Press Releases
Warren Applauds HHS Secretary Azar Decision to Move Forward with Mandatory Bundled Payment Models
Boston, MA - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) applauded HHS Secretary Alex Azar's announcement today that he would pursue mandatory payment models. This decision will improve data about bundled payments, giving health care researchers the rigorous tools they need to understand how payment reforms can bring down costs and lead to higher quality health care.Secretary Azar's announcement that "mandatory models are going to see a comeback" reverses troubling steps taken by … Continue Reading
November 02, 2018
Warren, Markey Demand Explanation from Columbia Gas on Delayed Gas Restoration Timeline in Merrimack Valley
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to Columbia Gas seeking clarification from the company after it announced that the timeline for gas restoration for Merrimack Valley residents affected by the September gas fires and explosions could be delayed significantly. On September 13, natural gas explosions started as many as 70 fires in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, Massachusetts, damaging or destroying … Continue Reading
October 31, 2018
Warren Questions Commerce Secretary Ross on Trump Steel Tariff Exemptions that Favor Chinese and Japanese-owned Companies Over American Companies
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to request information regarding the Commerce Department's tariff exemption process after a staff review found that the overwhelming majority of exemptions from President Trump's steel tariffs have gone to the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies rather than U.S.-headquartered firms. "You appear to be implementing the tariff exemption program in a way that undermines … Continue Reading
October 31, 2018
Warren Presses Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Safety Concerns at Pilgrim Power Plant
Boston, MA - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to Kristine Svinicki, Chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), to reiterate her concerns regarding the safety operations at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station ("Pilgrim") in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The senator's letter, which marks the sixth time she has written to the NRC regarding Pilgrim's safety concerns, comes amid reports that the plant has been powered down for a total of 57 days this year … Continue Reading
October 29, 2018
Warren, Markey Announce Release of Additional LIHEAP Funding for Massachusetts Residents
Boston, MA - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) release of an additional $136,483,517 of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to Massachusetts. This funding, which includes $204,725 for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, follows a letter sent by Senators Warren, Markey, and 38 of their Senate colleagues earlier this month calling on HHS to release … Continue Reading
October 26, 2018
Senators Warren and Markey Decry Announced Delay in “House Ready” Deadline for Merrimack Valley Residents Impacted by Gas Explosions and Fires
Boston, MA - Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey released the following statement after Columbia Gas announced an expected delay in meeting the target of having all customers impacted by the September 13 explosions and fires “House Ready” by November 19. “As temperatures fall, so do the odds that Columbia Gas will fix everyone’s homes in time to meet the initial November 19 deadline. More resources, more people, whatever it takes - that is what Columbia Gas … Continue Reading
October 26, 2018
Massachusetts and New Hampshire Delegations Applaud Award of Substantial Anti-Heroin Task Force Grant
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the lead Democrat of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), along with Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Mike Capuano (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), Joe Kennedy … Continue Reading
October 26, 2018
Warren Applauds Women Veterans Peer Counseling Provisions Included in New Opioids Law
Washington, DC - When Congress passed bipartisan legislation to combat the opioid crisis earlier this month, it included important elements of the Women Veterans Peer Counseling Enhancement Act, which Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced in February 2018. The Women Veterans Peer Counseling Enhancement Act was designed to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Peer Support Program is equipped with an adequate number of peer counselors to address … Continue Reading
October 25, 2018
Sens. Warren, Smith Seek Explanation for HHS Secretary Azar's Misleading Testimony on President Trump's Broken Drug Pricing Promises
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today sent their second letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar about his potentially misleading statements during Senate testimony in which he blamed pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drug distributors for drug manufacturers' ongoing refusal to meaningfully reduce their prices. On May 30, 2018, President Trump promised that drug companies would "announce voluntary massive … Continue Reading
October 25, 2018
Senators Warren and Markey Call for Emergency Home Heating Funds in Wake of Merrimack Valley Natural Gas Explosions and Fires
Washington, DC - Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey today asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy to include funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Emergency Contingency Fund in the next appropriations bill. The Secretary of Health and Human Services can distribute these emergency funds at his discretion in order to meet any … Continue Reading
October 25, 2018
Sens. Warren, Markey & Reps. Tsongas, Moulton Affirm Small Business Administration Assistance to Merrimack Valley Businesses
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced emergency assistance to small businesses and non-profit organizations impacted by the September 13th Merrimack Valley disaster, under the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Last week, the lawmakers called on … Continue Reading
October 24, 2018
Warren Examines McKinsey & Company's Services to Saudi Government
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to McKinsey & Company asking a series of questions about the scope of its consulting services to, or for the benefit of, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In her letter to Kevin Sneader, the global managing partner of the firm, Senator Warren requests that McKinsey provide a full, transparent accounting of how McKinsey's work may have enabled the Kingdom to repress critics and commit other human … Continue Reading
October 23, 2018
Warren, Murray Release GAO Report Showing Trump Administration's Opioid Response Falls Short of Big Promises
Washington, DC - Today, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing that the public health emergency announced by President Trump has resulted in almost no meaningful action by the Trump Administration. While President Trump made big promises to communities ravaged by the epidemic, GAO found his … Continue Reading
October 22, 2018
Warren Demands Answers on Targeted Killing Operations in Yemen by Former U.S. Servicemembers
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent letters to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to demand an investigation into and request information about a recent report in BuzzFeed News that describes targeted killing operations in Yemen by former or current U.S. servicemembers hired by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The letters, which call into question the legality of these operations in Yemen, also question … Continue Reading
October 22, 2018
Sens. Warren, Markey & Reps. Tsongas, Moulton Seek Disaster Relief for Small Businesses Affected by Merrimack Valley Explosions
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), today sent a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in support of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' request for emergency assistance under the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program made following the Merrimack Valley gas explosions last month. If granted, the SBA's EIDL program would assist … Continue Reading
October 22, 2018
In Wake of Merrimack Valley Explosions, Senators Warren, Markey Demand Answers from PHMSA on Safety Gaps in Federal Natural Gas Pipeline Regulations
Washington, DC - After additional briefings from the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) on the causes of the September 13 Merrimack Valley gas pipeline explosions, Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey today asked the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) whether existing regulations are sufficient to prevent repeat disasters. The Columbia Gas disaster in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts was caused when two pressure-sensing lines both … Continue Reading
October 19, 2018
Sens. Warren, Markey & Reps. Tsongas, Moulton Work to Ensure Tax Exemptions for Those Affected by Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), along with Representatives Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), today sent letters to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Massachusetts Department of Revenue Commissioner Christopher C. Harding urging them to ensure that residents and businesses in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts would not be required to pay federal taxes on disaster relief payments they received for … Continue Reading
October 19, 2018
Warren, Bonamici, Colleagues Call on DeVos to Release Documents Used in Decision to Restore Recognition of For-Profit Accreditor ACICS
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), along with six of their Senate colleagues and six of their House colleagues, sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to request information regarding the U.S. Department of Education's decision to reinstate the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as a federally-recognized accreditor. The lawmakers' letter follows a troubling report that the … Continue Reading
October 18, 2018
Warren, Wyden Question Misleading HHS Statements on Child Separation Database
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today announced a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar seeking answers on whether HHS misled Congress and the public about the implementation of President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy and the agency's ability to track separated parents and children.Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office … Continue Reading
October 18, 2018
Warren Urges Federal Reserve to Maintain Wells Fargo Growth Restriction Until CEO Tim Sloan is Replaced
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell urging him to maintain the Federal Reserve's growth restriction on Wells Fargo until the bank replaces CEO Tim Sloan with someone who is not deeply implicated in the bank's misconduct. The letter states that the Wells Fargo Board of Directors cannot comply with the Federal Reserve's requirements for rescinding the growth restriction if it continues to employ a … Continue Reading
