Op-eds
CNN Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren: Trump, show us you'll stand up for workers
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Over the past eight years, President Barack Obama has advanced strong executive actions and federal rules that have provided millions of people with better wages, better benefits and stronger protections in the workplace. On Friday, a new president will move into the Oval Office. He will face a stark choice -- expand on those efforts or destroy them. Despite years of flat wages and exploding fixed costs such as housing, education and health care, Republicans in Congress have long refused even … Continue Reading
January 15, 2017
Boston Globe Op-Ed: The GOP’s strategy for Obamacare? Repeal and run.
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
FOR EIGHT YEARS, Republicans in Congress have complained about health care in America, heaping most of the blame on President Obama. Meanwhile, they've hung out on the sidelines making doomsday predictions and cheering every stumble, but refusing to lift a finger to actually improve our health care system. The GOP is about to control the White House, Senate, and House. So what's the first thing on their agenda? Are they working to bring down premiums and deductibles? Are they making fixes to … Continue Reading
December 01, 2016
The Patriot Ledger Op-Ed: Natural gas projects prioritize profit over safety
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Because we must import nearly all of our fossil fuels from other states or abroad, Massachusetts must be very thoughtful about energy policy and how it affects both our families and our businesses. Over the last decade, we have helped lead the nation in innovations about how to produce and use energy, making significant advances in energy efficiency, clean energy, and a modernized electricity grid. But not all changes move us into a more secure future. Pending proposals to construct natural … Continue Reading
September 08, 2016
New York Times Op-Ed: What Apple Teaches Us About Taxes
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Apple got a big surprise last week when the European Commission ordered Ireland to collect more than $14 billion in back taxes from the company. The global giant had been attributing billions of dollars in profits to a phantom head office, allowing it to pay a tax rate of 1 percent or lower. Both Apple and Ireland are appealing the decision, but the commission's announcement was the latest sign that multinational corporations are running out of places to hide from paying taxes. The door is … Continue Reading
August 10, 2016
New England Journal of Medicine Op-Ed: Strengthening Research through Data Sharing
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Data sharing has incredible potential to strengthen academic research, the practice of medicine, and the integrity of the clinical trial system. Some benefits are obvious: when researchers have access to complete data, they can answer new questions, explore different lines of analysis, and more efficiently conduct large-scale analyses across trials. Other advantages, such as providing a guardrail against conflicts of interest in a clinical trial system in which external sponsorship of research … Continue Reading
June 06, 2016
CNN Op-Ed: Elizabeth Warren: Republicans, stop obstructing Obama
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Just hours after news broke of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's passing, Donald Trump gave Senate Republicans three words of advice on filling the vacancy: "delay, delay, delay." Senate Republicans didn't need his advice: that has been their strategy for years. Before Barack Obama set foot in the Oval Office, Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues decided to block him at every turn -- no matter what. They publicly promised to make government work, but away from the cameras … Continue Reading
May 02, 2016
Chicago Sun-Times Op-Ed: How to give people on Social Security a fairer shake
by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Tammy Duckworth
In 2009, a Chicagoan by the name of David Voigt lost his job. He applied for job after job. He even tried finding work in different fields and new careers - but, like so many others at the peak of the recession, he just couldn't find work with the economy doing as poorly as it was. After five years of struggling to get by and make ends meet, Mr. Voigt was on the brink of homelessness when he was able to officially retire and apply for Social Security at the age of 62. His Social Security … Continue Reading
April 07, 2016
Huffington Post Op-Ed: Hard-Working Americans Who Play By the Rules Deserve Retirement Security
by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker
Doctors have a sworn obligation to put the best interests of their patients' above all other interests, including their own. Lawyers have a professional responsibility to protect the best interests of their clients above any other interests, including their own. But, remarkably, financial advisers are allowed to recommend products to unsuspecting customers that are a great deal for the adviser, but not for the person seeking advice. While most advisors put their clients' interests first, some … Continue Reading
March 07, 2016
TalkPoverty.org Op-ed: Why Seniors- Not CEOs- Deserve a Raise
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Any conversation about tackling poverty in the United States should include protecting and expanding Social Security. The reason is pretty straightforward: Social Security is the most powerful tool available to lift people out of poverty. Nearly two-thirds of seniors depend on Social Security for the majority of their income, and millions more children and adults depend upon survivors and disability benefits. According to Center for Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of Census data, Social … Continue Reading
February 29, 2016
Boston Globe Op-Ed: How to level the playing field for working families
by Elizabeth Warren
I GRADUATED FROM law school nine months pregnant with my second baby - and 100 percent unemployable. In 1976, no law firm was going to offer a job to a woman in my "condition," and even if it did, it was perfectly legal to fire me for taking time off when my son was born. Then things began to change. Twenty-three years ago this month, the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, was signed into law. Today, most American workers can take unpaid time off to care for a family member or … Continue Reading
January 29, 2016
New York Times Op-Ed: One Way to Rebuild Our Institutions
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
WASHINGTON - WHILE presidential candidates from both parties feverishly pitch their legislative agendas, voters should also consider what presidents can do without Congress. Agency rules, executive actions and decisions about how vigorously to enforce certain laws will have an impact on every American, without a single new bill introduced in Congress. The Obama administration has a substantial track record on agency rules and executive actions. It has used these tools to protect retirement … Continue Reading
January 08, 2016
Worcester Telegram & Gazette Op-Ed: Learning to cut child poverty
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Last month, Congress took a step to help millions of children escape poverty. Across the country, roughly sixteen million children live in poverty, including more than half the children in public schools. In Massachusetts, 208,000 children live below the poverty line. Poverty is hard on children. Poor children are more likely to have low birth weights, more trouble learning to read, and more problems getting along in school. These early disadvantages never go away. As adults, children reared … Continue Reading
November 11, 2015
CNN.com Op-Ed: Give Social Security recipients a CEO-style raise
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
On Veterans Day we recognize and honor the sacrifices our service members and their families make for our country. We owe our service members the very best, but unless Congress acts, on January 1 more than 9 million veterans who rely on Social Security benefits or pension and compensation benefits will not get their annual cost of living increase. This freeze in funds, which has happened only two other times since 1975, will be really tough on veterans among the 71 million Americans who … Continue Reading
October 20, 2015
Huffington Post Op-Ed: The Banking Industry's Transparent Attempt to Weaken the CFPB
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
You'll never guess who's going around Washington, trolling the halls of Congress, talking about the importance of protecting the long-term health of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The banking industry. That's right: After years of trying to kill, then delay, and then defang the agency, the banking industry and their Republican friends in Congress have launched a new effort to attract Democratic support for their latest attack by claiming that they just want to help the agency and … Continue Reading
September 15, 2015
Credit.com Op-ed: It's Time to Stop Employer Credit Checks
by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Steve Cohen
Bad credit can happen for a lot of reasons, but today many people have bad credit through no fault of their own. Illness, job loss, divorce or the death of a loved one can plunge a family into unexpected hard times. In difficult circumstances like these, a drop in income or taking on more debt can badly damage a credit report-even for a person who continues to make every payment on time. For countless Americans, the fallout from the financial crisis of 2008 continues to damage their credit. … Continue Reading
September 06, 2015
Worcester Telegram & Gazette Op-ed: Making higher education affordable for all
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Students all across Massachusetts are off to college. It's an exciting time, but for many families it also means confronting the exploding cost of higher education. Even adjusted for inflation, a family trying to send a son or daughter to a state school today will face tuition prices that are more than 300 percent of what mom or dad paid a generation ago. High prices are forcing more students and their parents to take on mountains of debt just to get a degree. As each family struggles to … Continue Reading
July 01, 2015
USA Today Op-Ed: Sabotage in your IRA
by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker
It's hard - really hard - to save for retirement. And the stats bear this out: Almost one-third of Americans on the edge of retirement have zero savings. Another third have saved less than one year's income. That's why it's important to protect every dollar that someone puts away for their retirement. Many Americans rely on investment advisers for guidance on how to save towards retirement, and most advisers have savers' best interests at heart. But not all advisers put their customers first … Continue Reading
June 30, 2015
TIME Op-Ed: Constitution Had Everything To Do With Gay Marriage Ruling
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Our Constitution fiercely guards freedom and liberty, and strongly disapproves of state-sanctioned discrimination. The Supreme Court's recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges recognizing a fundamental right to equal marriage for LGBT Americans sits squarely within both text and tradition. Indeed, what is truly remarkable about this case is not the outcome, but rather the people who made it possible - all of the many individuals across our nation who came forward to fight for the liberty and … Continue Reading
June 23, 2015
Boston Globe Op-Ed: Trade agreements should not benefit industry only
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
Recently Hillary Clinton joined Nancy Pelosi and many others in Congress to call on the president to reorient our trade policy so that it produces a good deal for all Americans - not just for a handful of big corporations. Here's a realistic starting point: Fix the way we enforce trade agreements to ensure a level playing field for everyone. Many of our close allies - major trading partners like Australia, Germany, France, India, South Africa, and Brazil - are already moving in this direction. … Continue Reading
June 05, 2015
Springfield Republican Op-Ed: Republican budget makes rich richer, hurts Massachusetts families
by Senator Elizabeth Warren
A budget is a building plan for the future. It's about what it takes for our families, our businesses, and our economy to thrive. What do we need? Our kids need a good, affordable education. Our workers need good wages, good benefits, and good jobs here in America, jobs built on 21st century innovation and technology. Our businesses and workers need transit, roads, and bridges that are safe enough, strong enough, and fast enough to get us to work and to keep goods and services moving. And … Continue Reading
