News Coverage
Democrats Decry Fed Push to Ease Capital Requirements for Big Banks
by Emily Flitter and Jeanna Smialek
Two Senate Democrats sharply criticized the Federal Reserve’s effort to get Congress to help it weaken capital requirements for big banks this week, following a report in The New York Times that Republicans were hoping to include such a provision in the next coronavirus relief package.In letters to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell and Vice Chair Randal K. Quarles, Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who sit on a committee that oversees banks and … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Senate Democrats raise concerns about educational redlining in student lending
by Danielle Douglas-Gabriel
An emerging practice of using education data to determine creditworthiness is drawing scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Senate Democrats are questioning whether private student lenders are engaging in educational redlining by raising the price of credit for historically marginalized groups.Lawmakers’ concerns center on lenders factoring in where borrowers attend college or what they study to assess the risk of extending credit and the appropriate interest to charge. Lenders say using a range of … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Two senators demand answers from Wells Fargo following NBC News reports
by Gretchen Morgenson
Citing a recent investigation by NBC News, two U.S. senators have asked the chief executive of Wells Fargo to answer extensive questions about the bank’s practice of pausing mortgage payments for borrowers without their consent under a federal program designed to help homeowners financially hurt by COVID-19.The senators, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, both Democrats and members of the Senate Banking Committee, wrote a letter on July 29 requesting information and … Continue Reading
July 30, 2020
Warren Investigates Report That FedEx, Walmart Punish Workers for Taking Time Off
by Lauren Kaori Gurley
Senator Elizabeth Warren sent letters to the CEOs of FedEx, Walmart, Conagra, 3M, and Kroger on Tuesday demanding information about their respective attendance policies and whether companies are adequately informing workers of their legal rights to take time off work without punishment.The letters follow a June report by the legal advocacy group A Better Balance that investigated 66 U.S. companies (including those contacted by Senator Warren) that use points-based attendance policies, also … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Sens. Warren, Schatz Call on Fed to Suspend Bank Dividends and Increase Transparency
by Claire Williams
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are urging Federal Reserve officials to suspend bank dividends and to provide more transparency on the way the Fed measures the ability of banks to weather a crisis, according to a letter provided exclusively to Morning Consult. Warren and Schatz, both on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a letter sent Tuesday night to Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Fed Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal Quarles that their concerns are “especially … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Millions Of Americans Are About To Be Homeless, And It’s Totally Preventable
by Alanna Vagianos
The federal moratorium on evictions expired last Friday, ending protections for nearly 12 million Americans. This Friday, 25 million people will stop receiving an extra $600 in weekly coronavirus relief in their unemployment benefits.And on Saturday, rent is due for millions of Americans who won’t be able to pay.If Congress doesn’t step in, these people could be evicted come September. And the worst part is that this looming crisis is completely avoidable. All lawmakers need to do is take … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Warren calls for pledge of no deployment of federal agents on protesters if Trump refuses to leave office
by J. Edward Moreno
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has asked President Trump’s top Cabinet officials to pledge that they will not deploy federal agents to U.S. cities to quell protests, specifically in the event that Trump loses reelection and refuses to leave the office. “I therefore write to seek your assurances that you will not allow the military or civilian forces under your control to be used by the President to suppress dissent and democracy,” Warren wrote Tuesday in a letter to Defense … Continue Reading
July 29, 2020
Warren hammers CFPB director over consumer complaints: 'You should resign'
by Rebecca Klar
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to resign over her handling of the response to the coronavirus pandemic.The progressive senator claimed the director's response is hurting consumers and giving companies a “get out of jail free card” against consumer protections under law. “Your leadership has been a miserable failure based on your actions in this pandemic. You should resign,” Warren told CFPB director Kathy Kraninger on … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Democratic Senators Urge Pandemic Crackdown on Noncompete Pacts
by Jaclyn Diaz
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
Democratic lawmakers probing whether CDC guidelines on reopening schools were influenced by political pressure
by Valerie Strauss
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
Warren calls on agency chiefs to commit to not deploying federal forces on Americans should Trump not leave office
by Caroline Kelly
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
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
Democrats Make Last-Ditch Effort to Kill a Trump Pentagon Nomination
by Jack Detsch
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
Sen. Warren Demands Eviction Moratorium as New Reporting Sheds Light on Nation's Stark Housing Inequality
by Andrea Germanos
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
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
Warren, Booker call for OSHA standards for meatpacking plants in next relief package
by Alex Gangitano
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
Democrats hit Interior secretary for reportedly refusing to wear mask in meeting with tribes
by Rachel Frazin
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
Democrats Push Bill Allowing Student Loans to Be Absolved in Bankruptcy
by Katy Stech Ferek
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
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
Senators Introduce 'Much Needed' Bill to Address Coronavirus' Racial Disparities
by Sean Neumann
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
