News Coverage
WBUR: 16 Mass. Elected Officials Challenge State Agency On East Boston Substation
by Miriam Wasser
Multiple members of the Massachusetts federal delegation, along with several state and local elected officials, sent a letter on Monday to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, challenging the state's recent decision to move forward with plans to build a controversial electrical substation in East Boston.The letter, directed at the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), asked the board to re-evaluate whether the electrical substation on the Chelsea Creek waterfront … Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Buzzfeed News: Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want To Know How Badly The US Pandemic Response Failed People Of Color
by Venessa Wong
The US government needs to investigate whether Black, Latino, and Native American communities most impacted by the pandemic have received adequate coronavirus relief funds, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to the Government Accountability Office.“To date, the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to sustain our health system and mitigate the economic fallout during this public health emergency. However, it is not clear whether that relief has successfully … Continue Reading
December 03, 2020
Boston.com: Massachusetts lawmakers concerned that some Comcast subscribers could lose WCVB
by Nik DeCosta-Klipa
Could some Comcast subscribers in Massachusetts soon be forced to tune into a Rhode Island TV station for ABC programming?Four members of the state’s federal delegation are worried it could happen.Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Bill Keating and Joe Kennedy III expressed concern Thursday that subscribers to Comcast’s Xfinity TV service in Bristol County could lose access to WCVB, amid news that the cable company and the Boston-based ABC affiliate’s owner, Hearst, have yet to … Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
The Hill: Warren makes case to Fed chair for canceling student loan debt
by Naomi Jagoda
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday pressed for President-elect Joe Biden to take executive action to cancel student loan debt during an exchange with Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell at a Senate hearing."All on his own, President-elect Biden will have the ability to administratively cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt using the authority that Congress has already given to the secretary of Education," Warren said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. "This is the … Continue Reading
November 25, 2020
Newsweek: Elizabeth Warren Calls On ICE To End Deportations During Pandemic: 'Stop Terrorizing Our Communities'
by Natalie Colarossi
Senator Elizabeth Warren called on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to end deportations of undocumented immigrants who pose no national security threat on Wednesday, citing concerns that the deportations could lead to an unnecessary spread of COVID-19.The Massachusetts senator joined forces with the state's additional 11 members of Congress to write a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stating that "detention and deportation of immigrants only … Continue Reading
November 24, 2020
The 19th: Sen. Elizabeth Warren to introduce $8 billion relief bill to help underserved Americans during pandemic
by Mariel Padilla
Arguing that the federal response to the pandemic has largely overlooked millions of Americans, Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to introduce the COVID Community Care Act — a move first shared with The 19th. The $8 billion relief bill would provide grants for community-based organizations and nonprofits to conduct testing, tracing and outreach activities in communities with higher virus rates or that have historically lacked access to medical care. Women account for 75 percent of full-time health … Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Vice: Senators Demand Investigation Into Rehab Centers That Use Patients for Free Labor
by Samir Ferdowsi
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin have requested a formal look into a “shadow workforce” at federally funded substance rehabilitation centers. According to a recent Reveal investigation, 300 vocational centers have been using unpaid workers, many in hazardous settings, as well as waiving all worker benefits for patients—in one case, using patients to clean up dead animals in a zoo. “We had to clean up blood and stuff, which I didn't feel comfortable doing, because you're supposed to … Continue Reading
November 19, 2020
Mother Jones: Black Farmers Have Been Robbed of Land. A New Bill Would Give Them a “Quantum Leap” Toward Justice.
by Tom Philpott
After the US Civil War, newly emancipated Black growers won a share of the agricultural landscape. They did so despite fierce backlash and the ultimately failed promises of Reconstruction. By the 1910s, around 200,000 Black farmers owned an estimated 20 million acres of land, mostly in the South. * That turned out to be a peak. Since then, due largely to lingering white supremacy and racist machinations within the US Department of Agriculture, the number of Black farmers has plunged by 98 … Continue Reading
November 19, 2020
MassLive: As opioid deaths rise, Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren press National Institutes of Health on COVID-postponed research programs
by Benjamin Kail
U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren this week pressed the National Institutes of Health for details on opioid research programs and treatment efforts that have stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Massachusetts Democrats, in a letter to NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, said that several behavioral health and addiction treatment studies are reportedly on hold at a time when overdoses are rising and the country faces public health and economic crises exacerbating the struggles of … Continue Reading
November 18, 2020
CNBC: Sen. Elizabeth Warren says CDC failed to capture the true toll of Covid on people of color
by Will Feuer
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to clarify and revise its estimates for the risk posed to communities of color by Covid-19.CNBC obtained a copy of a letter the Massachusetts Democrat sent last week to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield that says “by failing to adjust COVID-19 mortality rates by age in its public data releases, the CDC may not be providing an accurate assessment of the increased risk of death and serious illness for communities … Continue Reading
November 13, 2020
The Hill: Elizabeth Warren slams Justice Alito over 'nakedly partisan' speech
by Celine Castronuovo
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday condemned Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito over a speech he gave Thursday at the Federalist Society’s annual meeting, which Warren called a “nakedly partisan” address. “Supreme Court Justices aren't supposed to be political hacks,” the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate wrote on Twitter. “This right-wing speech is nakedly partisan.“My bill to #EndCorruptionNow restores some integrity to our Court by forcing Justices to follow the ethics … Continue Reading
November 11, 2020
CNN Business: Elizabeth Warren calls out CEOs for 'weak and meaningless' climate commitments
by Matt Egan
New York (CNN Business) - Senator Elizabeth Warren fears Corporate America's latest commitment to fight the climate crisis is little more than a publicity stunt.The Massachusetts Democrat is demanding the Business Roundtable, an influential lobbying group headed by leading CEOs, follow up on its recent call to adopt new principles to address climate change with concrete steps."The seriousness of the climate crisis deserves more than empty rhetoric without any actual climate action," Warren … Continue Reading
November 10, 2020
Bloomberg: Warren Blasts Virus-Aid Watchdog, Who Hits Back on Partisanship
by Laura Davison
Senator Elizabeth Warren on Monday blasted the inspector general tasked with monitoring a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package for failing to fulfill his mandate, after a spat over investigating the role of lobbyists in the allocation of funds.Senator Elizabeth Warren on Monday blasted the inspector general tasked with monitoring a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package for failing to fulfill his mandate, after a spat over investigating the role of lobbyists in the allocation of … Continue Reading
November 10, 2020
CNBC: Warren wants answers on suspension of FDA inspections of overseas drug manufacturing facilities
by Stephanie Dhue
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith are concerned about the safety of pharmaceuticals and drug components coming into the United States, as the coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to many inspections of overseas drug manufacturing facilities.In a letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn released Tuesday, the senators wrote: “We are concerned that, absent proper oversight of our drug supply chain and the overseas facilities manufacturing products millions of Americans rely on, … Continue Reading
November 06, 2020
The Washington Post: Democratic Senators Call for Expansion of Fed Lending Programs
by Catarina Saraiva
Four Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urged the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury to expand emergency lending programs for businesses and states and municipalities to provide support while Congress debates additional fiscal stimulus.In a Nov. 5 letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin obtained by Bloomberg, the senators asked that the programs be extended beyond their Dec. 31 deadlines, and that changes be made to make them more … Continue Reading
October 30, 2020
Bloomberg: Elizabeth Warren Says Perry Must Quit Energy Transfer Role
by Gerson Freitas Jr
Senator Elizabeth Warren reiterated her call for Rick Perry to resign from his role with Energy Transfer LP, citing recent media reports that he pushed for a deal involving the company while he was U.S. Energy Secretary.“Your actions raise even more questions about your behavior during your time in government service,” Warren said in a letter dated Wednesday that was seen by Bloomberg. She referred to stories published by Time and ProPublica that said Perry worked to advance an ultimately … Continue Reading
October 30, 2020
The New York Times: Democratic Senators Prepare to ‘Fundamentally Reform’ Capitalism
by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jason Karaian, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni
A statement of intentJust days before Election Day, four Democratic senators — Tammy Baldwin, Tom Carper, Mark Warner and Elizabeth Warren — are banding together to “fundamentally reform” capitalism. DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch got a first look at their working group, which will be announced today. Above all, it suggests growing Democratic unity around pushing corporate America to focus less on shareholders and short-term profits. And it signals an early priority for lawmakers if their party … Continue Reading
October 30, 2020
The Washington Post: Senate Democrats call on power, water, telecom giants to halt all utility shutoffs
by Tony Romm
Top Senate Democrats are calling on electric, gas, water and telecommunications giants to voluntarily halt all utility shutoffs for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, raising fears that millions of Americans are falling behind on their bills and have no easy way to catch up.The request - sent in a letter Friday to 21 of the largest utility companies - illustrates the country’s lingering economic needs even as Washington fails to coalesce around a new coronavirus relief package, which … Continue Reading
October 29, 2020
Boston.com: Elizabeth Warren’s office compiled a report on the Trump administration’s Hatch Act violations. They counted more than 50.
by Nik DeCosta-Klipa
Sen. Elizabeth Warren often calls President Donald Trump’s administration the “most corrupt” in the country’s history — and not just because of the headline-grabbing stuff.In a report Thursday shared exclusively with Boston.com, the Massachusetts senator’s office put together a list of all the confirmed and alleged violations of the Hatch Act by Trump administration officials, finding a pattern of disregard for the law with “almost no consequences.”...Read the full article on … Continue Reading
October 29, 2020
CNN: Senators ask HHS, CDC about 'highly alarming' excess Covid-19 deaths
by Maggie Fox
(CNN) Three Democratic US senators have asked the US Health and Human Services Secretary and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director to explain what they're doing to investigate a "highly alarming" excess of deaths in the United States, above and beyond the more than 200,000 fatalities directly attributed to Covid-19."Newly released CDC data reveal that 'an estimated 299,028 excess deaths occurred from late January through October 3, 2020, with 198,081 (66%) excess deaths … Continue Reading
