Op-eds
Boston Globe: Getting people the behavioral health care they need
by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Joe Kennedy III
Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled in favor of more than 50,000 patients who brought a class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, for unfairly denying their claims for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. In his ruling, the judge blasted UnitedHealth for cutting costs at patients’ expense and preventing them from getting recommended treatment unless their behavioral health issue was an emergency.This ruling was an important … Continue Reading
May 16, 2019
Brennan Center for Justice Op-Ed: End the Two-Tiered System of Justice
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Four words are etched above the doors to the Supreme Court: "Equal Justice Under Law." That simple principle should be the foundation of our criminal justice system. But the hard truth is that America has two separate and very unequal justice systems. The first is a justice system exclusively for the wealthy and the well connected. For decades, Washington has let powerful corporate executives escape accountability, even when they scam millions of Americans or crash the U.S. economy. Take the … Continue Reading
May 09, 2019
CNN: Americans don't need cliché financial advice. They just need to be paid more
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Chase Bank fired off a tweet last week staging a hypothetical conversation between one of its customers and her bank account. The customer asks why her account balance is low, and the bank tells her not to go out for food or coffee when she can make it at home instead, or to spend money on a cab when she can just walk. The customer pretends not to listen. "I guess we'll never know," she says, brushing off her low balance and the bank's "advice" on how to manage her money.When I read that … Continue Reading
December 19, 2018
The Eagle Tribune: Justice for the Merrimack Valley starts with real accountability
by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey
The Merrimack Valley gas explosions that occurred this past September were among the most horrific disasters Massachusetts has ever seen. Leonel Rondon, an 18-year-old high school student from Lawrence, tragically lost his life. Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed, and thousands of people were stuck without heat and water in their homes for months. We saw firsthand the devastation these gas explosions caused across these communities. These explosions were a terrible tragedy, … Continue Reading
December 18, 2018
Washington Post: It's time to let the government manufacture generic drugs
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Forty-seven states and the Justice Department are investigating a price-fixing conspiracy that's driving up the cost of generic drugs in the United States. One investigator called it "most likely the largest cartel in the history of the United States ." This crisis calls for action. That is why I'm introducing legislation to authorize the public manufacture of generic drugs wherever drug companies have warped markets to drive up prices. Drug companies use the "free market" as a shield against … Continue Reading
November 29, 2018
Foreign Affairs: A Foreign Policy for All
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Around the world, democracy is under assault. Authoritarian governments are gaining power, and right-wing demagogues are gaining strength. Movements toward openness and pluralism have stalled. Inequality is growing, transforming rule by the people into rule by wealthy elites. And here in the United States, many Americans seem to accept-even embrace-the politics of division and resentment. How did we get here? There's a story Americans like to tell ourselves about how we built a liberal … Continue Reading
October 08, 2018
CNN: End US complicity in Yemen's humanitarian disaster
by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ro Khanna
In August, the world watched in horror as a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Yemen claimed the lives of 40 innocent children. The boys, many under the age of 10, were killed when their school bus was bombed during a class trip. The weapon used in that deadly bombing was made in America.It was not the first time. In June, airstrikes hit a cholera treatment center run by Doctors Without Borders, even though it was clearly identified as a medical facility.In April, 20 civilians, many from a … Continue Reading
October 03, 2018
The Boston Globe: Judge Kavanaugh is a pro-gun judicial extremist
by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Denise Morency Gannon, and Patrick Gannon
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s partisan and openly disrespectful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week raised serious questions about his judicial temperament and fitness to serve as a judge. There are many reasons Judge Kavanaugh does not deserve a promotion to our highest court, but it’s his disregard for common-sense gun safety that hits closest to home for people who have lost loved ones, friends, or colleagues to gun violence. On April 12, 2018, Denise and Patrick’s son, K9 … Continue Reading
October 01, 2018
The Root: Sen. Elizabeth Warren Breaks Down America’s Ugly History of Housing Discrimination and How She Plans to Fix It
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Home ownership is at the heart of the American dream. Michael Smith, his wife, Janet, and their daughter, Ashley, were living that dream. They scrimped and saved for a down payment while he worked full-time moving packages for DHL, and Janet, for Chase. Finally, they bought a modest home with a small yard in a safe Chicago neighborhood.Then the crash of 2008 hit and the bottom fell out. In the space of a few months, DHL eliminated 14,900 jobs-including Michael's. After sixteen years … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
Indianz: Empower tribal communities to address the suicide crisis
by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Raul M. Grijalva
Native American reservations are experiencing an epidemic of suicide that is claiming the lives of countless young people. The lingering trauma of lost brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends echoes through families and communities across Indian Country for years, even generations. As members of Congress, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to mobilize federal resources and work with tribal communities on culturally relevant solutions that will save lives. We have introduced the … Continue Reading
September 14, 2018
The Boston Globe: 10 years after Lehman collapse, Washington is back to its old tricks
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Ten years ago, Lehman Brothers collapsed and set off the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Over the next few years, millions of Americans who had worked hard and played by the rules lost their homes, millions lost their jobs, and millions lost their savings — all because Wall Street gambled with their families’ futures and lost. The damage was staggering. Congress put $700 billion publicly on the line and the Federal Reserve shoveled another $13 trillion through the back door … Continue Reading
September 13, 2018
ELLE: The Major Reason to Stop Brett Kavanaugh That People Aren't Talking About
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
There are a lot of reasons to be concerned about Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh is hostile to health care for millions, thinks Presidents like Trump are above the law, and has given every indication that he will overturn Roe v. Wade. But there’s another big reason: Judge Kavanaugh thinks the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is unconstitutional. Ten years ago, the American economy fell off a cliff and millions of people lost their … Continue Reading
August 15, 2018
Wall Street Journal: Companies Shouldn't Be Accountable Only to Shareholders
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Corporate profits are booming, but average wages haven't budged over the past year. The U.S. economy has run this way for decades, partly because of a fundamental change in business practices dating back to the 1980s. On Wednesday I'm introducing legislation to fix it. American corporations exist only because the American people grant them charters. Those charters confer valuable privileges-such as limited legal liability for their owners-that enable businesses to turn a profit. What … Continue Reading
August 03, 2018
Bloomberg: Worried About Wall Street Conflicts? The SEC Isn’t
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Your lawyer can’t take money from your opponent to give you bad legal advice. If you’re on Medicare, your doctor can’t take kickbacks from drug manufacturers for prescribing their drugs. But, under current law, your broker-dealer can receive monetary rewards and other perks for recommending certain investment products, even if those products aren’t in your best interest.Each year, Americans lose billions of dollars because of brokers who are looking out for their own financial interests … Continue Reading
July 26, 2018
Berkshire Senior: Protecting and Strengthening Healthcare for Seniors
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) are important programs operating in all 50 states that help beneficiaries enroll in the Medicare plans that are right for them, resolve billing issues, and navigate the Medicare system. Across the country, seniors and SHIP counselors are fighting to preserve this program, and I am committed to working to strengthen SHIP in the federal budget. … We are now in the middle of a new budget fight, and President Trump has once … Continue Reading
July 24, 2018
Marie Claire: If You're Not Worried About Justice Kavanaugh Overturning Roe v. Wade—You Should Be
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
President Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and one major reason why is clear: If he is appointed to the Court, Judge Kavanaugh will help overturn Roe v. Wade-the Supreme Court case that affirmed a woman's constitutional right to make decisions about her own body....The dangers posed by Judge Kavanaugh's nomination are very real. Access to contraception is critical to women's physical and economic wellbeing. Ninety-nine percent of U.S. women who have ever had … Continue Reading
July 07, 2018
Standing up for elders and people with disabilities
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
One of my top priorities in the U.S. Senate is working to strengthen the economic security of seniors and people with disabilities in Massachusetts. But today, some in Washington are trying to tear apart critical programs that help people live their lives with dignity.Last year, President Trump and congressional Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut the Medicaid program that helps millions of seniors stay in their homes and live independently, and also helps pay … Continue Reading
June 11, 2018
El Nuevo Dia: Vivienda para refugiados boricuas
by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey
Hace ocho meses, el huracán María convirtió a Puerto Rico y a las Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos en una zona de desastre. La tormenta le arrancó los techos a las casas y a las empresas, inundó las regiones montañosas, arrasó las carreteras, y destruyó la infraestructura crítica. La red eléctrica de Puerto Rico fue destruida. Millones de residentes se quedaron sin electricidad, sin agua potable, y sin acceso a … Continue Reading
May 31, 2018
Springfield Republican: Puerto Ricans still suffering from hurricane damage. It's time for Congress to act
by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey
Eight months ago, Hurricane Maria turned Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands into a disaster zone. The storm ripped the roofs off homes and businesses, flooded mountainous regions, washed out roads, and destroyed critical infrastructure. Puerto Rico's power grid was demolished. Millions of residents were left without power, clean water, or access to help.We witnessed the hurricane's lasting, devastating consequences firsthand when we visited Puerto Rico in January along with other members … Continue Reading
May 30, 2018
TIME: Trump’s New Proposal Is Another Attempt by the Government to Control Women’s Bodies
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
The Trump Administration is trying to turn back the clock on women's healthcare and reproductive rights....Last week, the president proposed reviving a Reagan-era rule that targets the Title X family planning program. The rule is a multi-pronged attack on women. First, it threatens Title X patients' access to medically accurate information by restricting what providers can tell patients about abortion services - even when patients directly ask for that information. Second, it loosens … Continue Reading
