Press Releases
Members of Congress Raise Ethics Concerns about Deputy White House Counsel
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, today sent a letter to Stefan Passantino, Deputy White House Counsel and Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO), questioning his previous financial connections to Carl Icahn, as well as other Trump Administration officials, and the resulting … Continue Reading
April 20, 2017
Senators Call on Trump to Disclose Ethics Waivers and White House Visitor Logs
Whitehouse, Udall, Carper, Heinrich, Warren, Markey, Duckworth: 'Secrecy is becoming the hallmark of the Trump White House' 'The American public is entitled to know who meets with the President and White House policy makers' 'We stand ready to work with your Administration to ensure the federal government meets the highest ethical standards. We are prepared to press for legislation to address these issues if you do not" Washington, D.C. - Amidst reports of lobbyists, lawyers, and … Continue Reading
April 20, 2017
Support for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Grows
Washington, D.C. - In a signal of growing support for the bipartisan Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, Consumers Union, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology have released letters endorsing the legislation. These three groups joined a number of other leading organizations representing seniors, consumers and hearing health professionals in expressing support for the bill's potential to lower the costs of hearing aids … Continue Reading
April 20, 2017
Senators Question Steve Bannon, White House Ethics Official on Violations of Trump Ethics Pledge
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), today raised questions about reported communications between Steve Bannon, Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to President Trump, and his former employer, Breitbart News. In letters addressed to Mr. Bannon and Stefan Passantino, the designated agency ethics official for the White House, the senators asked for clarification on recent reports … Continue Reading
April 19, 2017
Senators Warren and Markey Call on FERC to Revoke Decision to Allow Western Mass. Pipeline to Begin Construction
Text of the letter is available here [PDF] Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), calling on the agency to revoke its authorization for Kinder Morgan to begin construction on its Connecticut Expansion Project in Western Massachusetts until FERC is able to consider pending challenges to the project. The Senators also note that FERC is allowing construction to … Continue Reading
April 18, 2017
On Tax Day, Senators Ask Government Watchdog to Review Tax-Time Products
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.), today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of the tax-time financial products most commonly used by taxpayers, as well as the transparency of and fees charged for these financial products. "An overwhelming majority of Americans rely on paid tax … Continue Reading
April 12, 2017
As Tax Day Approaches, Senators Will Introduce Bill to Simplify Tax Filing
Bill Text, Fact Sheet Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with ten other senators, today announced plans to reintroduce the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2017 to simplify and decrease the costs of the tax filing process for millions of American taxpayers. This year, taxpayers will spend an average of 13 hours preparing and filing their returns, and will pay $200 for tax preparation services - a cost equal to almost 10 percent of the average federal tax … Continue Reading
April 11, 2017
Government Watchdog to Conduct Review of Trump Transition Process
April 07, 2017
Senator Warren Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Grow Small Businesses and Promote Home Ownership
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has co-sponsored a bipartisan bill introduced by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would boost local economies and businesses by providing small business owners and potential homeowners better access to financial capital through credit unions. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) also cosponsored the legislation. The Credit Union Residential Loan Parity Act, S.836, would spur home ownership and business and job growth … Continue Reading
April 07, 2017
Senators Raise Concerns About DOD Oversight of Colleges Receiving Tuition Assistance Funds
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D.-Conn.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis raising concerns with the Department of Defense's (DoD) recently announced policy to ensure regulatory compliance by educational institutions that receive DoD Tuition Assistance (TA) funds to educate women and men of the armed services. In the letter, the senators asked … Continue Reading
April 06, 2017
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Statement on the U.S. Military Strike in Syria
Washington, DC - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, issued the following statement tonight: "The use of chemical weapons against innocent Syrian men, women, and children is a clear violation of international law. The Syrian regime must be held accountable for this horrific act, and its actions underscore why the United States should embrace innocent people who are fleeing in terror. "But the Constitution gives the power to authorize the … Continue Reading
April 06, 2017
Senators Warren, McCain, Cantwell and King Introduce 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Angus King (I-Maine) today will re-introduce the 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act, a modern version of the Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall) that protects American taxpayers, helps community banks and credit unions compete, and decreases the likelihood of future financial crises. Reinstating Glass-Steagall has broad bipartisan support from the public and policymakers, … Continue Reading
April 06, 2017
Warren Co-Sponsors Blumenthal Legislation To Block Immigration Enforcement At Sensitive Locations
Washington, D.C. - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and ten other senators in introducing legislation to prevent immigration enforcement officers from taking enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and religious institutions without prior approval and exigent circumstances. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland Security's existing policies and expands on those policies to ensure … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
Statement from Senator Warren and Ranking Member Cummings on Resignation of Richmond Fed President
Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement today on the resignation of Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker, upon his admission that he had previously leaked sensitive information concerning the Fed's economic stimulus plans: "More than two years after the leak, the Fed's internal investigation appeared … Continue Reading
March 31, 2017
Murray, Warren Question Department of Education Official's Ties, Conflicts of Interest with For-Profit College Chain
Murray: "The Department's policies related to higher education... directly and substantially impact Bridgepoint, raising questions about how Mr. Eitel has addressed conflicts of interest between his employment at Bridgepoint and work at the Department" Warren: "My concerns about Mr. Eitel's arrangement have been exacerbated by one of [Secretary DeVos's] first major higher education actions...[Secretary DeVos] delayed critical deadlines related to the Department's implementation of Gainful … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
As Health Care Debate Shifts, Senator Warren Joins Senator Franken and Senate Colleagues in Milestone Effort to Bring Down Prescription Drug Prices
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of Congressional Republicans' failed attempt to rip health coverage away from millions of Americans, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) and a key group of Senate Democrats in launching a major push to improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by bringing down the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs, one of the main reasons why health care costs are rising. An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that prescription drug … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Senator Warren Joins Senator Cantwell and Colleagues to Demand Trump Abandon Harmful DOE Cuts
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 16 other Democratic senators in a letter to President Trump urging him to reverse course on his plan to cut the Department of Energy's (DOE) fiscal year 2018 budget. "The Department of Energy is a science and technology leader, with an unrivaled network of national laboratories, accelerating … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Senators Request SEC Inspector General Investigation into Acting Chairman's Moves to Reconsider Dodd-Frank Rules and Weaken Agency Enforcement
Washington, D.C. - Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), today sent a letter to the Inspector General (IG) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting an investigation into recent actions taken by Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar to reconsider congressionally-mandated Dodd-Frank rules and to scale back the investigative powers of the agency's enforcement staff. The senators expressed concern that Piwowar's … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Senators Warren and Carper Question Office of Government Ethics on Ivanka Trump’s White House Role
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) today questioned the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), about how President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, will comply with federal ethics rules in her role as "the presidents 'eyes and ears' ... providing broad-ranging advice" in the White House. "Ms. Trump's increasing, albeit unspecified, White House role, her potential conflicts of interest, and her commitment to voluntarily comply with relevant ethics … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Durbin, Murray, Warren, Brown, Senators Urge Education Department To Protect Students and Taxpayers From Failing Colleges
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After the Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that Federal Student Aid (FSA) failed to identify Corinthian Colleges' weak financial situation and allowed the failing for-profit to continue receiving Title IV student aid dollars without restriction, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) led a group of senators calling on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to implement OIG's … Continue Reading
