News Coverage
Bloomberg Law: Democratic Senators Urge Pandemic Crackdown on Noncompete Pacts
Two Democratic senators want the Federal Trade Commission to take emergency action to limit employers’ enforcement of noncompete agreements during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the public health emergency has “exacerbated” problems with such arrangements.Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also faulted the FTC for not advancing a rulemaking following a January workshop held to consider a possible rule restricting use of noncompete agreements, which hinder a … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
The Washington Post: Democratic lawmakers probing whether CDC guidelines on reopening schools were influenced by political pressure
U.S. lawmakers are probing whether newly released guidelines on reopening schools issued last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were subject to political pressure from President Trump, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos or other administration officials.Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) have sent a letter to DeVos and CDC director Robert Redfield requesting all correspondence between their agencies and the White House that involves the guidance on … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
CNN: Warren calls on agency chiefs to commit to not deploying federal forces on Americans should Trump not leave office
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on the heads of the Justice, Defense, Homeland Security and the Interior departments to commit to not using federal agents against protesters in American cities before and after the November election -- specifically in the event that President Donald Trump loses and refuses to leave office."You are each responsible for the command of military or civilian troops and domestic law," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote in a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Mark … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Reuters: Lawmakers probe White House pressure over schools reopening amid coronavirus
Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday asked the U.S. education secretary and head of a top government health agency for their correspondence with the White House to determine if political pressure influenced new federal recommendations on whether schools should reopen in the fall.Public comments from Republican President Donald Trump and members of his administration made clear that reopening schools was a priority and interfered in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) messages to … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Foreign Policy: Democrats Make Last-Ditch Effort to Kill a Trump Pentagon Nomination
Democrats are urging U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Defense Department’s policy shop to withdraw his nomination over offensive and conspiratorial tweets, according to a new letter shared with Foreign Policy.In a last-ditch attempt to force Anthony Tata to give up his White House-backed bid to become the undersecretary of defense for policy, 10 Democratic lawmakers, led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, argue that the retired Army brigadier general has a … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Common Dreams: Sen. Warren Demands Eviction Moratorium as New Reporting Sheds Light on Nation's Stark Housing Inequality
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday called for an extension of a federal evictions moratorium and expanded unemployment benefits in response to new reporting spotlighting Americans' divergent housing realities as a result of the nation's deepening inequality triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The headline on the Washington Post's Monday story puts the disparity in clear terms: "2020 Is the Summer of Booming Home Sales—And Evictions." "Americans with money in the bank are buying bigger homes, … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
The Real News Network: Elizabeth Warren On Why We Must Stop Utility Shutoffs During The Pandemic
With unemployment at record levels and an economy teetering on the edge, utility shutoffs threaten to compound the existing public health disaster unfolding in the US. The Real News is highlighting voices from a national campaign that is trying to do something to prevent this by demanding a national moratorium on shutoffs during the COVID crisis. In this first video in this series, Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks with Maria Bellen of Chelsea Green Roots about the impact of utility shutoffs on … Continue Reading
July 24, 2020
The Hill: Warren, Booker call for OSHA standards for meatpacking plants in next relief package
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called on Friday for the next coronavirus relief package to include new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards as a way to address the ongoing issues at meatpacking plants during the pandemic.OSHA, a division of the Labor Department, has declined to impose a nationwide COVID-19 work safety standard through an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), despite months of calls to do so from unions, Democrats and worker … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
The Hill: Democrats hit Interior secretary for reportedly refusing to wear mask in meeting with tribes
Three Democratic senators are criticizing Interior Secretary David Bernhardt over reports that he refused to wear a mask in a meeting with tribes in Oregon earlier this month.“On your July 9 visit with the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, the tribe expressed concerns that you and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of California refused to wear a mask ” wrote Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.).The letter did not name the … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Wall Street Journal: Democrats Push Bill Allowing Student Loans to Be Absolved in Bankruptcy
Democratic Senators introduced a bill Thursday that would allow people to cancel student-loan debt in bankruptcy if they can show income loss tied to economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.Federal law makes it extremely difficult for people to cancel student loans using bankruptcy. The measure from Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) and Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) would allow student-loan cancellations for people who either racked up large medical bills in the past three years or lost … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Reuters: Seven Democratic senators urge caution on Google's purchase of Fitbit
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren and five other Democratic senators on Thursday urged the Justice Department to be cautious in reviewing Google’s planned purchase of Fitbit, saying the tech giant had already cemented its dominance in some areas through acquisitions.In a letter to Attorney General William Barr, the seven Democratic senators expressed skepticism that the purchase was solely a bid to enter the wearables market since Google’s revenues are largely based on advertising … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
People: Senators Introduce 'Much Needed' Bill to Address Coronavirus' Racial Disparities
The novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted people from racial minority groups at a higher rate than it has white people, and two senators now say they have a "much needed" plan to address the virus' disparities.Sens. Bob Menendez, of New Jersey, and Maryland's Ben Cardin, both Democrats, introduced the COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act to Congress on Wednesday, saying the bill — if passed into law — would improve contact tracing, testing and provide public awareness campaigns in minority … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
CNN: Senators accuse White House of belittling pandemic by ignoring long-term effects of Covid-19 infection
A group of senators accused the White House of downplaying the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic by ignoring the serious and long-term effects the virus can have on some patients.They wrote a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday, asking him to outline how the White House Coronavirus Task Force plans to address the issue of lasting health effects from infection....Read the full article on the CNN website … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
ABC News: Senate Dems warn of 'catastrophe' if eviction protections expire
Federal protections that have prevented millions of renters across the country from being evicted are about to expire and could leave them at risk of losing their homes if Congress does not act by Saturday.Senate Democrats are urging an extension of the eviction protection program, but it is unlikely that a new coronavirus relief bill will make it across the finish line before the current protections lapse at the end of the week, as Republicans scramble to put their plan forward.More than 12 … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
Politico: Senators request ethics probe after Ivanka Trump’s Goya endorsement
Days after Ivanka Trump created an uproar for endorsing Goya Foods after its CEO praised her father, a pair of senators want an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s daughter violated federal ethics rules.Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics inquiring about possible disciplinary action for Ivanka Trump, who serves as a senior adviser in the White House....Read the full article on the POLITICO website … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
CNN: Warren asks CDC to mandate masks, citing Georgia's local ban
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is requesting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention use its existing powers to implement and expand mask requirements, and asked whether the agency could intervene in situations like Georgia's ban on local mask laws. The Massachusetts Democrat appealed to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield in a new letter sent Monday, suggesting that the public agency already has the authority to institute mask mandates and local gathering limits -- beyond … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
Bloomberg: Warren Uses Dodd-Frank Anniversary to Signal Crackdown on Banks
Wall Street critic Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats signaled Tuesday that if they regain power, the lax oversight the financial industry has enjoyed during the Trump administration is coming to an end.Senator Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, was among current and former politicians who participated in a virtual conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Act. She said President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have failed in their attempts to gut the law, and now … Continue Reading
July 20, 2020
Boston.com: 'Just plain wrong': Elizabeth Warren calls on Stop & Shop to reinstate hazard pay
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is at the helm of the charge of Washington lawmakers demanding the country’s major grocery retailers, including Stop & Shop, Wegmans, and Whole Foods, reinstate hazard pay for hourly workers as companies have peeled back the compensation even as coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks.“Frontline workers are taking all of the risk,” Warren said Friday on a video press conference call alongside fellow Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, and the United Food and … Continue Reading
July 19, 2020
Forbes: Elizabeth Warren: Cancel Student Debt In The Next Stimulus Package
Senator Elizabeth Warren is making her closing pitch to include student debt cancellation in the next stimulus package. In two recent tweets, Warren reiterated her position linking to two Forbes articles about student loan forgiveness in the next stimulus. Senator Warren has been a leader on student debt issues in her time in the Senate, taking on for-profit colleges and pushing the Obama administration to grant student debt forgiveness for defrauded students. In her presidential campaign, … Continue Reading
July 17, 2020
WGBH: Lawmakers Leverage Defense Bill To Address Police Reform, Racial Injustice
Maryland Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown is African American, and as an Army combat veteran he knows first hand about the military's tributes to the Confederacy.Brown served at four of the 10 Army installations named for Confederate officers."I went to flight school at Fort Rucker. I learned to jump out of airplanes at Fort Benning. I deployed to Iraq from Fort Bragg," the House Democrat says, respectively, of the bases in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. He also spent time at Fort Hood in … Continue Reading