News Coverage
Vice: Wyden and Warren Demand Investigation into IRS Warrantless Location Tracking
by Joseph Cox
Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren want a formal investigation into the IRS' use of smartphone location data to track Americans without a warrant.On Thursday, the two Senators sent a letter to the body tasked with oversight of the IRS demanding it investigate how a section of the IRS bought access to this data.The news highlights the continued tread of law enforcement agencies obtaining location data that would ordinarily require a warrant to do, by simply purchasing the data from commercial … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Business Insider: Elizabeth Warren, AOC blast Wells Fargo CEO for blaming 'very limited pool of Black talent' for the bank's trouble hitting its diversity-hiring goals
by Isabella Jibilian
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Sherrod Brown all slammed the CEO of Wells Fargo for his repeated claims that the bank's difficulties in hiring diverse employees were because of a lack of Black talent."While it might sound like an excuse, the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from," Charlie Scharf, Wells Fargo's CEO, wrote in a June memo to employees, according to Reuters. Scharf also repeated this claim in a Zoom … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Bloomberg: Senators Blast ‘Feckless’ OSHA Response to Meat Plants’ Virus Outbreaks
by Michael Hirtzer
A speedier and more forceful response by U.S. officials could have prevented the large outbreaks of Covid-19 at meat plants that sickened thousands and killed dozens of workers, according to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.The senators decried the “feckless” response by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which earlier this month fined Smithfield Foods Inc. $13,494 and JBS Foods $15,615 for failing to protect workers, respectively, at a South Dakota pork plant and a … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Buzzfeed News: Elizabeth Warren And Bernie Sanders Want Big Banking Reforms Following The FinCEN Files Investigations
by Jason Leopold and Jessica Garrison
Lawmakers, regulators, and activists across the globe Monday called for swift action into the findings of a new investigation from BuzzFeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists about corruption in the global banking system and how governments facilitate it.In the FinCEN Files, a series of stories that began publishing Sunday, BuzzFeed News and its partners revealed how the giants of Western banking move trillions of dollars in suspicious transactions, enriching … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
WBUR: Senators Warren And Markey Call For Shutdown Of Weymouth Compressor
by Chris Lisinski
Both of the state's U.S. senators called Monday for Enbridge to halt operations at its Weymouth compressor station, warning that the facility should not become operational mere weeks after an equipment failure prompted a release of natural gas. In an email, the energy giant said it was moving forward with plans to make sure the plant is "fit for service."Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey urged Al Monaco, Enbridge's president and CEO, to pause all activities at the site near the Fore River … Continue Reading
September 20, 2020
Masslive: Sen. Elizabeth Warren at Ruth Bader Ginsburg vigil: SCOTUS ‘fight has just begun’
by Benjamin Kail
At a vigil for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday night led hundreds in a chant of “I will fight,” and delivered a speech warning that American democracy was at stake as President Donald Trump geared up to nominate Ginsburg’s replacement.Warren’s remarks came a night after Ginsburg died at 87 from complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. NBC News reported that the longtime justice said her “most … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
CNBC: Schumer, Warren propose forgiving $50,000 in student debt for borrowers due to pandemic
by Jessica Dickler
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced a resolution Thursday that would broadly cancel federal student loan debt due to the coronavirus crisis. The resolution calls on President Donald Trump to take executive action to forgive up to $50,000 in debt for borrowers....Read the full article on CNBC … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Reuters: Senator Warren blasts U.S. CEOs for 'empty' social promises
by Pete Schroeder
WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Thursday blasted U.S. business leaders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co’s Jamie Dimon and Walmart’s Doug McMillon, for falling short on a “splashy” promise to look beyond profits when running their businesses.Writing to the CEOs in their capacity as former and current chairs respectively of the Business Roundtable, Warren, a Democrat, said the country’s top business group had been lobbying for “narrow, short-term interests” rather … Continue Reading
September 16, 2020
Stars and Stripes: Sen. Warren introduces bill to make it easier for service members to terminate their leases
by Steve Beynon
WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she will introduce a bill Wednesday alongside a bipartisan group of senators that aims to make it easier for service members to terminate residential and car leases as the coronavirus pandemic has put a tight squeeze on renters across the country.The Modernizing Notice of Lease Terminations for Servicemembers Act would allow active duty, reservists and National Guard troops to break leases electronically, including by email, if they are … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
CNBC: Democratic senators grill U.S. health officials on Trump interference in coronavirus vaccine process
by Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Will Feuer
Democratic senators on Wednesday grilled U.S. health officials about whether President Donald Trump is interfering in the development of potential coronavirus vaccines. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on vaccine safety as infectious disease experts and scientists in recent weeks have said they worry the vaccine approval process in the U.S. could be … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
The Washington Post: Patients may have seen ‘significant’ delays in medicine deliveries by USPS, Senate report finds
by Tony Romm
Patients who rely on the U.S. Postal Service for their prescription drugs may have experienced “significant” delays in their deliveries, according to a Senate report released Wednesday, which accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of jeopardizing the “health of millions of Americans.”Several major U.S. pharmacies told the two Democratic senators leading the investigation — Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Robert P. Casey Jr. (Pa.) — that average delivery times have ticked up since the spring, … Continue Reading
September 04, 2020
Fort Hood Soldier Deaths: Markey, Warren Call For Senate Hearing On ‘Holding The Army Accountable’
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) — Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are calling for a Senate hearing on the “series of tragic deaths of soldiers” from Fort Hood in Texas. They and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas wrote a letter to the Armed Services Committee, seeking to make sure that Congress is “holding the Army accountable.”Sgt. Elder Fernandes, of Brockton, disappeared from the base in August and was later found dead. Investigators do not suspect foul play, but the family … Continue Reading
September 03, 2020
The Root: Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee Unveil Historic Legislation Confronting Public Health Impact of Structural Racism
by Anne Branigin
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) announced on Thursday a new plan that would declare racism a public health issue. Dubbed “the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2020,” the legislation is the first of its kind and would harness the power of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research health disparities and propose antiracist policies to eradicate racial divides in health outcomes.The bill also builds upon a growing … Continue Reading
September 02, 2020
CNBC: Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Trump’s ‘Buy American’ executive order for essential medicines doesn’t go far enough
by Stephanie Dhue
The coronavirus pandemic has put the spotlight on the United States’ reliance on foreign countries for key pharmaceutical products.President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month that directs the Food and Drug Administration to create a list of essential medicines and calls on the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to buy critical pharmaceuticals from domestic suppliers.“We cannot rely on China and other nations across the globe that could one day deny us products in a … Continue Reading
August 27, 2020
CNBC: Sens. Warren, Smith press major labs over coronavirus testing delays as flu season approaches
by Will Feuer
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith pressed five of the nation’s largest testing labs over delays in processing coronavirus tests as the flu season approaches.Labs across the country have struggled to keep pace with the rapid rise of coronavirus cases earlier this summer, leading to long lines at testing centers and turnaround times of more than a week for some patients. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said that long turnaround times render coronavirus tests a “complete waste” because … Continue Reading
August 26, 2020
Vox: Elizabeth Warren calls for investigation into Trump’s politicization of Covid-19
by Anna North
President Trump has made every aspect of his response to Covid-19 political, from his resistance to mask-wearing to his insistence on reopening schools to his sparring with Democratic governors over lifesaving tests and personal protective equipment.His administration has even been accused of scrapping a nationwide testing plan after a team convened by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner determined that the epidemic would hit blue states the hardest and Democratic governors could be blamed for … Continue Reading
August 25, 2020
HuffPost: EPA Faces New Scrutiny Over Decision To Stop Enforcing Pollution Laws Amid Pandemic
by Alexander C. Kaufman
The Environmental Protection Agency is facing new scrutiny of its decision to stop enforcing pollution rules amid the pandemic, escalating a fight over what critics see as one of the most egregious parts of the administration’s response to the coronavirus ahead of the November election.In a letter sent Monday to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D) and Ed Markey (D) accused the agency of providing “all but meaningless” responses to earlier questions about … Continue Reading
August 25, 2020
The Washington Post: Elizabeth Warren, others seek details of Warp Speed co-chief Moncef Slaoui’s contract
by Christopher Rowland
Democrats on Capitol Hill have asked an Alexandria consulting company for details about an unusual contract that has allowed the chief scientific adviser to President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed to maintain personal investments and avoid making ethics disclosures of his holdings in pharmaceutical companies.In a letter Monday to Advanced Decision Vectors, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and two other lawmakers are asking the firm to explain its role in providing drug company executive Moncef … Continue Reading
August 25, 2020
HuffPost: Warren And Markey Demand Transparency Over FDA Decision To Authorize Plasma Treatment
by Sanjana Karanth
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey are demanding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provide all communications between the agency and the White House to determine whether the recent emergency use authorization of convalescent plasma treatment for coronavirus patients was politically motivated.In a letter to the agency obtained by HuffPost on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Democrats called the FDA’s authorization decision “troubling,” given limited evidence of the treatment’s effectiveness on … Continue Reading
August 24, 2020
Mother Jones: Elizabeth Warren Demands Post Office Board Members Release Financial Disclosures
by AJ Vicens
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, already under fire for his operational changes, will testify before the House Oversight Committee today, two days after an appearance before a Senate panel where he said he had no intention of restoring mail sorting machines that had been removed and admitted that the changes he’s made have delayed the mail which has, as one Senator put it, “hurt people.”Testifying alongside DeJoy will be Robert Duncan, the chairman of the US Postal Service Board of Governors, … Continue Reading
