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Archives: Op-Eds

The Eagle Tribune: Safety standards, accountability must enforced after gas disaster

We will never forget the confusion, the anger and the disbelief this time last year, when our Lawrence, North Andover and Andover communities shook from the gas pipeline explosions that destroyed homes, businesses and roads. The explosions left thousands without heat or hot water during some of the coldest months of the year, put dozens […]

Indian Country Today: The federal government has a responsibility to write a new chapter in the story of its government-to-government relationship with tribal nations

The story of the United States’ treatment of Native Americans is a profoundly painful one. It is a story of genocide and forced removal, of systematic oppression and broken promises. Despite this painful history, the story of Native American people today is also one of resilience in the face of oppression, achievement in every walk of life, and contribution to a country that has taken so much.

Boston Globe: Getting people the behavioral health care they need

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.  

Brennan Center for Justice Op-Ed: End the Two-Tiered System of Justice

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 […]

CNN: Americans don’t need cliché financial advice. They just need to be paid more

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.

The Eagle Tribune: Justice for the Merrimack Valley starts with real accountability

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 […]

Washington Post: It’s time to let the government manufacture generic drugs

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 […]

Foreign Affairs: A Foreign Policy for All

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 international order—one based on democratic principles, committed to civil and human rights, accountable to citizens, bound by the rule of law, and focused on economic prosperity for all. It’s a good story, with deep roots. But in recent decades, Washington’s focus has shifted from policies that benefit everyone to policies that benefit a handful of elites.

CNN: End US complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian disaster

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.