News Coverage
Common Dreams: 'Dangerous' and 'Horrible': Lawmakers Demand Answers After Trump Upends CDC's Covid-19 Reporting System
Lawmakers and public health experts are demanding that the Trump administration answer for its abrupt decision this week to cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention out of the coronavirus data-collection process, a move critics warned could impede state efforts to combat the pandemic and leave crucial information open to politically motivated spin."The Trump administration is going to have to give a full justification for this, because until they do, it's hard to see how this step … Continue Reading
July 15, 2020
The Washington Post: Some researchers and politicians call for pregnant women to be included in coronavirus vaccine testing
As Washington spends billions of dollars to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine, a number of medical researchers and Democrats are calling on Congress to guarantee that pregnant women are involved in federally supported trials — an inclusion that is not guaranteed though research shows they could be particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.Of the six pharma companies with government contracts to develop a vaccine, four — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax — have not included or … Continue Reading
July 15, 2020
WGBH: Mass. House Coalition Lays Out Path Toward Maternal Health Equity
One of the first things the House did after Speaker Robert DeLeo committed in June to addressing systemic racism in Massachusetts was to push forward with a bill to study disparities in maternal health for women of color.The legislation called for a new commission to examine racial disparities in maternal mortality and make recommendations to improve access and quality of care for Black and Hispanic women who are pregnant or new mothers.With that bill now waiting for action in the Senate, a … Continue Reading
July 14, 2020
Politico: Warren, Pressley demand action from HHS on coronavirus' impact on minority communities
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley issued a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday requesting a report detailing the Trump administration's response to racial health disparities exacerbated by the Covid-19 outbreak.The letter, which highlights the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on communities of color, represents another push from Democrats for President Donald Trump to take action to alleviate the damage of … Continue Reading
July 12, 2020
One Green Planet: Why Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren’s Factory Farm Bill is So Important
Senator Cory Booker is hard at work to get rid of factory farms. Joined now by Elizabeth Warren, Booker is working to promote his new bill The Farm System Reform Bill. Originally unveiled in late 2019, the bill is arguably even more crucial in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At the center of the bill is the need to reform large industrial animal operations like factory farms. The bill focuses on four items: Help farmers currently running factory farms transition … Continue Reading
July 10, 2020
The Boston Globe: Members of Mass. congressional delegation say Brooks Brothers should pay severance to Haverhill workers
Three members of Congress from Massachusetts called on Brooks Brothers Friday to provide severance pay to workers at the company’s Haverhill factory, which is set to close next month.The storied apparel maker, founded in 1818, filed for bankruptcy earlier this week and is closing 51 stores and three US factories. Workers at two of the factories, in New York and North Carolina, will receive the separation pay guaranteed in their union contract. The union representing nearly 400 workers in … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
WBUR: Warren Pressures Prison Accreditor Over COVID-19 Response
After reports of mismanagement and inadequate pandemic responses at prisons across the country that put incarcerated individuals at increased risk of contracting COVID-19, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is asking the nation’s primary prison accreditor to detail what correctional officials are doing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.In a letter to American Correctional Association executive director James A. Gondles Jr., Warren asked what the trade group is doing to ensure “that facilities provide … Continue Reading
July 09, 2020
NBC News: 99 members of Congress demand withdrawal of restrictions on international students
Nearly 100 members of Congress are demanding the Trump administration stop a policy that would strip international students of their visas if their coursework is entirely online when classes resume in the fall, according to a letter shared exclusively with NBC News on Thursday.Led by Massachusetts Democrats Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, lawmakers sent the letter, which calls the proposed policy “irrational and xenophobic,” to the Department of Homeland Security and … Continue Reading
July 01, 2020
Trump threatens to veto Warren-backed defense bill removing Confederate names from military bases
President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to veto a national defense bill the Senate is considering if an amendment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to rename military bases honoring the Confederacy is not removed."I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth 'Pocahontas' Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!" Trump … Continue Reading
July 01, 2020
The Washington Post: Lawmakers call for more transparency in health agency’s pandemic data collection practices
A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm about a program launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to track the spread of the coronavirus.The public health effort, dubbed “HHS Protect Now,” hoovers up vast amounts of data, including coronavirus test results, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local sources. It also relies on technology from secretive Silicon Valley firm Palantir, better known for working with the … Continue Reading
July 01, 2020
Boston Herald: Warren, Markey, Sanders introduce bill to end qualified immunity
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Edward Markey and Bernie Sanders are seeking to end qualified immunity for police officers, which can prevent them from being held personally liable for misconduct.The Ending Qualified Immunity Act introduced Wednesday would eliminate the judicial doctrine that shields officers and public officials from civil lawsuits unless their conduct violates “clearly established” law or constitutional rights.It was introduced in Congress last month by U.S. Reps. Ayanna … Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
NBC Boston: Senators Press FEMA For Answers on ‘Defective' PPE Sent To Nursing Homes
Two New England senators are pressing the federal government to explain its plan to supply nursing homes with personal protective gear after reports surfaced that some equipment supplied by FEMA was inadequate or defective.In a letter sent last week to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said they want to know how much gear FEMA has distributed to nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where … Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
WCVB: Dr. Anthony Fauci tells Sen. Elizabeth Warren US could see up to 100,000 COVID-19 cases per day
Daily new coronavirus infections could be on course to more than double in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci."I'm very concerned," the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases told Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren Tuesday during a hearing about COVID-19....Read the full article on the WCVB website … Continue Reading
June 29, 2020
Axios: Elizabeth Warren introduces bill for nationwide eviction moratorium
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation Monday to extend and expand a nationwide eviction moratorium to protect tenants who may be struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic, Vox reports. ...Read the full article on the Axios website … Continue Reading
June 29, 2020
The Boston Globe: Warren says consumer protection agency is ‘here to stay’ following Supreme Court ruling
Senator Elizabeth Warren declared victory on Monday after the Supreme Court found the governing structure of her Great Recession-era brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, unconstitutional ? but largely left the agency itself intact. Warren, who set up the agency, said in a series of tweets that although she disagreed with the court’s decision to make it easier for the president to remove the head of the agency, the CFBP as an entity had made it through a series of challenges … Continue Reading
June 29, 2020
WBUR: Warren Bill Would Halt Nearly All Evictions During Pandemic, Expanding CARES Act Protections
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday filed a bill to stop evictions nationwide during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure, filed with Democratic Rep. Jésus G. “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) would extend the duration and reach of the eviction moratorium that was part of the coronavirus relief package signed into law this spring. "Renters who have lost their job or had their income reduced shouldn't have to fear losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic,” Warren said in a statement Monday announcing … Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
The Boston Globe: Warren, Markey, and Pressley call for independent investigation of coronavirus deaths at Chelsea Soldiers’ Home
Federal lawmakers on Friday urged Governor Charlie Baker to appoint an independent investigator to determine what led to the deaths of 31 veterans at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home from coronavirus.“Recent public reporting has cast doubt on whether the COVID-19 response at the Home adequately protected veterans,” wrote Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, and US Representative Ayanna Pressley.The lawmakers asked that an investigator determine what caused the outbreak at the home, where, in … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
Boston.com: Warren and Booker press meatpackers on exporting to China while claiming U.S. shortages
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has joined another prominent Senate Democrat in questioning how meatpacking companies could justify exporting record amounts to China in April while warning of a shortage of pork and beef across the United States.Warren and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey sent a letter late Monday to the chief executives of Smithfield, Tyson, Cargill and JBS, criticizing them for exporting to China at the same time they were lobbying the Trump administration to keep their plants open … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
CNBC: Elizabeth Warren demands answers from private equity industry on coronavirus response, lobbying
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has written to the CEO of private equity lobbying group the American Investment Council demanding more information about the organization’s efforts related to the federal government’s multitrillion-dollar coronavirus relief law.In a letter to Andrew Maloney, which was delivered Wednesday and obtained by CNBC, Warren demanded information about the group’s communication with the Treasury Department and White House officials, including Jared Kushner, whose family real estate … Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
CNBC: Elizabeth Warren wants to know how Fed Chair Powell will fight racial inequality during the economic recovery
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on what the nation’s central bank can do to prevent racial inequality in the economic recovery, as signs suggest that the Covid-19 crisis is weighing disproportionately on communities of color. The Massachusetts progressive released questions to Powell on Thursday that ask what specific policies the Federal Reserve and Congress can implement to avoid the inequalities that marked the comeback from the 2008 financial … Continue Reading