTON - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) is calling on Trump administration officials to explain its handling of the evacuation of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, after 14 passengers infected with the coronavirus flew on a plane with other travelers despite a warning from the Centers for Disease Control.The infected passengers were among the 300 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship in Japan and flown home earlier this month...."The process by which this decision was reportedly made is … Continue Reading
February 16, 2020
WBUR: Warren And Markey Demand CBP Withdraw Plan To Deploy Heavily Armed Officers
WASHINGTON - Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren are demanding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) withdraw a plan to deploy agents -- including some that are specially trained in SWAT-like tactics -- to Boston and other American cities that have chosen not to cooperate with President Trump's immigration policies. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official in Boston has confirmed that some of those officers are already working in Boston with local U.S. … Continue Reading
February 14, 2020
Boston.com: Elizabeth Warren unveils bill in response to the Justice Department’s intervention in the Roger Stone case
BOSTON - Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn’t just calling on Attorney General William Barr to resign over the Justice Department’s recent intervention in the Roger Stone case. The Massachusetts senator is also filing legislation Friday with two of her Democratic colleagues to block similar efforts in the future.“Attorney General Barr’s interference in Roger Stone’s sentencing is not just unethical—it’s corrupt, plain and simple,” Warren said in a statement Friday afternoon....“This bill would use … Continue Reading