News Coverage
THE TAX ADMIN SURGE
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are introducing legislation early next week that would simplify math error notices that the IRS sends to taxpayers. The corrections made by the IRS frequently reduce taxpayers' refunds. But Warren, Cassidy, the national taxpayer advocate and other lawmakers from both parties also believe the math error notices don't supply enough information to recipients, and that the IRS should be forced to tell taxpayers that they have 60 days to … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
Axios: Scoop: Senate Dems target Trump and DOGE on counterterrorism
Top Senate Democrats are demanding the Trump administration reveal whether its federal hiring freeze has impacted national security operations, Axios has learned. Why it matters:Democrats on Capitol Hill are still trying to wrap their arms around the extent of President Trump's cuts into federal agencies in the opening weeks of his second term. A trio of Senate Democrats wants to know whether the Treasury Department has frozen hiring or eliminated positions in its Office of Terrorism and … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
ABC News: Democratic senators want more details on costs and impact of border mission
After senior U.S. military officials told Congress they do not know yet how much the surge of active-duty military forces to the southern border with Mexico and the buildup of infrastructure to house thousands of migrants at Guantanamo might end up costing, two Democratic senators on Friday requested more details from the Pentagon. Following a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday with the commanders of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command, Sens. Mazie Hirono, … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
AP: Elon Musk’s DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS, two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on Monday. If successful, Musk and his group would have access to millions of tightly controlled files that include taxpayer information, bank records and other sensitive records. The people who spoke to the AP and requested anonymity said DOGE … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
Politico Pro: Watchdogs probe DOGE's access to Treasury payments system, Musk's fraud allegations
Two government watchdogs have opened inquiries related to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to allow associates of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team to access the federal government’s systems that control trillions of dollars of payments. Loren Sciurba, Treasury’s acting inspector general, said in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday that the watchdog had started an audit of the "adequacy of controls" over sensitive payment systems over the past several months. The … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Rolling Stone: Dr. Oz Could Decide If Pregnant Patients Get Emergency Care In Anti-Abortion States
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former heart surgeon who rose to prominence dispensing dubious medical advice on TV, is expected to appear before the Senate's Committee on Finance this month for hearings on his nomination to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Donald Trump. CMS oversees Medicare coverage for some 65 million Americans, and provides support for an additional 79 million covered by state-administered Medicaid and CHIP programs. It's a massive portfolio - and … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Bloomberg: Senator Warren Calls on Musk to Reveal Conflicts of Interest
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling on billionaire Elon Musk to publicly release his financial disclosure forms, which would detail any potential conflicts of interest as he rapidly reshapes the federal government. Warren, alongside Democratic Senators Adam Schiff and Richard Blumenthal, on Thursday sent a letter to Musk urging him to "immediately" make public details about his sources of income, stock holdings, and other assets. "Without that information, the American people have … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
The 19th: Anti-abortion centers face little regulation. The SAD Act could change that.
Democratic lawmakers are pushing for the federal government to better regulate anti-abortion centers, facilities that seek to dissuade people from terminating their pregnancies, The 19th is first to report. The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act will be reintroduced Thursday by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon. The bill aims to empower the Federal Trade Commission to regulate these often religiously affiliated centers - which are not medical … Continue Reading
February 12, 2025
Wall Street Journal: Warren, Waters Warn Bank Regulators Against Aiding ‘Unlawful’ DOGE Actions
Key Democrats are calling on the heads of the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and others to safeguard the sensitive data they hold after the Trump administration threw one of the nation’s banking regulators into turmoil. In their Wednesday letter, which was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) said they thought that recent access by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency into the … Continue Reading
February 12, 2025
Boston Globe: Markey, Warren demand clarity on NIH, NSF funding amid Trump administration cuts
In a strongly worded letter, US Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday demanded clarity from the heads of the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation on the funding status of the two agencies, after a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's effort to drastically reduce federal support for biomedical research. "The NIH and NSF are the largest public funders of research in the United States - fueling the development of lifesaving treatments for … Continue Reading
February 12, 2025
ABC News: Democrats vow to fight shutdown of consumer watchdog agency
A group of 191 House and Senate Democrats sent a letter to Russell Vought, the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, calling on them to reverse course on actions targeting the nation's consumer financial watchdog agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to safeguard Americans against unfair business practices. It has been brought to a virtual … Continue Reading
February 11, 2025
Business Insider: Elizabeth Warren lays out 3 things on the line for student-loan borrowers ahead of Trump's Education Department pick facing Congress
Two Democratic lawmakers want President Donald Trump's education secretary nominee to come prepared with ideas to protect student-loan borrowers ahead of her appearance in Congress this week. Linda McMahon, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Education, is scheduled to have her confirmation hearing on Thursday. In their first preview of how they plan to approach the hearing, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent a letter to McMahon on Tuesday — exclusively viewed by Business … Continue Reading
February 11, 2025
CNBC: Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Current FDIC staffing shortages ‘threaten the safety and soundness of the banking system’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to reevaluate the decision to rescind more than 200 job offers to bank examiners in the wake of President Donald Trump's federal hiring freeze. The FDIC is already severely understaffed, which "threatens the stability of the banking system," Warren, D-Mass., explained in a letter sent Monday to Inspector General Jennifer Fain and shared exclusively with CNBC. In the letter, also signed by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., … Continue Reading
February 07, 2025
Bloomberg Tax: Warren Demands Watchdog Probe of Musk Team's Treasury Access
Democrats led by Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on Treasury and IRS watchdogs to probe federal payment system access granted to tech billionaire Elon Musk or his surrogates. Treasury has faced the ire of Democrats in both the House and Senate, and face lawsuits accusing the agency and newly confirmed Secretary Scott Bessent of breaking federal laws by providing access. Conflicting responses from Treasury and President Donald Trump about what happened … Continue Reading
February 07, 2025
New York Times: Senate Democrats Demand Clarity About Musk’s Efforts at Education Dept.
Senate Democrats demanded answers from the Education Department on Thursday about the scope of Elon Musk’s data collection efforts at the agency, which appears to be a focus of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting initiative. The letter, by a coalition of 15 lawmakers, reflected growing concern about the aggressive incursions that members of Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have made into an array of federal agencies, including the Education Department. It came as … Continue Reading
February 06, 2025
Politico Pro: Senate Dems press RFK Jr. for more ethics pledges ahead of floor vote
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent ethics concessions aren't assuaging two Senate Democrats on the panels charged with vetting his nomination to be HHS secretary. Senate Finance member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions member Tim Kaine (D-Va.) demanded additional commitments from Kennedy on Wednesday ahead of his confirmation vote - which could occur as soon as next week - to mitigate what they say are continued conflicts of interest. In a letter shared … Continue Reading
February 05, 2025
Politico Pro: Warren presses Trump’s USTR nominee on ‘haphazard’ tariffs
Senate Finance Committee member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) asked the nominee to lead the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to explain President Donald Trump's "chaotic and haphazard" approach to tariffs and trade in a letter sent Tuesday. Warren in her letter calls tariffs an "important strategic economic tool" but took the Trump administration to task for courting a trade war by threatening to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Warren's letter is the latest … Continue Reading
February 05, 2025
Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Warren Agrees With Trump: Big Banks Discriminate
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said her office has identified thousands of examples of consumers losing access to their bank accounts. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Elizabeth Warren agrees with President Trump about something. The Democratic senator from Massachusetts told Trump on Tuesday that she thinks the White House should take action to stop what she said were discriminatory practices by the country’s biggest banks, according to a letter from her office that was viewed by The Wall Street … Continue Reading
February 04, 2025
Politico: Warren, Wyden call for probe of Musk aides’ access to Treasury payments
The top Democrats overseeing the Treasury Department are calling on a congressional watchdog to investigate the Trump administration's decision to give Elon Musk's team access to the federal system that controls trillions of dollars in payments. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Tuesday asked the Government Accountability Office to open an inquiry into how newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed Musk’s government efficiency group to gain access to the … Continue Reading
February 04, 2025
NBC News: With military housing costs skyrocketing, Democratic senators request Pentagon action
During his 11 years as a Marine, Brenden Taylor and his family have moved several times. But when they left Okinawa, Japan, in 2022 for Camp Pendleton in Southern California, finding an affordable home to rent using his military housing allowance became an almost impossible challenge. Finally, they found something they could afford in Murietta, a 45-minute drive from the base. Rising rents are a problem for many families. From 2021 to 2023, the median U.S. rent increased 25%, adjusted for … Continue Reading