Press Releases
Senators Warren and Brown Examine Questionable Business Practices of Largest Managers of Online Degree Programs
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) wrote to the five largest Online Program Management (OPM) companies - 2U, Academic Partnerships, Pearson Learning, Wiley, and Bisk - that administer online degree programs for many colleges and universities, raising concerns about their business practices that appear to undermine the best interests of … Continue Reading
January 23, 2020
Senators Warren and Markey, and Rep. Pressley Demand Answers from Trump Admin on Removal of Student Shahab Dehghani, Pattern of Targeting Iranian Students
Washington, DC - Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today demanded Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provide answers on a pattern of targeting Iranian students for inspection and removal from the United States, and in particular, its apparent refusal to comply with an emergency federal court order to stay the deportation of student Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein Abadi. On January 19, Mr. Dehghani attempted to enter … Continue Reading
January 23, 2020
Warren, Markey, Lynch Announce $1.5 Million HUD Loan Guarantee for Brockton's Downtown Dining District
Brockton, MA - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), along with Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a $1.5 million Section 108 Loan Guarantee to the City of Brockton for its Downtown Brockton Restaurant Infrastructure Fund (DBRIF) project.The fund -- which is expected to create or retain at least 43 full-time jobs -- will provide low-interest financing for … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Warren Questions "Too Big to Fail" Banks on Plans to Address Climate Change Risks Faced by Financial Industry
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to the eight global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) under U.S. jurisdiction -- JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Bank of New York Mellon, Morgan Stanley and State Street -- inquiring about the banks' plans to mitigate the climate change risks to the financial industry.Late last year, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco published a series of research papers and held … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Warren Seeks Clarification from Amtrak on Reports of Impending Changes to Fare Policies That Could Impact Massachusetts Passengers
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Amtrak seeking clarification about potential changes in Amtrak's pricing and fare policies that would impact rail passengers in Massachusetts and throughout New England and the Northeast Corridor.Business Insider reported last month on a leaked internal document showing proposed changes to Amtrak's pricing and fare policies. According to the report, Amtrak is considering making its cheapest fares, the "saver" fares, … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Warren joins Murray, Colleagues in Denouncing NLRB Proposal to Strip Students Employed by Private Universities of Workplace Rights
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined HELP Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and 12 Democratic senators in opposing the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) proposal to deny students employed by their private colleges and universities their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In a letter sent yesterday, the senators urged the NLRB to withdraw the proposed … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Sen. Warren Calls on Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry to Resign from Board of Energy Transfer, a Fossil Fuel Company Whose Board He Rejoined Weeks After Leaving Office
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent letters to Energy Transfer, the company responsible for the Dakota Access Pipeline and other controversial fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry that (1) requested additional information regarding Perry's decision to rejoin the company's board of directors just weeks after leaving the U.S. Department of Energy and (2) asked that Mr. Perry reconsider his decision and immediately … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
After Years of Pressure, Senator Warren Applauds Treasury Department and IRS Decision to Expand Tax Exemptions for Cancelled Student Loans
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the statement below following the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) decision to expand tax exemptions for student loan borrowers who attended failing colleges or colleges that defrauded them."Predatory for-profit colleges have cheated hundreds of thousands of students who were trying to build a future, and those student loan borrowers shouldn't have to pay taxes on … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Warren Leads Colleagues Investigating the Revolving Door Between Federal Agencies and the Private Detention Industry
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) questioning their anti-corruption policies and practices after a series of high-profile officials responsible for oversight of the private prison and detention industry have left to join the biggest companies in the industry. Joining the letter are Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Mass. Congressional Delegation Announces Over $76.5 Million in Federal Grants to Combat Homelessness
Boston, MA - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), along with Representatives Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01), James P. McGovern (D-MA-02), Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-MA-04), Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06) and Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $76,567,387 in federal grants to support efforts to end homelessness in Massachusetts.The funding, which was awarded … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Lawmakers Urge Internet Governing Body to Block Private Equity Firm Ethos Capital from Taking Over the .ORG Internet Domain Name Registry
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representatives Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) sent a letter to the leadership of global Internet governance body the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), urging them to block the Internet Society's (ISOC) proposed sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) and its contract to operate the .ORG … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Lawmakers Question Education Department and Accreditor About Fake Universities Used to Entrap Foreign-National Students
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; House Education and Labor Committee Vice Chair Andy Levin (D-Mich.); and House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment Chair Susan Davis (D-Calif.) sent letters to the Department of Education and the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) regarding their respective roles in the accreditation of the … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Warren, Markey Press OCC for Solutions Following Closure of TD Bank in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, MA - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) wrote to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to request that the agency meet with community leaders to find a solution for residents affected by the closure of a TD Bank branch in Springfield, Massachusetts. The senators' letter, which follows a similar request made by Massachusetts State Senator James T. Welch and State Representative Bud Williams, comes with over 3,000 … Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
Warren, Van Hollen Seek Insider Trading Probe Following Report that President Trump Informed Mar-a-Lago Guests in Advance of Iran Attack that Killed Major General Qasem Soleimani
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment; sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) requesting that the agencies open … Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
Senator Warren and Reps. Velázquez and Thompson Urge President to Fully Fund Emergency Response in Puerto Rico
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; House Small Business Committee Chair Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.); and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.); sent a letter urging President Trump to waive Puerto Rico's local cost-sharing requirement following recent earthquakes and to ensure that the … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Senators Warren and Brown Raise Alarms Over IRS's Decision to Allow Private Debt Collectors Direct Access to Taxpayer Bank Accounts
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protections, and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig raising alarm about the agency's October 2019 decision to introduce preauthorized direct debit as … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Senators Introduce Anti-War Crimes Resolution That Denounces Trump Threats to Attack Iranian Cultural Sites
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today in introducing a Senate resolution condemning Trump's threats to attack cultural sites in Iran and demanding the President refrain from violating the law of armed conflict. The resolution responds to President … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Warren Demands Answers on Reports of Iranians and Iranian Americans Held Up at Border Crossings
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan requesting information regarding recent reports that dozens of Iranian Americans and others of Iranian heritage have been subjected to additional scrutiny at United States border crossings or have been denied entry into the country.Last week, following the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the … Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
Warren Statement on Trump Administration Plans to Weaken Fair Housing Rules
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration's plans to replace the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule."It's shameful that at a time when housing discrimination is still rampant, President Trump and Secretary Carson continue to try to gut foundational civil rights laws like the Fair Housing Act," said Senator Warren. "This new proposal is a major retreat in the Federal Government's efforts to … Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
Public Housing Agencies in Massachusetts Awarded Over $3.5 Million in Federal Grants
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), along with Representatives Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01), James P. McGovern (D-MA-02), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-MA-04), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06) and Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded over $3.5 million in federal grants to public housing agencies (PHAs) in Massachusetts.The funding, which was … Continue Reading
