{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where state = \"MA\" and year = 2024 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/memorandum-jake-auchincloss-fourth-year-in-congress", "Memorandum: Jake Auchincloss\u2019 Fourth Year in Congress", "2024-12-31", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Memorandum: Jake Auchincloss\u2019 Fourth Year in Congress\n\nThis year, the House GOP pursued a series of wedge issues, torpedoing bipartisan policies in subservience to Donald Trump. Congressman Jake Auchincloss remained focused on working left, right, and center to deliver local wins and bipartisan solutions for the Fourth District of Massachusetts.\n\nCongressman Auchincloss\u2019 Legislative Victories and Representing Values\n\nAs a \u201cheavy hitter on national security issues,\u201d Auchincloss remained a forceful voice against China, Iran, and Russia\u2019s global axis of authoritarianism serving on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.\n\nServed as Democratic co-chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s Fentanyl Policy Working Group, where he led three bipartisan bills to crack down on the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s role in subsidizing fentanyl precursors and analogues by coordinating U.S. government actions and implementing sanctions and fines.\n\nAs a Member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, helped draft and pass the overwhelmingly bipartisan reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, including improvements to air traffic control recruitment and training and his own legislation to help airports reduce congestion at the curb.\n\nContinued his leading role as an advocate for Ukraine\u2019s right to defend itself from Russia\u2019s invasion forces, and was a strong proponent for the congressional aid package earlier this year.\n\nLed a letter with 52 House Members urging the Biden administration to pursue more vigorous Russian oil sanctions and questioning an exception granted to a U.S.-based company conducting business in Russia and fueling Vladimir Putin\u2019s war economy.\n\nDelivered cable hit after hit forcefully urging President Biden to remove all remaining restrictions on Ukraine\u2019s use of U.S.-manufactured weapons in the final months of his presidency. Auchincloss\u2019 Wall Street Journal op-ed implored Biden to enable Ukraine to deploy combined-arms tactics inside enemy territory, just as NATO militaries would.\n\nDrafted and gained 60 bipartisan cosponsors for the \u201cstrongest set of reforms introduced in Congress to date\u201d to tackle the prescription drug price-gouging abuses of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) \u2013 the middlemen of drug pricing \u2013 with the bipartisan Pharmacists Fight Back (PFB) Act\n\nConfronted the surge in campus antisemitism by holding to account the eight colleges and universities scoring poorly on the ADL\u2019s campus antisemitism report, and by leading a bipartisan letter with over 20 U.S. lawmakers urging the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to investigate these incidents on college campuses and issue a report to Congress with policy recommendations, as it did 20 years ago\n\nAs an \u201coutspoken advocate for gun violence reduction efforts,\u201d wrote to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to encourage school districts to share federal resources available under the Biden administration on safe firearms storage with parents and guardians.\n\nUsed his unique perspective as the youngest parent in the Democratic Caucus to take on trillion-dollar social media corporations on behalf of parents for their corrosive effects on youth mental health. He co-led the successful TikTok divestment bill and introduced his own legislation, the Verifying Kids Online Privacy Act, to raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16 in support of replacing the phone-based childhood with the play-based childhood\n\nWorked across the aisle to tackle explicit deepfakes on social media \u2013 nearly 100% of which is non-consensual, intimate content of women. His legislation, the Intimate Privacy Protection Act, would amend Section 230 to prevent social media companies from evading their responsibility to remove deepfake pornography from their platforms.\n\nDelivering Results at Home\n\nOutreach and casework:\n\nSince his first term in Congress, Congressman Auchincloss has secured tens of millions of dollars in water, transportation, and social services funding across the Massachusetts Fourth. The funds have fixed bridges, cleaned water, and unlocked land for housing. In the past year, he was able to secure over $7 million in FY24 Community Project Funding grants.\n\nIn the past year, Auchincloss\u2019 office provided assistance to constituents across all 35 cities and towns in MA-04:\n\nNearly $1.695 million in tax refunds returned\n\n1,300+ casework inquiries completed\n\n170+ people helped with Social Security benefits\n\n400+ constituents helped with immigration issues\n\nNearly 104,598 responses to constituents through emails, letters, and phone calls\n\nRecognized Leadership\n\nCongressman Auchincloss received the Government Leader Award from the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research in recognition of his commitment to strong intellectual property protection for novel innovation, and health insurance reform that ensures first-dollar coverage for medicines.\n\nDemocratic Whip Katherine Clark stated \u201cJake Auchincloss is a policy leader on lowering patients\u2019 prescription drug costs. In his first term, he helped negotiate and pass the law that empowered Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Now he\u2019s at the forefront of efforts to ensure that health insurers improve patient access and lower out-of-pocket costs.\n\nShattering Echo Chambers\n\nCongressman Auchincloss continued his aggressive \u201cgo everywhere\u201d media strategy this year, using his voice as a \u201cprominent, pragmatic, voice among younger members of the Democratic caucus\u201d to reach diverse audiences.\n\nDuring his fourth year in office, he made over 275 podcast, local media, and national television appearances.\n\nWhile he represents some of the bluest zip codes in the country, the largest city in his district, Fall River, flipped red for President Trump for the first time since President Coolidge in 1924. Congressman Auchincloss appeals to both constituencies, as he is one of the Democrats that makes regular rounds on non-traditional and conservative media outlets like Fox News.\n\nAs part of this approach, Auchincloss has consistently shattered echo chambers on both the far right and far left: be it flipping the script on the GOP\u2019s pandering to the NRA on conservative media, or pushing back on the far-left\u2019s bad faith attacks on Israel.\n\nThis spring, Auchincloss garnered national headlines for calling out the far-left\u2019s double-standard of failing to condemn the surge in antisemitic college protests.\n\nCalled a \u201cparticularly tough interrogator of PBM executives\u201d at a House Oversight Hearing in July, Auchincloss continued keeping the price-gouging abuses of PBMs at the forefront of national attention. Despite the GOP\u2019s caving to the health insurance lobby at the end of this year, he will continue to put maximum pressure on PBMs next Congress.\n\nAs we head into another year of Republican leadership and a second Donald Trump presidency, Congressman Auchincloss will continue to defend democracy at home and abroad; uphold the rule of law and the sanctity of the Constitution; and advance bipartisan legislation to deliver results for Bay Staters.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=5FC7F18C-37D5-4C55-A8DA-A1AEEAC265D5", "Whip Clark Statement on the Passing of President Jimmy Carter", "2024-12-29", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "REVERE, MA \u2013 Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) issued the following statement on the passing of President Jimmy Carter:\n\n\u201cPresident Jimmy Carter was a statesman and humanitarian.\n\n\u201cAs our country\u2019s 39th President, he fought for the dignity of working families and the health of our planet \u2013 standing up for environmental justice and the universal right to clean air and water. Always a peacemaker, he was a force for democracy in all corners of the world.\n\n\u201cIn the decades after he left office, he and First Lady Rosalynn Carter continued to serve the most vulnerable among us. Their work at the Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, and many other organizations saved lives, advanced human rights, and promoted opportunity and stability for those in need.\n\n\u201cPresident Carter\u2019s service of compassion and humility leaves a legacy that will be admired for generations to come. As we come together as a grateful nation to mourn and honor President Carter, my thoughts and prayers are with the entire Carter family.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/29/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4097/", "Neal Statement on the Passing of President James Earl Carter, Jr.", "2024-12-29", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "SPRINGFIELD, MA\u2014Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement...\n\nby: Nick Antonakas, 22 News HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) \u2013 President Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. military operations...\n\nWATCH HERE by: Nick Antonakas, 22 News HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) \u2013 U.S. Rep. Richard Neal toured Holyoke High School to...\n\nBy Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com SPRINGFIELD \u2014 With work on MBTA subway cars ready to ramp up...\n\nSPRINGFIELD, MA\u2014Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement...\n\nLISTEN HERE New England Public Media | By Adam Frenier Springfield U.S. Representative Richard Neal said Tuesday...\n\nLISTEN HERE New England Public Media | By Adam Frenier There's been some confusion whether there are talks going on...\n\n(As prepared for delivery) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It\u2019s been over a year of the Republican trifecta in...", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3441", "Trahan Statement on the Passing of President Carter", "2024-12-29", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "LOWELL, MA \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) released the following statement regarding the passing of President Jimmy Carter:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m deeply saddened by the news of President Carter\u2019s passing, and my condolences go out to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who he and Rosalynn adored more than anything in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cJimmy Carter left his mark on our nation\u2019s history through his unyielding love and appreciation for the American people, his dedication to public service, and his deep devotion to his faith. But more than anything, he\u2019ll be remembered for who he was \u2013 a good man who always saw the best in others. President Carter\u2019s legacy is one that everyone, regardless of political persuasion, should strive to emulate. He will be sorely missed.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:45Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3442", "Trahan Issues 118th Congress End of Term Report", "2024-12-26", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) issued her 2023-2024 End of Term Report to residents of Massachusetts\u2019 Third Congressional District. The report details the work she has done during the 118th Congress to respond to constituent requests, advance legislation, and secure key investments in the communities she represents.\n\n\u201cMy guiding principle as your representative is simple: I believe every family in our Commonwealth deserves a fair shot to get ahead. They deserve good paying jobs, the ability to own a home, and the peace of mind that if a loved one gets sick or injured, their community hospital isn\u2019t on the brink of closing its doors,\u201d Congresswoman Trahan wrote. \u201cThat\u2019s why every time I go to vote, to introduce a bill, or to question witnesses at a hearing, I do so through the lens of how it will help the district that I have the honor to represent.\u201d\n\nKey Highlights from Trahan\u2019s End of Term Report:\n\n2,900 constituent requests for assistance closed\n\n$258.6 million returned to taxpayers and small businesses\n\n64% of all bills introduced were bipartisan\n\n66,000 constituent phone calls and emails answered\n\n985 events and constituent meetings across the Commonwealth\n\n\u201cAbove all else in this job, I am accountable to you. I\u2019ve compiled this End of Term Report so you can review the work my team and I have been doing to live up to our mission. I\u2019m proud of the progress we\u2019ve made on many important issues, but there\u2019s much more to do. I will continue working with whoever \u2013 Democrat, Republican, or Independent \u2013 to ensure our district has a voice at the table,\u201d Congresswoman Trahan continued.\n\nThe full report can be accessed HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:45Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-renews-fight-to-address-chronic-underfunding-and-barriers-to-sovereignty-in-indian-country", "Warren Renews Fight to Address Chronic Underfunding and Barriers to Sovereignty in Indian Country", "2024-12-23", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Renews Fight to Address Chronic Underfunding and Barriers to Sovereignty in Indian Country\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reintroduced the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act. The bill is designed to implement recommendations from the report Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans, published by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in December 2018. The report was drafted with extensive input from Tribal governments and citizens and other stakeholders, concluding that federal programs designed to support the social and economic wellbeing of Tribal Nations and Native peoples remain chronically underfunded and often inefficiently structured.\n\nWhile the federal government has substantial trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, it has repeatedly failed to honor these obligations. The report put it bluntly: \u201cThe United States expects all nations to live up to their treaty obligations and it should live up to its own.\u201d\n\nThis bill reaffirms the relationship between the federal government and Tribal nations and would strengthen federal programs for Native communities. The bill lays out a path to ensure the United States meets its promises to Tribal nations. Provisions in the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act include:\n\nCriminal Justice and Public Safety: Grants full Tribal jurisdiction modeled on the Violence Against Women Act\u2019s special tribal criminal jurisdiction, with funding to implement it if tribes choose; provides funding for Tribal justice systems, Tribal law enforcement, and detention facilities; requires Tribal consent before a federal execution of a Tribal citizen; establishes grants to support Native victims of crime; victim advocates for Native victims of all crimes;\n\nHealth Care: Provides full, mandatory, inflation-adjusted funding for the Indian Health Service; funding for the Sanitation Facilities Construction Program; provides funding for the Special Diabetes Programs for Native Americans; permanent FMAP for Urban Indian Health Programs; Medicaid coverage of any services provided by Indian health care providers; strengthens Native Hawaiian health care programs; provides funding for Tribal Epidemiology Centers; Medicaid reimbursement for substance use disorder facilities; requires conferring with Urban Indian Health Programs; Medicaid work requirement exemption; clarification of Medicaid policies.\n\nEducation: Provides full funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities, expanding TCU instruction and outreach, and TCU construction, modernization, & repair; full funding for Bureau-funded schools, including construction, modernization, and repair; support for Native language revitalization, and address shortage of Native teachers and of teachers in Native-serving schools (based on Senator Tester\u2019s legislation); Johnson-O\u2019Malley funding; support for culturally inclusive education; support for Alaska Native education programs; Every Student Succeeds Act implementation; funding for local Tribal educational agencies and offices; strengthen TCU graduate and Native language programs.\n\nHousing: Provides full funding for the Indian and Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Programs; set aside of USDA rural housing funding; allow Tribal housing authorities to administer their own voucher programs; funding for the Indian Community Development Block Grants, Section 184 Indian and Native Hawaiian Home Loan Guarantee Programs, and Native American Direct Loans; Tribal HUD-VASH (based on Senator Tester\u2019s bill); Housing Improvement Programs; establishes a Coordinated Environmental Review Workgroup.\n\nEconomic Development: Provides funding for Tribal roads, transit, and transportation programs; funding for Native CDFIs, funding for water pollution control; water and waste disposal program funding; additional funding for fractionated land buybacks; funding for a Tribal Broadband Fund; strengthen the FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy; establishes an FCC Tribal Spectrum Market, and affirm Tribal ownership of spectrum over their lands, in line with Senator Warren\u2019s DIGITAL Reservations Act; E-rate expansion; Tribal Connectivity Fund; funding for USDA Office of Tribal Relations funding for broadband support.\n\n\u201cThis bill will help restore the relationship between our government and Tribal nations and empower them by providing significant, long-term funding for Native communities,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI remain committed to ensuring the U.S. government honors its promises.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe National Congress of American Indians continues to support and applaud the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, and NCAI is pleased that Senator Warren has reintroduced it. As NCAI did in 2022, we stand ready to support the understanding of the legislation. The Act is predicated upon upholding the promises made by the U.S. and would address the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that our federal government provides \u2018steady, equitable, and non-discretionary funding\u2019 to Tribal Nations. To reiterate NCAI\u2019s prior statements, the U.S. has not lived up to the trust responsibility to Tribal Nations and there is indisputable evidence that a crisis of need exists throughout Indian Country on many fronts. The Act provides for needs in health care, public safety, housing, education, economic opportunities, and critical touchstone infrastructures, such as broadband. All of these, and others, are essential needs in Indian Country every day, necessary to the fundamental quality of life in Tribal communities. The same quality of life that every American expects in their own community,\u201d said Larry Wright, Jr., Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians. \u201cAs the Federal-Tribal trust relationship endures into this 21st Century and beyond, this Act represents a necessary evolution of the trust relationship. The Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act breathes life into a fundamental tenet at NCAI, that Indian Country is a non-discretionary part of our national society.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerican Indians and Alaska Natives are this Continents\u2019 First Peoples, yet we remain last in health care status and in accessing robust public health and clinical health services. Despite the sacred promises the United States negotiated with us, we continue to live sicker and die sooner than every other group in America. This must change. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Broken Promises report exposes the often desperate and largely invisible struggles our Nations, communities, and the health systems that serve us endure because the United States continues to break its promises to Tribes. The National Indian Health Board applauds the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, and any other congressional efforts to turn this around and honor the Trust and Treaty obligations of the United States to Tribal Nations,\u201d said Chief Bill Smith, Chairman of the National Indian Health Board, and Vice President of the Valdez Native Tribe.\n\n\u201cThe Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act is a pivotal step in the right direction to ensure that total funding is needed for Native education and empowering our Native youth both in and out of the classroom. We look forward to working with Senator Warren, Representative Kilmer, and all other members of Congress to advance educational opportunities for Native students,\u201d said the National Indian Education Association.\n\n\u201cThe American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) have been beacons of hope for Tribal Nations by offering culturally relevant, place-based Tribal higher education. We endorse the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act to address and rectify the dark passages of Native American history. The failure of the U.S. Government to live up to their treaty promises is not simply a thing of the past but an ongoing legacy that our children have inherited, and they live with the burden of these failures,\u201d stated Ahniwake Rose, AIHEC\u2019s President & CEO, \u201cWe applaud Senator Warren\u2019s and Representative Kilmer\u2019s efforts to acknowledge the past and address these broken promises. We encourage Congress to offer our future generations a new legacy and pass this act as it is a path toward growth and sustainability of Tribal Nations, including through excellence in Tribal higher education.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is pleased to endorse the CDC Tribal Public Health Security and Preparedness Act which would provide Tribes access to funds to prepare for public health emergencies. We are grateful that this bill includes Urban Indian Organization input on the development of public health plans. Equitable access to critical preparedness funds ensures Indian Country is prepared to respond to future public health emergencies,\u201d said Francys Crevier (Algonquin) J.D., CEO, NCUIH.\n\n\"The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) supports the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, which seeks to hold the federal government to its trust and treaty obligations, empower Tribal governments, and improve the lives of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people,\" said Lucy R. Simpson, Executive Director, NIWRC.\n\n\u201cHistorical underfunding has continued to remain an issue for Indian Country. We need federal legislation that reaffirms our important nation-to-nation relationship with the federal government. We thank Senator Warren and Congressman Kilmer for their most recent legislation, The Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, to address these critical issues,\u201d said the Native American Finance Officers Association.\n\n\u201cThe Native CDFI Network (NCN) wholeheartedly supports the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, and we commend Senator Warren and Congressman Kilmer for refining the language of this emerging legislation to authorize the appropriation of unspent Treasury dollars for the benefit of Indian tribes, in particular to Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs),\u201d said Pete Upton, Interim CEO of NCN. \u201cIncreasing the flow of federal resources to Native communities in this way represents an important step in righting the longstanding wrongs perpetrated against our communities, and Native CDFIs are uniquely equipped to transform these resources into positive, lasting outcomes for Native consumers, small business owners, and homeowners.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur Broken Promises report underscored the federal government\u2019s failure to meet its trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations, perpetuating inequities in funding and services. This legislation represents a critical opportunity to reverse this trend and provide Native communities with the resources they need to thrive. The federal government must prioritize equitable, steady, and mandatory funding to empower Tribal Nations to exercise self-governance and build stronger futures for their people. Under Secretary Haaland\u2019s leadership, progress has been made on the Commission\u2019s recommendations, but we cannot stall. Congress must act to honor trust obligations and secure lasting change for Indian Country,\u201d said Chair Rochelle M. Garza, USCCR.\n\n\u201cUSET SPF welcomes and is encouraged by the introduction of the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act. The problems caused by centuries of failure in the delivery of trust and treaty obligations are deep-seated and complex. Accordingly, this legislative initiative will require sustained and thoughtful effort on the part of Congress and Tribal Nations to properly address the findings of the Broken Promises Report. We commend Senator Warren, Representative Kilmer, and their staff for their courage and diligence in ensuring that meaningful action is taken in response to Broken Promises. We look forward to further collaboration to refine and strengthen the bill,\u201d said Chief Kirk Francis, President, United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF).\n\n\u201cIn its Broken Promises report, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission urged Congress to honor the federal government\u2019s trust obligations and pass legislation that would finally provide steady and equitable funding to address unmet needs and support the public safety, health care, educational, housing, and economic development of Native tribes and people,\u201d said former USCCR Commissioner Debo P. Adegbile. \u201cWe are grateful that Senator Warren and Congressman Kilmer transformed the Commission\u2019s recommendations into actionable and meaningful legislation with the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act. The bill would deliver on promises too long deferred.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has worked to protect and advance tribal sovereignty, to emphasize the federal government\u2019s trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, and to affirm Washington\u2019s government-to-government relationship with Tribal Nations:\n\nIn May 2023, Senator Warren reintroduced the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act (S. 2907), which would establish a commission to formally investigate, document, and acknowledge the Federal Indian Boarding School Policies. In August 2021, she and Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), the House lead for this legislation, sent a letter to the Indian Health Service (IHS), urging the agency to ensure that culturally appropriate supports are in place for those affected by the Indian Boarding School Policies. Senator Warren also led a request that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hold a hearing on this bill. The Committee did so, and Senator Warren delivered remarks calling for passage of the bill. She originally introduced this bill in 2020 with then-Congresswoman Haaland.\n\nIn June 2023, the legislation was unanimously reported favorably out of the Indian Affairs Committee. Senator Warren delivered an opening statement at a business meeting of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs which considered her bill, highlighting the need for a truth and healing commission to reckon with the trauma and suffering caused by the federal government\u2019s Indian Boarding School policies\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) introduced the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, historic legislation to address chronic underfunding and barriers to sovereignty faced by Indian Country as a result of the federal government\u2019s failures to meet its trust and treaty responsibilities. The legislation would hold the federal government accountable for honoring the country\u2019s legal promises to Native peoples.\n\nIn April 2021, Senator Warren reintroduced the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act (S. 1368), which invests more than $2.5 billion to build or rehabilitate homes for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and allows tribal housing authorities to administer their own voucher programs. NAIHC adopted a resolution supporting this bill when it was reintroduced in the last Congress. She has long been outspoken about the need to address Indian Country\u2019s housing challenges.\n\nSenator Warren fought to ensure that sovereign Tribal Nations have the resources needed to protect the health and well-being of their citizens during this pandemic. She has introduced a number of bills and taken other steps to advance the health and welfare of Native peoples, including:\n\nthe American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (S. 1868) (provisions of which were included in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2021);\n\nthe Tribal Medical Supplies Stockpile Access Act (S. 3444), legislation that would guarantee that the IHS tribal health authorities, and urban Indian organizations have access to the Strategic National Stockpile of drugs and medical supplies;\n\nthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tribal Public Health Security and Preparedness Act (S. 3968), which would ensure tribal nations have equal access to funding through the CDC to prepare for public health emergencies;\n\nthe Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (S. 3418), which would provide nearly $1 billion a year directly to tribal governments and organizations to combat the substance use epidemic\u2014building on insights she gleaned at roundtables in which she participated with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and at the Choctaw Nation;\n\nthe Native American Suicide Prevention Act, a version of which was enacted in December 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law No. 116-260);\n\nthe Coronavirus Containment Corps Act (S. 188), which would require contact tracing collaboration with Tribal health authorities and funding for the IHS;\n\nthe Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act (S. 4769, 116th Congress), which would ensure that the federal response to the pandemic, including vaccine development, considers and addresses the specific challenges faced by Native women;\n\nthe Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act (S. 3850, 116th Congress), which includes funding for Tribal data collection, and IHS consultation with Tribal Nations;\n\nthe COVID-19 Emergency Manufacturing Act (S. 3847, 116th Congress), which would provide COVID-19 products at no cost to federal, state, local, and IHS and Tribal health programs;\n\nthe COVID Community Care Act (S. 4941, 116th Congress), which would provide emergency funding for community organizations in medically underserved communities, including Native communities;\n\ndelivering floor speeches urging the swift nomination of an IHS director during the Trump administration, and highlighting the toll of the 2019 government shutdown on workers and families in Massachusetts, including those who rely on urban Indian health programs;\n\nwriting op-eds with other champions for Indian Country on health challenges facing Native communities; and\n\ncosponsoring more than a hundred pieces of legislation to benefit Indian Country.\n\nThe Department of the Interior launched a process to review and remove derogatory names\u2014including those containing slurs against Native Americans\u2014from federal lands, consistent with Senator Warren\u2019s bill with Representative Al Green, the Reconciliation in Place Names Act (S. 2400).\n\nSenator Warren helped push for the establishment of an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department. She led a bipartisan group of senators urging Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to establish the Office, echoing longstanding calls from Indian Country. In June 2022, the Treasury Department established a new Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, per Senator Warren\u2019s request.\n\nSenator Warren stood with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in their successful fight to save their reservation in Massachusetts. The Trump administration attempted to disestablish the Tribe\u2019s reservation and litigated the matter. Senator Warren twice cosponsored legislation to provide a fix to the 2009 Supreme Court case Carcieri v. Salazar, so that Tribal Nations\u2019 lands\u2014like those of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe\u2014can be taken into trust and protected. Senator Warren objected to the Trump administration\u2019s efforts, and worked with colleagues and the Tribe to fight the disestablishment. Senator Warren joined then-Congresswoman Haaland in filing a bicameral, bipartisan amicus brief opposing the disestablishment. The Biden administration withdrew the Trump-era legal challenges, preserving the trust status of the Tribe\u2019s homeland and ending the legal challenges it had faced from the executive branch. Last December, the Department of the Interior conclusively reaffirmed the trust status of the Tribe\u2019s reservation, thus securing its future.\n\nSenator Warren has been a leader in the push to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers who perpetrated the Wounded Knee Massacre. She has twice introduced the Remove the Stain Act (S. 1073), pushed for the bill\u2019s inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act, and urged President Biden to use his executive authority to rescind the medals.\n\nSenator Warren has pushed to expand Tribal connectivity. She introduced the DIGITAL Reservations Act (S. 4331, 116th Congress) to affirm Tribal Nations\u2019 and Native Hawaiian organizations\u2019 ownership of broadband spectrum over their lands. And she twice introduced the Extending Tribal Broadband Priority Act (S. 1365), to extend the Federal Communication Commission\u2019s 2.5 GHz Tribal Priority Window.\n\nSenator Warren has worked for Tribal sovereignty on cannabis, including twice introducing the bipartisan STATES Act, which would keep states, territories, and Tribal Nations safe from federal overreach when deciding the best approach to marijuana.\n\nSenator Warren has been outspoken in her support of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). She was an original cosponsor of a resolution marking the 40th Anniversary of ICWA, and has joined two amicus briefs in support of the law.\n\nFor years, Senator Warren has fought back against threats to Tribal lands and waters. She joined efforts to resist the Trump administration\u2019s assaults on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. And she applauded the Biden administration\u2019s decision to reinstate protections for the monuments. Senator Warren also opposed efforts to advance the Keystone XL, Dakota Access, Line 3, and other pipelines. She joined two amicus briefs to support Tribal Nations\u2019 efforts to halt operation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). And she questioned Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works nominee Michael Connor regarding the DAPL and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 relationship with Tribal Nations during his confirmation hearing.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-urges-ftc-to-protect-patients-scrutinize-cardinal-gi-alliance-deal", "Warren Urges FTC to Protect Patients, Scrutinize Cardinal-GI Alliance Deal", "2024-12-23", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Urges FTC to Protect Patients, Scrutinize Cardinal-GI Alliance Deal\n\nMerger of Big Drug Wholesaler, Gastroenterology Service Provider Threatens Competition, Cost Increases, and Health Risks to Patients\n\nBy allowing wholesalers to control physician practices, wholesalers could pressure doctors to prescribe medicine that is most profitable for them, even if it\u2019s not in the best interest of their patients\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, urging the agency to closely scrutinize pharmaceutical wholesaler Cardinal Health\u2019s $3.9 billion proposed acquisition of a majority stake in GI Alliance, the country\u2019s largest gastroenterology management services organization.\n\n\u201cThis deal threatens to limit competition by expanding Cardinal Health\u2019s control of physician practices, while giving Cardinal an incentive to restrict those practices from contracting with Cardinal\u2019s rival wholesalers,\u201d wrote Senator Warren.\n\nCardinal Health has a long history of leveraging its dominant market power in a way that negatively impacts patients and health care providers. The company controls 28% of the prescription drug wholesale market, making it one of the three biggest wholesalers in the country. Along the way, Cardinal has pursued an aggressive vertical acquisition strategy, buying up companies to solidify its dominance in the wholesaler market , including acquiring a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), a data analytics firm, medical device lines, specialty pharmacies, and physician practices. These acquisitions are part of a broader trend of health care conglomerates operating as both seller and buyer of prescription drug services.\n\n\u201cCardinal has consistently locked its customers into restrictive contracts, blocked out rival wholesalers, and squeezed generic drug manufacturers, leading to more frequent drug shortages, higher drug costs, and poorer health outcomes,\u201d wrote Senator Warren.\n\nIn October, Senator Warren sounded the alarm about another one of Cardinal\u2019s proposed acquisitions: Cardinal\u2019s acquisition of Integrated Oncology Network (ION), an MSO that oversees over 50 physician practices spanning 10 states. With this acquisition, Cardinal would be able to force its affiliated practices to enter into sole-source or prime vendor agreements, locking them in and effectively blocking competing wholesalers from offering their services \u2014 while introducing conflicts of interest that could raise drug costs. The FTC did not act, and the acquisition was completed earlier this month. The new Cardinal-GI Alliance deal is even larger in scope, posing a bigger threat.\n\n\u201cIn addition to the concerns I outlined in my October letter, the acquisition of GI alliance introduces further opportunities for self-dealing, as Cardinal serves as the primary supplier of pharmaceutical products for Gastrologix GPO \u2014 the only gastroenterology-focused GPO in the nation,\u201d wrote Senator Warren. \u201cAccordingly, I urge FTC to closely scrutinize this deal, including under Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits any acquisition that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has long highlighted the negative consequences of vertical integration in the health care industry on patients, providers, and taxpayers. Senator Warren recently introduced her Patients Before Monopolies Act (PBM Act), bipartisan and bicameral legislation to prohibit joint ownership of PBMs and pharmacies, a gross conflict of interest that enables these companies to enrich themselves at the expense of patients and independent pharmacies.\n\nSenator Warren has led efforts to use every tool available to the government to lower drug prices and fight anticompetitive business practices in the health care industry:\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the FTC to closely scrutinize the Novo Nordisk-Catalent merger and to block it if it violated antitrust law.\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra asking him to lower the cost of vital weight-loss drugs by using the agency\u2019s existing legal authority to issue generic licenses for semaglutide, a prescription drug sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy.\n\nIn August 2024, Senators Warren and King and Representative Doggett wrote to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo reiterating their agencies\u2019 clear legal authority to use \u201cmarch-in\u201d rights under the Bayh-Dole Act to lower drug prices for Americans.\n\nIn June 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent letters to eight pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily de-list over 100 patents that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined may be improperly or inaccurately listed in the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA\u2019s) Orange Book, which would open opportunity for more competition and lower drug prices for Americans.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, and Under Secretary Laurie Locascio, highlighting the lawmakers\u2019 new review of public comments on the agency\u2019s Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights and urged them to strengthen and finalize the guidance.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the Chamber of Commerce expressing concern and demanding an explanation for the organization\u2019s opposition to the Biden administration\u2019s proposal to boost competition and lower drug prices for American families and businesses by allowing agencies to consider price when deciding to exercise their \u201cmarch-in rights\u201d under the Bayh-Dole Act.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the leadership of Novo Nordisk (Novo), slamming the company for its decision to discontinue production of Levemir (detemir) insulin, one of only three long-acting insulins on the market, and asked the company to commit to continue producing Levemir until a biosimilar is made available.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Warren sent a letter in response to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) discontinuing the brand-name version of Flovent HFA, the go-to inhaler for children, blasting the company for its price-gouging strategy that may cause millions of children to lose access to one of the few drugs that is appropriate to treat their asthma and allergies.\n\nIn February 2024, Senators Warren and Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) led 75 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Biden administration in support of strengthening and finalizing its draft guidance to protect taxpayers and reduce prescription drug prices. The lawmakers submitted a public comment supporting the \u201cInteragency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights\u201d and calling for changes to ensure increased transparency, oversight, and accessibility of medical products invented through taxpayer-funded research and development.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal announced that three drug manufacturers pulled their sham patents after warnings, and urged the FDA to continue fighting against Big Pharma\u2019s patent abuse.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren published an op-ed in Newsweek commending the Biden administration\u2019s announcement that price can be considered in the government\u2019s decision to march-in on a drug, effectively lowering drug costs, and calling on Americans to fight back against an industry that has been taking advantage of them for decades.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren issued a statement after the Biden administration announced it would issue guidance to federal agencies that would allow the government to seize patents of certain expensive drugs developed with taxpayer support to create more competition and lower prices.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent letters to the CEOs of 8 pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily remove sham patent claims improperly included in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book and end their unlawful practices that delay competition and drive up costs for patients and taxpayers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, legislation that would radically reduce drug prices through public manufacturing of prescription drugs.\n\nIn September 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the FTC to issue a policy statement about the improper listing of drug-related patents in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf, urging him to close loopholes that pharmaceutical companies have exploited to block generics from entering the market, keeping drug prices high and maximizing profits.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-auchincloss-moolenaar-lead-letter-calling-on-secretary-blinken-to-support-internet-freedom-in-censored-nations", "Reps. Auchincloss, Moolenaar Lead Letter Calling on Secretary Blinken to Support Internet Freedom in Censored Nations", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014 U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) and Chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, John Moolenaar (R-MI-02), led a bipartisan letter calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration to sponsor a federal prize competition to support satellite technology that offers internet accessibility for repressed citizens of authoritarian nations or countries at war.\n\nIn the letter the lawmakers stated, \u201cThe value of open forums for ideas and information cannot be overstated: Authoritarian governments across the globe cut off internet access to maintain coercive power and undermine freedom. Democracy can prevail through civil discourse; it does not need propaganda or disinformation like authoritarianism does, but we must provide it with the oxygen to compete.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccording to the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, prize competitions benefit the federal government with specific, measurable outcomes,\u201dthe lawmakers wrote. \u201c First, these allow federal agencies to pay only for success: competition increases cost effectiveness, stimulates private-sector investment, and maximizes the return on taxpayer dollars. Secondly, such competitions establish ambitious goals while increasing the number and diversity of individuals, organizations, and teams tackling a problem, including smaller to midsize companies that have not previously received federal funding. Lastly, these prizes underscore our commitment to some of our most deeply-held values as a democracy, inspiring the public to tackle scientific, technical, and societal problems.\u201d\n\nThe additional signers include Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Neal Dunn (R-FL-02), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), and Andr\u00e9 Carson (D-IN-07).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=7995C6BE-6B68-4942-8F79-8EEBEB586E9C", "Whip Clark On House Democrats Defeating Musk-GOP Shutdown", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement after House Democrats defeated the threat of a Musk-GOP shutdown:\n\n\u201cFor the sixth time in two years, House Republicans brought the government to the brink of a shutdown that would have withheld pay from our troops, stranded travelers at airports, and taken food from hungry families. But once again, House Democrats stood strong, stood united, and defeated Republicans\u2019 worst impulses.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear about what happened this week. On orders from the world\u2019s richest man, Republicans tore up their own bipartisan agreement then needlessly threw the country into days of uncertainty during the holiday season. This is a stark preview of the next two years of Republican-controlled government. No spine. No courage. Just deference to billionaires.\n\n\u201cWe already know Elon\u2019s next directive: Break your campaign promises, cut $2.5 trillion from Social Security and Medicare, then use it to lower his taxes. House Democrats will continue to stand with working families. We\u2019re going to keep fighting back in the new Congress. We will not allow the pawns of the ultra-wealthy to dismantle the hopes of the American people.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/20/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4082/", "Neal Marks Anniversary of Republican Tax Scam", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) blasted House Republicans and the President-elect for returning to their same failed playbook of putting billionaires before the American people:\n\n\u201cThe President-elect and House Republicans are barreling toward forcing our troops, law enforcement, TSA agents, among the rest of our federal workforce, to go without pay over the holidays because they shamelessly want to ease the pathway for their deficit-busting handouts next year. The American people have seen this scam before. In fact, Sunday marks the 7th anniversary of Trump\u2019s signature broken promise: the Republican Tax Scam. Famously one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in recent memory that failed to grow the middle class or our economy but left the wealthiest few much better off.\n\n\u201cCall it as it is folks. The Republicans only know how to side with their billionaire friends and donors. With no end in sight to their infighting, they\u2019ll have no choice but to negotiate with us next year where Ways and Means Democrats will fight tooth and nail to bring down costs and expand opportunity for the people.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/20/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4093/", "Air Force Secretary Signs Record of Decision for F-35s at Barnes Air National Guard Base", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Westfield, MA\n\nToday, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, Governor Maura T. Healey, Major General Gary W. Keefe, Colonel David L. Halasi-Kun, State Senator John Velis, and Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe in celebrating the stationing of a new fleet of F-35 aircraft at Barnes Air National Guard Base (ANGB), which was made official after Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall signed the Record of Decision (ROD).\n\nAfter the Secretary of the Air Force approved Barnes ANGB as the preferred location for the new fleet of F-35s on April 17, 2023, the selection required favorable completion of an Environmental Impact Statement. Upon favorable completion, the Secretary of the Air Force needed to sign and report to Congress the ROD. Once reported to Congress, the decision to station the new aircraft at Barnes became official, putting in motion the assignment of twenty new F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Barnes ANGB.\n\n\u201cThis is a great day for the City of Westfield and all of western Massachusetts, as Barnes has solidified its place in our community for years to come. The decision to station a new fleet of F-35 aircraft at Barnes comes after years of advocacy by the Western Massachusetts Delegation, as well as Major General Keefe and state and local officials. Ultimately, the Air Force recognized not only Barnes\u2019 critical role in defending our nation, but also something we in Massachusetts already know \u2013 we take care of our servicemembers,\u201d said Congressman Neal. \u201cI want to thank the dedicated airmen and women of Barnes who faithfully serve our nation. It is their integrity that has upheld the superb reputation of the 104th \u2013 an integral factor in this decision-making process.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis decision is a big win for Massachusetts. I worked hard to get this commitment for Barnes to enhance our national security, position our F-35s at a more climate-resilient base, and strengthen our economy in western Massachusetts,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI\u2019ll keep working to bring home more wins for Massachusetts servicemembers and their families through my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis decision by the Air Force enhances our national security and strengthens our regional economy,\u201d said Senator Markey. \u201cThe members of the 104th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard serve our Commonwealth and our country with bravery and distinction, and today\u2019s announcement is a testament to the confidence our nation places in each of them. I join residents across Massachusetts in expressing our collective pride and appreciation for their service.\u201d\n\n\u201cFinalizing the decision to assign F-35s to the 104th Fighter Wing ensures Barnes Air National Guard Base will remain a key part of our nation\u2019s air defense and a vital contributor to the western Massachusetts economy,\u201d said Governor Maura Healey. \u201cThis decision not only reinforces the Wing\u2019s historic legacy but also provides a lasting economic impact, creating high-quality jobs and enhancing the region\u2019s resilience. This decision is a testament to the 104th\u2019s extraordinary history and their ongoing dedication to the defense of our state and our country.\u201d\n\nThe decision to station the new fleet of F-35 aircraft came after a rigorous selection process by the U.S. Air Force that reviewed F-15C units throughout the nation. Barnes was ultimately selected in April 2023 after the Air Force considered several factors, including community support, environmental factors, and cost. The review process also included an assessment of the location\u2019s ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity.\n\n\u201cThe Department of the Air Force\u2019s decision to allocate F-35s to the 104th Fighter Wing marks a monumental moment for our unit and its critical role in our nation\u2019s air defense,\u201d said Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. \u201cThe 104th Fighter Wing has long been a cornerstone of our nation\u2019s air defense capabilities, and this transition to the next-generation airframe solidifies our readiness and relevance for decades to come. This decision not only enhances our operational capabilities but also ensures the Wing\u2019s ability to continue its proud tradition of excellence as we look forward to future missions and challenges.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis Record of Decision continues the 78-year legacy of fighter aircraft operating at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport and solidifies a bright future for the 104th Fighter Wing and the 1100 dedicated airmen and civilians who work on this base. We look forward to our nation\u2019s most capable fighter aircraft, the F-35, inheriting the air defense mission from our venerable F-15C,\u201d said Col. David L. Halasi-Kun, Commander of the 104th Fighter Wing. \u201cThis new aircraft ensures the critical defense of the airspace of New England and New York and the protection of the 40 million Americans beneath that blanket of freedom. None of this is possible without the support of our local communities and our elected officials. Local, state, and federal representatives were instrumental in this decision-making process. Their efforts ensured the future of this fighter wing for generations to come, and soon the premier aircraft will be placed in the most capable hands at the best location to defend this nation we love.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am beyond thrilled that the Secretary of the Air Force has solidified the assignment of the F-35As to the 104th Fighter Wing today, ensuring that the 104th remains a critical piece of our country\u2019s national defense strategy for decades to come. This final signature is the product of the Commonwealth\u2019s steadfast dedication to remain one of the best states in the nation for our service members and families to call home,\u201d said Senator Velis, Chairman of the Legislature\u2019s Veterans\u2019 Committee and a U.S. Veteran. \u201cThrough the passage of legislation such as the SPEED Act, and subsequently parts of the HERO Act, Massachusetts has demonstrated to the Department of Defense our commitment to continually surpass all expectations related to our care for service-members and military families and today\u2019s announcement is a recognition of that support for our military.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith the stationing of the F-35s at the Massachusetts Air National Guard\u2019s 104th Fighter Wing, the 104th will continue its proud stewardship as the first line of defense for the northeastern seaboard of the United States,\u201d said Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe. \u201cThe City of Westfield is honored to host them and would like to thank everyone who worked with us to make this happen.\u201d\n\nFor nearly eight decades, the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard has played a critical mission in our nation\u2019s air defense. One of the oldest flying units within the Commonwealth, the 104th provides operationally ready combat units, combat support units, and qualified personnel for active duty, all of which support the Wing\u2019s goal to organize, train, and equip personnel to provide an operationally ready squadron to the Air Combat Command. The assignment of a new fleet of F-35A aircraft at Barnes ANGB guarantees the long-term viability of the base, ensuring the 104th Fighter Wing can continue its vital mission for years to come.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3443", "Trahan Votes to Avert Elon Musk\u2019s Catastrophic Shutdown", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) issued the following statement after voting to pass government funding legislation to avert the shutdown demanded by Elon Musk:\n\n\u201cI voted for this legislation to avert a government shutdown and protect the livelihoods of millions of Americans from the reckless demands of Elon Musk, the capitulation of Donald Trump, and the weak leadership of House Republicans. For days, servicemembers, working families, and federal law enforcement officers were forced to live in fear of losing their pay and support during the holidays \u2013 all because a billionaire wanted to hold the government hostage to secure a giant tax cut for himself and his wealthy friends.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me be clear: the ploy to raise the debt limit solely to line Musk\u2019s pockets was not only irresponsible but profoundly un-American. And the worst part is that Donald Trump and the Republicans came dangerously close to delivering on Musk\u2019s orders.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am grateful to my House Democratic colleagues who provided the majority of votes for this package, once again proving that we are committed to governing responsibly. However, this entire episode underscores how fragile our democracy can be when it\u2019s subjected to the whims of billionaires and the weakness of leaders who refuse to stand up to them. Let this serve as a reminder: our government works for the people, not for the profit margins of the rich. We prevailed today, but this fight is far from over.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:45Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-clarke-reintroduce-bill-to-establish-consistent-robust-medical-research-funding", "Warren, Clarke Reintroduce Bill to Establish Consistent, Robust Medical Research Funding", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Clarke Reintroduce Bill to Establish Consistent, Robust Medical Research Funding\n\nBicameral bill would protect NIH, FDA funding from Washington funding fights\n\nText of Bill (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) reintroduced their National Biomedical Research Act, a bill to provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with predictable, robust funding for medical research and development. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) are cosponsors of the bill.\n\nThe National Biomedical Research Act would create the Biomedical Innovation Fund, a new funding stream of $10 billion per year for select initiatives at the NIH and the FDA. The legislation specifies that the Biomedical Innovation Fund should supplement \u2014 not supplant \u2014 existing appropriations for the agencies; funds would only be available during years when Congress increases discretionary appropriations for NIH and FDA, thus ensuring that funding for medical research never falls below Fiscal Year 2024 levels. Fund dollars will also be available through interagency transfer to support research conducted jointly by the NIH or the FDA and other federal agencies.\n\n\u201cThe United States leads the world in biomedical innovation, and so much of that innovation happens in Massachusetts. Big federal investments in medical research and development help make this progress possible,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cOur bill would save lives by making sure our researchers have the resources to keep delivering lifesaving breakthroughs and treatments \u2014 regardless of who\u2019s in charge in Washington.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud to partner with Senator Warren to reintroduce the National Biomedical Research Act. This legislation would provide researchers with the vital resources they need to continue diagnosing, treating, and preventing a myriad of diseases \u2013 many of which disproportionately impact communities of color. We must always remember sufficiently funding medical research is paramount to the health and safety of the American public,\u201d said Rep. Clarke. \u201cRe-establishing our commitment to supporting scientists and doctors dramatically improves their ability to safeguard our communities against the devastating effects of health care disparities. Let me be clear: this legislation is an opportunity to protect American families proactively, and I believe it is incumbent on us, as members of Congress, to ensure it happens.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the Biomedical Research Fund established by the bill would supplement yearly appropriations for:\n\nBasic Research: research on the underlying basis of disease to better address disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment;\n\nDisruptive Innovation: breakthrough research on diseases with unmet medical needs or for which current treatments are limited, inadequate, or burdensome;\n\nAddressing Burdensome Diseases: research on chronic, degenerative diseases that disproportionately contribute to spending under Medicare, Medicaid, Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program, TRICARE, or the Veterans Health Administration;\n\nEarly Career Scientists: grants to young scientists and research institutions supporting these scientists, which lead to earlier research independence and enhance employment opportunities;\n\nImproving Diversity: research conducted by investigators from traditionally underrepresented groups, research in labs of varying sizes, and research at institutions in states that could improve the geographic diversity of funding;\n\nRegulatory Science: research to improve the predictability, consistency, and efficiency of the review of medical products and regulatory decision-making;\n\nMedical Product Surveillance: the development, regulatory review, and postmarket surveillance of new medical products.\n\nThe National Biomedical Research Act has been endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Heart Association, Fenway Health, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, Society for Behavioral Medicine, Association for Clinical Oncology, Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, Public Citizen, UMass Chan Medical School, and ZERO Prostate Cancer.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-hawley-merkley-push-automakers-on-their-opposition-to-car-owners-right-to-repair-their-own-vehicles", "Warren, Hawley, Merkley Push Automakers on Their Opposition to Car Owners\u2019 Right to Repair Their Own Vehicles", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Hawley, Merkley Push Automakers on Their Opposition to Car Owners\u2019 Right to Repair Their Own Vehicles\n\nBipartisan Letter Criticizes Auto Industry Fearmongering\n\n\u201cThe industry has raised concerns about data sharing with independent repair shops to justify opposing right-to-repair, while earning profits from sharing large amounts of personal data with insurance companies.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the leaders of each of the top 10 U.S. automakers with concerns about the companies\u2019 fierce opposition to car owners\u2019 right to repair the vehicles they own in the way they choose. The letters were sent to General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai Group, Stellantis, Honda, Nissan, Tesla, Subaru, and Volkswagen.\n\nThe letters denounce automakers\u2019 actions to prevent vehicle owners from taking their vehicle to the mechanic of their choice by blocking vehicle owners\u2019 ability to access or share information necessary for repair, like diagnostic data. These repair restrictions are an example of companies\u2019 opposition to \u201cright-to-repair,\u201d which refers to a person\u2019s ability to choose where they repair the products they own, including vehicles, consumer electronics, household appliances, agricultural equipment, and other goods. Without restrictions on right-to-repair, a vehicle owner can go to a local mechanic of their choice and is not forced to go to the manufacturer or car dealer for maintenance and repair of their vehicle.\n\nBy restricting right-to-repair, equipment manufacturers like car companies can create a monopoly on vehicle repairs, allowing them to raise prices. Customers consistently rate independent repair shops better on price (as well as overall satisfaction) than dealerships, which nearly all receive the worst possible ratings from car owners on price. Right-to-repair is also crucial for local economies, with more than half of independent repair shops reporting difficulty in making repairs on a daily or weekly basis because of auto manufacturers\u2019 repair restrictions.\n\n\u201cAs the gatekeepers of vehicle parts, equipment, and data, automobile manufacturers have the power to place restrictions on the necessary tools and information for repairs, particularly as cars increasingly incorporate electronic components,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cThis often leaves car owners with no other option than to have their vehicles serviced by official dealerships, entrenching auto manufacturers\u2019 dominance and eliminating competition from independent repair shops.\u201d\n\nNow, auto manufacturers are trying to claim that they restrict independent repairs as a matter of cybersecurity. However, according to a study by the FTC, as well as analysis from cybersecurity experts, these concerns have no legitimacy. Rather, experts have found that cyberattacks on connected devices are due to \u201cthe poor quality of deployed software and the poor state of device security \u2013 not the availability of diagnostic and repair tools and information.\u201d\n\n\u201cCar manufacturers should not hide behind a false dichotomy of cybersecurity and consumer choice in order to avoid their legal obligations to facilitate independent vehicle repair,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cCybersecurity experts have forcefully pushed against manufacturers\u2019 fearmongering.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers note that the automakers\u2019 cited concern with sharing data with independent repair shops to facilitate repairs appears to conflict with their practice of selling large amounts of sensitive consumer data with insurance companies and other third parties \u2014 often without clear consumer consent.\n\n\u201cThe industry has raised concerns about data sharing with independent repair shops to justify opposing right-to-repair, while earning profits from sharing large amounts of personal data with insurance companies,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cIt is clear that the motivation behind automotive companies\u2019 avoidance of complying with right-to-repair laws is not due to a concern for consumer security or privacy, but instead a hypocritical, profit-driven reaction. This kind of anti-consumer, anti-repair practice must come to an end in all industries.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers are urging the car companies to comply with all right-to-repair laws while protecting consumer privacy interests and are requesting information from the companies regarding their data sharing practices.\n\nSenator Warren has repeatedly sought to bolster competition and fight back against costly restrictions on repairs for cars, military equipment, agricultural equipment, and other goods:\n\nIn December 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative arie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) introduced the Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act to increase military readiness and cut costs by allowing servicemembers to repair their own equipment, including in austere environments.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Deere & Company (John Deere), accusing the company of undermining its own \u201cright-to-repair\u201d agreements and evading its responsibilities under the Clean Air Act by failing to grant its customers the right to repair their own agricultural equipment.\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent two letters denouncing the costly restrictions imposed by Pentagon contractors on the Department of Defense (DoD) that bar the military from repairing its own military equipment and instead force it to pay billions of dollars extra to contractors.\n\nIn July 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren included a provision in the Senate Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA that would require Pentagon contractors to provide DoD with \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d access to repair materials.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), celebrated the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reversing course and allowing enforcement of Massachusetts\u2019 pro-consumer Right to Repair law.\n\nIn June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reverse its course after it sent a recent letter to auto manufacturers, advising them not to comply with Massachusetts\u2019 Right to Repair law.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-smith-renew-fight-to-strengthen-us-pharmaceutical-manufacturing-capacity-and-end-over-reliance-on-foreign-countries-for-life-saving-drugs", "Warren, Smith Renew Fight to Strengthen U.S. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and End Over-Reliance on Foreign Countries for Life-Saving Drugs", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Smith Renew Fight to Strengthen U.S. Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and End Over-Reliance on Foreign Countries for Life-Saving Drugs\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) reintroduced the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act, a bill to reinvigorate the United States' manufacturing capacity and end the nation's reliance on foreign countries for critical drugs used by millions of Americans.\n\n77% of the facilities that manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in drugs consumed by Americans are located overseas. As demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this overreliance leaves Americans vulnerable to supply chain shocks that result in extreme shortages of critical medicines, harming patients and health care professionals across the nation. The United States must take steps to counter this overreliance and ensure that reliable and high-quality drugs can be produced at home.\n\nThe Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act would:\n\nRequire the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Defense Department to develop a confidential list of \"critical drugs\" essential for public health and national security.\n\nLower the cost of domestic production by providing $1 billion a year for 5 years to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, to dramatically upgrade domestic manufacturing capacity of \u201ccritical drugs.\u201d\n\nRequire the Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, and Federal Bureau of Prisons to purchase American-made drugs and provide funding to subsidize the purchase of these drugs, creating a market for domestically-produced pharmaceuticals.\n\nBoosts supply chain transparency by requiring drugmakers to annually report to the FDA information about the source of APIs and starting materials used to make drugs consumed in the United States; requiring drugmakers to report information on foreign manufacturers in their supply chain to any federal agency to which they supply drugs; and requiring the FDA to issue both public and classified reports to Congress on the strength of the U.S. supply chain.\n\nRequires the Federal Trade Commission and the Treasury Department to study the role of foreign investment in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry within one year of the Act\u2019s passage.\n\n\"A strong, reliable supply chain for life-saving drugs will prevent shortages and protect American families,\" said Senator Warren. \"This bill will end our overreliance on foreign countries and give us the tools we need to produce the critical drugs that millions of Americans depend on here at home.\"\n\n\"Addressing the vulnerabilities in our pharmaceutical supply chain is a matter of public health and national security,\" said Senator Smith. \"I'm glad to work with Senator Warren on this bill that strengthens our country's capacity to manufacture critical drugs on U.S. soil and closes gaps in our supply chain. This will help lessen our over-reliance on other countries and make sure Americans can get the drugs they need.\"\n\nSenator Warren also secured a provision in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to address DoD\u2019s overreliance on foreign drug manufacturers. The provision requires the Department of Defense to establish a plan to ensure access to safe, high-quality pharmaceutical products and eliminate or mitigate risks in the pharmacy supply chain, including the feasibility of establishing a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility owned and operated by the Department of Defense (DoD).\n\nFor years, Senator Warren has worked to end the United States\u2019 overreliance on foreign countries for critical drugs and to boost the nation's domestic manufacturing capacity:\n\nIn October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reintroduced the United States Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act, legislation to require the Federal Trade Commission, in consultation with the Department of Commerce, to produce a report on the impacts of foreign investment in the United States\u2019 pharmaceutical industry.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) wrote to the Department of Defense requesting an update on the Department\u2019s efforts to address risks to the military pharmaceutical supply chain.\n\nIn December 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the need for the public manufacturing of generic drugs to address critical drug shortages and ensure access and affordability of prescription drugs for consumers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jan Schakowsky reintroduced the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, to address the skyrocketing price of prescription drugs and increase competition in the generic pharmaceutical market.\n\nIn June 2022, during the NDAA negotiations, Senator Warren prioritized her bills to help prevent civilian harm, electrify the military's vehicle fleet, prevent conflicts of interests and corruption at the Department of Defense, prohibit price gouging by defense contractors, expand medical care for military families, lower the costs of prescription drugs, and reduce America's reliance on foreign countries for critical drugs.\n\nIn December 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Gregory Kausner, who was performing the duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Department of Defense (DoD), urging him to address DoD\u2019s overreliance on pharmaceuticals produced abroad.\n\nIn November 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Marco Rubio introduced the Strengthening Supply Chains for Servicemembers and Security Act to address the national security risk posed by the United States\u2019 reliance on foreign entities for pharmaceuticals.\n\nIn April 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith reintroduced the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act -- comprehensive legislation that takes bold steps to reinvigorate the United States' manufacturing capacity and end the nation's reliance on foreign countries for critical drugs used by millions of Americans.\n\nIn September 2020, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote to President Donald Trump raising questions about the failure of his recent Executive Order to address the nation's overreliance on foreign nations for key drug products, and asking that he support their legislation, which would address this serious problem.\n\nIn March 2020, Senators Warren and Rubio introduced bipartisan legislation to combat America's supply chain risk and dependence on China for pharmaceuticals.\n\nIn December 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with Senators Tom Cotton, Mitt Romney, and Tim Kaine, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper raising concerns about the national security risks posed by U.S. reliance on foreign-manufactured pharmaceutical products.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/moulton-statement-continuing-resolution-vote", "Moulton Statement on Continuing Resolution Vote", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "\"Tonight, the Republican-led House took one step closer to shutting down the government by refusing to bring a bipartisan funding bill to the floor\u2014while also being unable to even get their fellow Republicans in line to vote for their own hyper-partisan bill. I was one of many bipartisan votes against it because I\u2019m not going to let Elon Musk run our government into the ground, nor am I going to reward Republicans for following him like sheep off a cliff.\n\nInstead of allowing the House to vote on a compromise measure, Musk tweeted 70 times in 12 hours against a bill that he knew nothing about; Trump changed his mind to follow Elon; and that\u2019s all it took for chaos to ensue.\n\nMusk may be new to politics, but Trump and the Speaker are not. Legislating by tweet doesn\u2019t work well. Republicans have the majority, so they should work with Democrats in good faith to put the country first.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/19/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4083/", "Neal Blasts Republicans on the House Floor for Walking Away from Funding Agreement", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWATCH\n\nExcerpts:\n\n\u201cYou have never won a government shutdown. And you won\u2019t win this one either. Your currency in this institution is your word. We reached an agreement. We came to modest achievements. And a tweet changed all of it? Can you imagine what the next two years are going to be like if every time the Congress works its will and then there\u2019s a tweet?\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cThis institution has a separate responsibility based upon the separation of powers. Members of Congress don\u2019t serve under presidents of the United States. It\u2019s called the national principle.\n\n\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m in favor of aid to North Carolina. I\u2019m in support of aid of the farmers in Missouri. We come to the aid of the American family at moments like this, but you\u2019ve walked away from your word. You\u2019re walked away from an agreement. That\u2019s what we\u2019re bothered by. A simple suggestion from the president-elect that you ought to abandon that principle?\n\n\u201cAnd this is what this is about. This is trying to raise the debt ceiling to disguise a big tax cut that they want to offer later on. In December of 2017, the TCJA was rendered and my friends, particularly the ones that have been here for a while, you know what I\u2019m about to say is true. You borrowed the money for a tax cut 2. 3 trillion for a tax cut for wealthy people. And when you see the distribution tables, you\u2019ll know who got what.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/19/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4084/", "Neal Announces Departure of Long-Time Democratic Social Security Subcommittee Staff Director Kathryn Olson", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) today announced that after more than 30 years of service, Democratic Social Security Subcommittee Staff Director Kathryn Olson will be retiring at the end of the 118th Congress. Kathryn has served four Democratic Chairs and Ranking Members on the Ways and Means Committee and as the Staff Director of the Senate Democratic Task Force on Social Security. She played a fundamental role in advancing improvements to Social Security benefits, solvency, and service to its beneficiaries, and fiercely defended the program against Republican cuts, including privatization efforts.\n\n\u201cSocial Security policy is what it is today because of the work and dedication of Kathryn Olson,\u201d Ranking Member Neal said. \u201cShe has spent a career protecting and defending this most solemn promise of economic security for our nation\u2019s retirees, people with disabilities, survivors, and their families as the Committee\u2019s Social Security Staff Director. There isn\u2019t a piece of Social Security legislation that\u2019s been considered in my time in Congress that hasn\u2019t been shaped in some way by Kathryn, and she\u2019s been a key contributor to defeating Republicans\u2019 repeated efforts to privatize the system. With gratitude and admiration for all she\u2019s given to the Committee, the Congress, and the country, we wish Kathryn the best in her next chapter.\u201d\n\nKathryn Olson began working in Congress in 1986 and has served for more than 30 years with the Committee on Ways and Means. She has served four Democratic Chairs and Ranking Members: Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, Sander M. Levin of Michigan, Charles B. Rangel of New York, and Daniel D. Rostenkowski of Illinois. She began her career in Congress working for Congressman Martin Olav Sabo from her home state of Minnesota. She proudly and successfully raised 3 kids\u2014Soren, Frances and Max Klaverkamp\u2014while serving the nation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-warren-secures-protections-for-servicemembers-from-blast-overpressure", "ICYMI: Warren Secures Protections for Servicemembers from Blast Overpressure", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "ICYMI: Warren Secures Protections for Servicemembers from Blast Overpressure\n\nOne year after Lewiston shooting, Congress passes much-needed legislation in defense bill that builds upon years of Warren's efforts\n\nBoston, MA \u2013 One year after a shooting in Lewiston, Maine killed 18 people and wounded 13, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) secured bipartisan provisions in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA) to protect servicemembers exposed to blast overpressure and provide them the necessary care. The legislation passed by Congress builds upon many years of Senator Warren\u2019s work to reduce blast exposure for servicemembers.\n\nThis provision includes major reforms from Senator Warren\u2019s and Ernst\u2019s (R-Iowa) Blast Overpressure Safety Act, which will:\n\nSupport servicemembers by permanently establishing the National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat TBIs;\n\nEnhance efforts to mitigate exposure by modifying existing and future weapons systems to minimize blast overpressure;\n\nEstablish standardized monitoring, treatment, and referral guidelines for servicemembers;\n\nCreate an intensive, comprehensive brain health and trauma program to improve access to care after exposure; and\n\nIncrease transparency regarding blast overpressure safety during the weapons acquisition process.\n\n\u201cBlast overpressure has been devastating for our servicemembers\u2019 health, causing suicide, depression, seizures, and more,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI am firmly committed to doing everything I can in Congress to protect our servicemembers from injuries caused by their own weapons and get them the care they deserve.\u201d\n\nFor over 7 years, Senator Warren has led efforts to measure blast exposure and develop protocols that protect service members:\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Warren hosted a forum with officials from the Department of Defense, brain health experts from Home Base, and a veteran who received treatment at Home Base about the importance of improving access to care for servicemembers, establishing a longitudinal study to better understand other health effects that may be connected to blast overpressure, and addressing the link between blast overpressure and suicide.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Ernst (R-Iowa), and Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) efforts to identify, prevent, and treat traumatic brain injuries (TBI) related to service members\u2019 exposure to blast overpressure. The GAO accepted this review.\n\nOn April 11, 2024, Senators Warren and Joni Ernst introduced the Blast Overpressure Safety Act \u2013 bipartisan legislation that would direct the Department of Defense (DoD) to enact a variety of measures to help mitigate and protect service members from blast overpressure. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren led a hearing on the impacts of blast overpressure on American service members and the need for DoD to better protect service members from blast overpressure.\n\nIn January 2024, Senators Warren, Ernst, and Tillis sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, asking him to provide updates on steps the DoD is taking to better understand and address the effects of blast exposure on service members' mental and physical health during training and operations.\n\nIn May 2019, Senators Warren and Ernst introduced the Blast Pressure Exposure Study Improvement Act, which would require more frequent progress reports from DoD regarding the longitudinal study and added two feasibility assessments to the study. They secured this bill in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 NDAA.\n\nIn May 2018, Senators Warren and Ernst introduced the Blast Exposure and Brain Injury Prevention Act to improve research on TBIs, speed up the development of therapies to treat TBI, and strengthen DoD\u2019s capacity to track and prevent blast pressure exposure.\n\nSenator Warren introduced an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (Sec. 734) that required DoD to establish a longitudinal medical study examining the effects of blast pressure exposure.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-investigation-reveals-mohela-may-have-contributed-to-nearly-2-million-student-loan-duplication-errors-appearing-on-borrowers-credit-reports", "Senate Investigation Reveals MOHELA May Have Contributed to Nearly 2 Million Student Loan Duplication Errors Appearing on Borrowers\u2019 Credit Reports", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Senate Investigation Reveals MOHELA May Have Contributed to Nearly 2 Million Student Loan Duplication Errors Appearing on Borrowers\u2019 Credit Reports\n\nSenators Urge CFPB, Education Department to Investigate and Hold Companies Accountable\n\n\u201c[W]e write to share the results of this investigation\u2014which suggest that MOHELA\u2019s failure to provide advanced notice of the transfer to the CRAs contributed to nearly two million credit reporting errors.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 In a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Education (ED), U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) revealed the alarming findings of a Senate investigation into millions of consumer credit reporting errors that occurred during the transfer of student loan accounts from Nelnet to MOHELA in 2023. The senators urged the CFPB and ED to investigate these errors and use their supervisory and enforcement authority to hold the appropriate parties accountable.\n\nIn May 2024, reports surfaced about incorrect, duplicate student loan records appearing on student borrowers\u2019 credit reports after their loans were transferred from NelNet to MOHELA. For many borrowers, the errors led to reduced credit scores, hurting their ability to obtain mortgages, car loans, and other credit. The initial reports did not indicate how many borrowers had been affected, for how long, or who was responsible.\n\nIn August 2024, the senators opened an investigation into the matter, sending inquiries to NelNet, MOHELA, and the three largest credit reporting agencies (CRAs), Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, requesting information on the impact on borrowers and how the mistakes occurred. The results of the investigation include brand new findings that suggest that MOHELA\u2019s failure to provide advanced notice of the transfer to the CRAs contributed to nearly two million credit reporting errors. The investigation revealed that:\n\nMOHELA allegedly failed to inform credit reporting agencies of the loan transfers from NelNet, contributing to nearly two million credit reporting errors. According to the CRAs, there is an established protocol in which loan servicers provide advanced notice of a loan transfer, including information regarding \u201cthe number of loans being transferred, the timing of the transfer, and the characteristics of the loans.\u201d All three of the credit reporting agencies reported that they did not always receive this advanced notice from MOHELA.\n\nHundreds of thousands of borrowers were affected by these errors, for as long as 1.5 years. Between the time when the duplicate errors began to occur (in January 2023) and when the credit reporting agencies claimed to have fixed all the errors (by the end of August 2024), the agencies collectively identified over 200,000 consumers affected by these mistakes.\n\nIn over 100,000 cases, the errors resulted in incorrect credit scores appearing on borrowers\u2019 accounts. Approximately 14,000 borrowers experienced decreased credit scores, with many experiencing significant declines in scores.\n\nBorrowers submitted approximately 7,500 complaints and disputes in attempts to correct the errors.\n\nNone of the servicers or credit reporting agencies took responsibility for the credit reporting errors. MOHELA claimed that it \u201cimplemented and follows the applicable process required under its federal loan servicing contract.\u201d The credit reporting agencies attributed the errors to the loan servicers\u2019\u2014and particularly MOHELA\u2019s\u2014failure to provide advanced notice of the loan transfers.\n\nNelNet, MOHELA and the credit reporting agencies have no plans to compensate affected borrowers. When asked how each company planned to compensate borrowers harmed by the reporting errors, NelNet, MOHELA, and the credit reporting agencies all reported having no plans to compensate affected borrowers.\n\nThe lawmakers acknowledged that their investigation only covered loans transferred from NelNet to MOHELA and encouraged the CFPB and ED to \u201cinvestigate duplicate student loan reporting errors across federal student loan servicing in order to determine the scope of the problem and ensure safeguards are in place such that similar mistakes do not occur again.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has led the fight to reform our higher education system, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable:\n\nIn December 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-PA) led 24 lawmakers in sending a bicameral letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, revealing the results of their investigation into Navient regarding its cancellation process for the predatory, for-profit student loans in its portfolio and urging the agencies to hold the student loan servicer accountable for any violations of federal law.\n\nIn November 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a letter blasting MOHELA for abusing borrowers with potentially illegal, exploitative terms of use.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) commending the agencies on their progress in helping borrowers who are struggling financially to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy and asking them to continue expanding awareness of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new policy.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated new federal student debt relief, bringing the total number of Americans who have had their debt canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program during the Biden-Harris Administration to a historic 1 million people and counting.\n\nIn September 2024, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new report examining the impact of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new Higher Education Act rule, finding that low- and middle-income borrowers, seniors, women, and Black borrowers will receive enormous benefits from the new rule.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren joined Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to launch an investigation into the reported mishandling of student loan transfers by MOHELA, Nelnet and credit reporting agencies.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led over 30 lawmakers in a letter urging student loan servicer Navient to reform its flawed process to cancel the private student loans of borrowers who attended fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, cautioning the Department of Education on Federal Student Aid\u2019s transition to the Unified Servicing and Data Solution system.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, and Sanders released a joint statement on the American Federation of Teachers\u2019 lawsuit against MOHELA for allegedly overcharging and misleading student loan borrowers.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren and King led their colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging them to provide guidance and communication to borrowers as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program transfers from MOHELA to the Department of Education.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren led a growing coalition of senators in urging the Department of Education to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and 24 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, encouraging them to provide $2.7 billion in funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in fiscal year (FY) 2025.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Carper, Kaine, and Representative Don Davis (D-N.C.) called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to release data on the Postsecondary Education Complaint System (PECS), a centralized database to track complaints against schools who participate in the Tuition Assistance (TA) and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA) program.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Warren led eight of her colleagues in sending a letter to David L. Yowan, President and Chief Executive Officer of student loan servicer Navient, urging the servicer to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn April 2024, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, Markey, and Van Hollen released a new report: Servicing Scandals: Student Loan Servicers\u2019 Failures During Return to Repayment, which reveals a decades-long pattern of student loan servicer incompetence and misconduct that has affected millions of borrowers nationwide.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a hearing on student loan servicer Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) and its failures during borrowers\u2019 return to repayment, including MOHELA\u2019s mismanagement of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and John Larson (D-Conn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the U.S. Department of Education to end the practice of offsetting Social Security benefits to pay off defaulted student loans.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement calling for an investigation into student loan mismanagement by MOHELA.\n\nIn January 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to host a fourth session of the student debt negotiated rulemaking to consider relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship.\n\nIn December 2023, U.S. Senators Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Ed Markey,, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent follow-up letters to student loan servicers \u2013 MOHELA, EdFinancial, Nelnet, and Maximus \u2013 raising concerns about borrowers\u2019 problems with return to repayment, requesting information about the borrower experience, and pushing back on the servicers\u2019 claim that budget shortfalls limit their ability provide quality customer service to millions of borrowers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging him to leverage his existing and full authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Alex Padilla and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jim Clyburn, and Frederica Wilson led 79 other lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to swiftly deliver on his promise to deliver student debt cancellation to working and middle class families by early 2024.\n\nIn October 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) visited communities across Massachusetts to celebrate the Biden administration\u2019s student debt cancellation plan and help residents sign up for student loan relief.\n\nIn March 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Brown and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), urged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to swiftly discharge the loans of borrowers defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities, including those operated by Corinthian College.\n\nIn January 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Jayapal, Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) led more than 80 colleagues in a bicameral letter to the Department of Education calling for it to release the memo outlining the Biden administration\u2019s legal authority to cancel federal student loan debt and immediately cancel up to $50,000 of debt for Federal student loan borrowers.\n\nIn April 2021, Senators Warren and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led a group of colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education to take swift action to automatically remove all federally-held student loan borrowers from default.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-slams-fed-occ-as-asleep-at-the-wheel-on-necessary-bank-merger-guideline-updates", "Warren Slams Fed, OCC As \u201cAsleep at the Wheel\u201d on Necessary Bank Merger Guideline Updates", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Slams Fed, OCC As \u201cAsleep at the Wheel\u201d on Necessary Bank Merger Guideline Updates\n\nAs Capital One-Discover deal receives state regulatory approval, Sen. Warren presses agencies to make needed updates to merger framework\n\n\u201cThe Fed and the OCC\u2019s failures to act to meaningfully strengthen our nation\u2019s bank merger review framework threaten the stability of our economy and the livelihoods of working families.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell, Fed Vice Chair Michael Barr, and Acting Comptroller for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Michael Hsu, slamming the agencies for being \u201casleep at the wheel\u201d in following their mandate to prevent dangerous and anticompetitive bank mergers. The letter comes as Capital One reportedly received state regulatory approval to buy Discover, moving one step closer to completion of the dangerous merger. Senator Warren demanded that the agencies update and strengthen their bank merger policy guidelines and use these new guidelines to scrutinize the deal.\n\nA 2021 Executive Order signed by President Biden directed the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the OCC, and the Fed to \u201cupdate guidelines on banking mergers to provide more robust scrutiny of mergers.\u201d In December 2023, the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released updated comprehensive merger guidelines. This year, the FDIC followed suit \u2014 but the Fed and the OCC have not taken similarly strong action.\n\n\u201cThe Fed and the OCC\u2019s failures to act to meaningfully strengthen our nation\u2019s bank merger review framework threaten the stability of our economy and the livelihoods of working families,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cIn particular, using a set of weak, decades-old rules to evaluate the massive Capital One-Discover deal, which was announced in February and would combine two of the nation\u2019s largest credit card companies, would amount to regulatory malfeasance.\u201d\n\nIn February, Senator Warren wrote that Capital One\u2019s acquisition of Discover \u201cwill be one of the most important tests of the efforts to prevent harmful bank consolidation since the release of President Biden\u2019s Executive Order.\u201d The deal would create the nation\u2019s sixth-largest bank with approximately $624 billion in assets and make Capital One the nation\u2019s largest credit card issuer, with over $200 billion in outstanding credit card loans.\n\n\u201cApproving a deal this complex and with such serious competition and consolidation risks could lead to catastrophic outcomes for our financial system and consumers and would set a dangerous precedent,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\nIn September 2024, the OCC announced a final rule that failed to address the agency\u2019s consideration of the competitive consequences of a merger \u2014 even though the Bank Merger Act specifically prohibits the OCC from approving any mergers that would substantially lessen competition or create a monopoly. The Fed is 3 years behind on President Biden\u2019s Executive Order and, in the meantime, has approved problematic deals such as Silicon Valley Bank\u2019s merger with Boston Private.\n\n\u201cTo protect consumers and our financial stability, I urge the Fed and the OCC to update and strengthen your bank merger policy guidelines and use these new guidelines to closely scrutinize the Capital One-Discover deal. If you apply these principles, it is clear that the merger must be denied,\u201d Senator Warren concluded.\n\nSenator Warren has led the fight to hold banking regulators accountable to establishing and enforcing guardrails around the banking industry and preventing harmful bank mergers to protect the financial system, economy, and consumers:\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Warren wrote to the OCC and the Fed with renewed concern that the OCC and the Fed could allow New York Community Bank to escape regulatory oversight despite \u201csystemic failings\u201d in the bank\u2019s operation and management.\n\nIn April 2024, Senators Warren and Blumenthal probed the OCC for its regulatory failures amid NYCB\u2019s financial spiral.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal calling on federal regulators to block Capital One\u2019s merger with Discover.\n\nIn March 2024, a year after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Senator Warren sent a letter to three key banking regulators: Michael Barr, Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve, Martin Gruenberg, Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Acting Comptroller Hsu, seeking an update on their progress in delivering on their public commitments to strengthen regulatory standards for banks with assets of $100 billion or more.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren led 12 lawmakers urging the OCC and the Federal Reserve to block Capital One\u2019s plan to acquire Discover Financial Services. Their letter also expressed concerns with the OCC\u2019s proposed policy statement regarding merger approvals as essentially codifying a permissive approach.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren led 6 senators in a letter to Acting Comptroller Hsu, calling on OCC to allow states to move forward with their efforts to protect consumers from harmful bank practices. The senators criticized the OCC for overstepping its preemption authority under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which it used to block tough, state-level consumer protections.\n\nIn August 2023, chairing a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Senator Warren highlighted the need for regulators to implement the strongest version of bank merger review guidelines in order to ensure stability in the financial system.\n\nIn June 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, Federal Deposit Investment Corporation Chairman Gruenberg, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Hsu, Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging regulators to promote greater competition in the banking sector by toughening their stances on bank mergers and strengthening bank merger review guidelines.\n\nIn May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren questioned Acting Comptroller Hsu on his decision to approve JPMorgan Chase\u2019s purchase of First Republic Bank after its collapse. This merger allowed a large, poorly supervised bank to be swallowed by America\u2019s largest bank, making it $200 billion larger than it was before.\n\nIn May 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Acting Comptroller Hsu and FDIC Chair Gruenberg, questioning the terms of the sale of First Republic Bank to JP Morgan Chase and the rationale behind the OCC and FDIC\u2019s approval of the deal.\n\nIn December 2022, Senators Warren and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) sent letters to three key banking regulators: the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and the OCC, raising concerns about the ties between the banking industry and crypto firms following FTX\u2019s bankruptcy. The senators asked each regulator how they assessed the banking system\u2019s exposure to crypto risks.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) sent a letter to the heads of all U.S. banking regulators, including Acting Comptroller Hsu, calling on them to improve banking access for immigrant communities and communities of color.\n\nIn August 2022, Senators Warren, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Whitehouse, and Sanders sent a letter to the OCC, calling on it to rescind the previously issued cryptocurrency guidance and replace it with more comprehensive guidance, in coordination with other prudential regulators.\n\nIn September 2021, Senator Warren and Representative Jes\u00fas \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Bank Merger Review Modernization Act, which would restrict harmful consolidation in the banking industry and protect consumers and the financial system from \u201cToo Big to Fail\u201d institutions, like those that caused the 2008 financial crisis.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-urges-wellpath-to-commit-to-fair-payouts-and-fair-notice-for-incarcerated-patients-during-bankruptcy-process", "Warren Urges Wellpath to Commit to Fair Payouts and Fair Notice for Incarcerated Patients During Bankruptcy Process", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Urges Wellpath to Commit to Fair Payouts and Fair Notice for Incarcerated Patients During Bankruptcy Process\n\n\u201cIt is critical that Wellpath commit to ensuring fair payout to creditors, particularly incarcerated patients harmed by medical malpractice, as well as local health care providers and contracting partners.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Wellpath \u2014 one of the nation\u2019s largest private providers of prison healthcare \u2014 following its declaration of bankruptcy, urging them to ensure that incarcerated patients with credible, serious tort claims against the company \u2014 as well as staff and other creditors \u2014 receive fair notice and fair compensation in the course of Wellpath\u2019s bankruptcy proceedings.\n\nOn November 11, 2024, Wellpath, the private equity-owned, for-profit company and one of the nation\u2019s largest private providers of health care services in prisons and jails, filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas. Although the company has faced financial stress, Wellpath still earns over $2 billion in revenue per year from state, local, and federal jail and prison contracts.\n\nWellpath\u2019s bankruptcy is part of a growing trend of private equity-backed health care companies \u2014 including in the prison health care market \u2014 filing for bankruptcy when faced with serious claims. For example, in 2023, Wellpath\u2019s peer company Corizon \u2014 another private equity-backed prison health care provider \u2014 filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas and attempted to use the notorious \u201cTexas Two-Step\u201d maneuver to avoid adequately compensating incarcerated tort claimants. In addition to trying to hide assets from creditors, Corizon attempted to coerce victims into accepting lower settlements, obscure its ownership structure, and deprive victims of meaningful justice against third parties, all while providing victims insufficient notice of their rights.\n\nLike Corizon, Wellpath has faced a flood of lawsuits challenging the health care provided. Currently, Wellpath and its affiliates are fighting more than 1,500 lawsuits, primarily alleging deficient medical care. For example, Wellpath staff allegedly refused to provide a schizophrenic man his prescribed medication in a California jail, leading to his attempted suicide, and failed to provide antibiotics to treat a woman\u2019s infection at a Colorado jail, leading to her death nine days after she entered the facility. Senator Warren urged Wellpath to \u201cavoid Corizon\u2019s missteps.\u201d\n\n\u201cMany Wellpath claimants are now concerned that their suits are being stayed during the pendency of the company\u2019s bankruptcy proceedings \u2014 and that they may receive only pennies on the dollar in compensation for viable claims,\u201d wrote Senator Warren. \u201cIt is critical that Wellpath commit to ensuring fair payout to creditors, particularly incarcerated patients harmed by medical malpractice, as well as local health care providers and contracting partners.\u201d\n\nFinally, Senator Warren noted that there have been multiple reported instances of Wellpath personnel destroying evidence in ongoing litigation and pushed Wellpath to take steps to ensure that documents relevant to these proceedings are preserved.\n\n\u201cOur bankruptcy system provides companies with the opportunity for a fresh start,\u201d concluded Senator Warren. \u201cWellpath must not abuse that system to avoid paying what it owes to incarcerated patients with credible claims against it.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has been a leader in fighting for the health of those in custody:\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren and other lawmakers sent a letter to federal health agencies urging key investments to improve the quality of care in prisons, jails, and detention centers.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren sent a letter to the DOJ, raising concerns about the abuse of the bankruptcy system by Corizon Health, Inc.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and other lawmakers raised concerns over Wellpath\u2019s inadequate health care services in prisons and jails nationwide.\n\nIn October 2023, Senator Warren and other lawmakers sent a letter to Corizon Health, Inc.-affiliated companies Tehum Care Services, Inc. and YesCare Corporation (together, \u201cCorizon\u201d), expressing concern about poor-quality health services provided to incarcerated people in jails and prisons around the country.\n\nIn March 2021, Senator Warren and lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) urging them to conduct a comprehensive review of all COVID-19-related deaths of incarcerated individuals in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and BOP staff since the beginning of the pandemic.\n\nIn November 2020, Senator Warren and lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) seeking information about the status of medical copays in correctional facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nIn January 2020, Senator Warren 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 left to join the biggest companies in the industry.\n\nIn September 2019, Senator Warren and lawmakers sent a letter to DHS and HHS expressing serious concerns over DHS\u2019s announcement that migrant families detained at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) holding centers would not be vaccinated for the flu ahead of that year\u2019s flu season.\n\nIn July 2019, Senator Warren sent a letter to Jennifer Costello, Acting Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), requesting that the IG conduct an investigation into the use of solitary confinement and other punishments to coerce participation in \u201cvoluntary\u201d work programs at federal and federally-contracted immigration detention facilities, and the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies, procedures, and guidance in such practices.\n\nIn April 2018, Senator Warren and other lawmakers sent a letter to Deputy Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan, requesting information about a recent policy change allowing for the increased detention of pregnant women in ICE detention facilities.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-van-hollen-jacobs-demand-answers-on-horrific-war-crime-cover-up", "Warren, Van Hollen, Jacobs Demand Answers on Horrific War Crime Cover-Up", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Van Hollen, Jacobs Demand Answers on Horrific War Crime Cover-Up\n\n\u201cDoD has repeatedly misled the public about what has come to be known as the Haditha Massacre.\u201d\n\nNew photos from the scene reveal Iraqi civilians killed in their homes by U.S. Marines; Marine Corps Commandant bragged about keeping photos secret.\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter requesting the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General investigate reports that the DoD mishandled a case involving U.S. Marines killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and DoD\u2019s continued efforts to cover up the alleged war crimes.\n\nIn November 2005, as U.S. Marines patrolled the Iraqi town of Haditha, an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded, striking their convoy, killing one Marine and injuring two others. Immediately after the explosion, eight Marines moved through nearby Iraqi homes to pursue what they described as \u201cthe continuing threat\u201d and \u201carmed terrorists who fled the IED site.\u201d Afterwards, the Marine Corps failed to conduct an investigation until three months after the incident, violating then-existing policy and law that required prompt reporting and thorough investigation.\n\nA recent New Yorker story revealed several disturbing photos of Iraqi civilians, including women and children, who appear to have been killed in their homes by U.S. Marines. The graphic photos from that day appear to reveal a much more sinister, deliberate, and cruel execution of civilians, and not the accidental chaos and misidentification of civilians described as armed combatants in previous reports. General Michael Hagee, the Marine Corps Commandant at the time of the Haditha killings, \u201cbragged about keeping the Haditha photos secret.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe seek to understand whether DoD improperly withheld information from the public regarding this incident, and whether current DoD processes can ensure timely and complete investigations in response to reported instances of civilian harm,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nIn 2013, the Defense Legal Policy Board reviewed investigations into civilian deaths and prosecutions of DoD personnel accused of war crimes and published a report on military justice in combat zones, which provided several recommendations on how to improve and increase training at all levels and make other institutional corrections. Specifically, the review called for the appointment of a joint commander to \u201chave a central role in the administration of military justice in a theater of operations\u201d who is \u201cultimately responsible for the conduct of his force,\u201d including \u201call forces, from every service.\u201d\n\nYet, even after that report, senior DoD leadership appeared to continue to cover up evidence of the massacre. Following the Haditha killings, the DoD denied New Yorker reporters\u2019 Freedom of Information Act requests for DoD records of alleged war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. The DoD also claimed it would not release the photographs due to concerns about the surviving family members of the Iraqis killed that day, even though those same family members ultimately assisted the New Yorker in obtaining and finally publishing them.\n\n\u201cWe expect and require the U.S. military to uphold the law, rules, and ethics code that service members swear to obey,\u201d continued the lawmakers. \u201cEnsuring fair and swift justice for any violations of the rules of war supports good order and discipline in the armed forces while also building trust with the American people and the international community.\u201d\n\nThe 2013 DoD review included several recommendations for changes to DoD\u2019s policy on military justice for war zone investigations. The lawmakers seek to understand DoD\u2019s implementation of the 2013 recommended policy changes, DoD\u2019s current practices to investigate and report civilian harm, and whether they are equipped to better hold military personnel accountable.\n\nThe lawmakers are requesting answers by December 30, 2024.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/congressman-seth-moulton-announces-federal-public-safety-grants-lynn-and", "Congressman Seth Moulton Announces Federal Public Safety Grants for Lynn and Peabody", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Salem, Mass. \u2013 Congressman Seth Moulton announced that Lynn and Peabody will receive federal grants to enhance local community policing.\n\nThis funding is awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The program supports additional personnel and/or purchase equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance, and information systems for criminal justice or civil proceedings. Lynn will receive $50,305 and Peabody will receive $12,210.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the Lynn Police Department I want to express our sincere gratitude for this FY24 JAG funds award. The purpose of this program is to provide support to strengthen our community and reduce violent crime in the City of Lynn. These funds will support those objectives by helping to cover overtime costs for our Central Business District Bicycle Unit officers and technology costs associated with wireless access expenses and upgrades,\u201d said Lynn Chief of Police Christopher Reddy. \u201cOur Central Business District officers work closely with community stakeholders to identify problems and improve the quality of life in the community. In addition, improved wireless access will increase public safety and allow our officers to make timely accurate decisions during investigations. These initiatives will improve the quality of life for citizens of Lynn, make the business district safer and more attractive for new businesses seeking to come to Lynn.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere are few things more crucial to the success of a community than its public safety,\u201d said Congressman Moulton. \u201cI\u2019m very proud to advocate for funding that supports local police departments to safely and effectively protect their respective communities. I\u2019ll continue to support funding like this, and I\u2019m grateful for the strong partnership and advocacy of leaders in Lynn and Peabody.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/18/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4085/", "Neal Statement on Latest Rapid Response Mechanism Panel Request at Pirelli Neum\u00e1ticos Facility", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "SPRINGFIELD, MA\u2014Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement...\n\nby: Nick Antonakas, 22 News HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) \u2013 President Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. military operations...\n\nWATCH HERE by: Nick Antonakas, 22 News HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) \u2013 U.S. Rep. Richard Neal toured Holyoke High School to...\n\nBy Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com SPRINGFIELD \u2014 With work on MBTA subway cars ready to ramp up...\n\nSPRINGFIELD, MA\u2014Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement...\n\nLISTEN HERE New England Public Media | By Adam Frenier Springfield U.S. Representative Richard Neal said Tuesday...\n\nLISTEN HERE New England Public Media | By Adam Frenier There's been some confusion whether there are talks going on...\n\n(As prepared for delivery) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It\u2019s been over a year of the Republican trifecta in...", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/18/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4086/", "Neal Statement on CBO\u2019s Analysis of Trump\u2019s Tariff Scheme", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed the economic effects of tariffs discussed by the President-elect:\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s CBO report shows that Trump\u2019s economic plan would lower economic growth and raise prices as our output declines, exports shrink, and other countries stick us with devastating, retaliatory tariffs. It\u2019s the exact opposite of what the American people need right now. We need policies that lower prices at the supermarket and help rebalance a growing disparity between the ultra-wealthy and the workers that power our economy.\n\n\u201cProtecting our workers and businesses is paramount for Ways and Means Democrats, and well-targeted tariffs can be an effective tool in delivering relief. But rather than responsible economic policy that protects our workers and our economy, the President-elect and his billionaire buddies seem to delight in igniting international trade wars. In the meantime, the once-promised 60% tariffs on China seem to magically have come down to a mere 10%\u2014just as the Trump cabinet is filling up with folks that have major business interests before China.\n\n\u201cOur revenue and tariff system should be predicated on what\u2019s best for the American people, their wallets, and our economy \u2013 not the personal finances of the richest man in the world and his merry band of international business barons.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-doggett-urge-medicare-administrator-to-crack-down-on-abuse-by-private-insurers-in-medicare-advantage", "Warren, Doggett Urge Medicare Administrator to Crack Down on Abuse by Private Insurers In Medicare Advantage", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Doggett Urge Medicare Administrator to Crack Down on Abuse by Private Insurers In Medicare Advantage\n\n\u201cIt is your duty to protect taxpayer dollars from waste and abuse and the preservation of these funds will protect the promise of Medicare for future generations by stabilizing the Medicare Trust Fund\u201d\n\nLetter comes as Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominee to head Medicare and Medicaid, promotes further expansion of Medicare Advantage and elimination of Traditional Medicare\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) urged the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize rules to curb overpayments to private insurers in Medicare Advantage (MA).\n\nThe nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) estimates that private insurers in MA will overcharge taxpayers $83 billion this year alone. Most of these overpayments are the result of \u201cupcoding,\u201d a tactic in which private insurers deliberately add incorrect diagnosis codes to patients\u2019 medical charts to secure higher payments from the federal government. In total, MedPAC estimates that upcoding by private insurers in MA will cost taxpayers $54 billion in 2024 alone.\n\nIn March 2023, CMS proposed changes to the program\u2019s payment methodology, including eliminating overpayments associated with codes that were subject to widespread manipulation\u201dby private insurers in MA. However, a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign by the health insurance industry led CMS to phase these changes in over three years instead of upfront.\n\nThe letter urges Administrator Brooks-LaSure to propose the 2026 MA payment rule quickly, and to include the third-year of CMS\u2019 proposed changes and more aggressive action to curb overpayments to private insurers in MA. These changes are critical following Dr. Mehmet Oz\u2019s nomination to lead CMS, given his support for making Medicare Advantage the default option for seniors and eliminating Traditional Medicare. Dr. Oz also has millions invested in companies with interests before CMS, a clear conflict of interest.\n\n\u201cWithout your swift action, the situation will only worsen as President-elect Trump and Congressional Republicans prepare multi-trillion-dollar legislation to provide even greater tax cuts to multinational corporations and the very wealthiest few at the expense of social safety net programs, including Medicare,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nAlthough MA insurers and their promoters often mislabel these crackdowns as \"cuts to Medicare,\u201d payments to MA continue to rise each year. Despite these gross overpayments, private insurers in MA routinely violate Medicare coverage guidelines, squeeze independent physician practices, limit networks, and engage in deceptive marketing to lure seniors to their plans. The lawmakers urged CMS to finalize the phase-in the 2026 Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies this month.\n\nSenator Warren is a leading voice on reining in abuses in Medicare Advantage and protecting patients:\n\nIn December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) wrote to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate Traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health insurers that would benefit from that move.\n\nIn May 2024, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), responding to the agency\u2019s request for information (RFI) on Medicare Advantage (MA) data and raising concerns that CMS does not collect adequate data to determine when vertically integrated insurance companies in MA may be using anti-competitive tactics to raise health care costs and pocket extra profits.\n\nIn May 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Warren called out private insurers in Medicare Advantage for accelerating the rural hospital crisis.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Warren and Brown led their colleagues in a letter to HHS and CMS that urged the agencies to protect seniors by holding insurance companies accountable for abuses in Medicare Advantage.\n\nIn January 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent a letter to CMS, urging the agency to take administrative action to curb billions in overpayments to MA insurers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to the CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, raising concerns about shortfalls in CMS\u2019s data collection and reporting practices for MA plans, and urging CMS to close data gaps to strengthen oversight of MA plans and improve care for Medicare beneficiaries.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren, Cortez Masto, Cassidy, and Blackburn introduced bipartisan legislation to improve transparency of MA plans and ensure these plans are best serving the health care needs of America\u2019s seniors. The Encounter Data Enhancement Act would require Medicare Advantage plans to report important information about how much they are actually paying for patient services and how much patients are responsible for paying out-of-pocket.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren and Braun urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General to determine if vertically-integrated health care companies are hiking prescription drug costs, evading federal regulations.\n\nIn November 2023, at a Senate Finance Committee markup of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, Senator Warren highlighted the need to do more to prioritize hearing health for seniors and strengthen transparency in Medicare Advantage, and secured commitments from Senate Finance Committee leadership to prioritize these proposals in future packages.\n\nIn October 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren called out giant MA insurers for using deceptive marketing tactics to lure seniors into the wrong plans and drown out competition from smaller insurers that may offer better coverage. Senator Warren called on CMS to act within the fullest extent of its authority to crack down on MA insurers that game the system to overcharge the government and to ensure insurers publish accurate data on patient care and out-of-pocket costs.\n\nIn May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren highlighted the prevalence of ghost networks in Medicare Advantage plans and called for stronger oversight of the program.\n\nIn March 2023, Senator Warren sounded the alarm on a new analysis by policy experts showing that all Medicare beneficiaries \u2013 including those enrolled in Traditional Medicare \u2013 are paying higher premiums due to overpayments in MA. She sent a letter to CMS and called on the agency to finalize its proposed rule to ensure payments to MA plans accurately reflect the cost of care.\n\nIn March 2023, U.S. Senators Warren and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent letters to the top seven MA insurers \u2013 Humana, Centene, UnitedHealthcare, CVS/Aetna, Molina, Elevance Health, and Cigna \u2013 regarding their questionable claims that CMS\u2019s 2024 proposed Medicare Advantage payment rules would hurt beneficiaries.\n\nIn March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren defended CMS\u2019s proposed adjustments to the Calendar Year 2024 MA payment rates, pushing back against giant insurance companies and their lobbyists who are peddling misinformation to protect their billions in profits and scare beneficiaries into opposing the rule.\n\nIn April 2022, Senator Warren and Representatives Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure highlighting concerns about overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans that line the pockets of big insurance companies.\n\nIn February 2022, chairing a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Warren delivered remarks about strengthening Medicare and cracking down on pharmaceutical and insurance companies\u2019 corporate greed to pay for expanded coverage.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-lawmakers-introduce-bill-send-letter-urging-study-of-anti-sex-trafficking-legislations-impacts-on-sex-worker-health-safety", "Warren, Lawmakers Introduce Bill, Send Letter Urging Study of Anti-Sex Trafficking Legislation's Impacts on Sex Worker Health, Safety", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Lawmakers Introduce Bill, Send Letter Urging Study of Anti-Sex Trafficking Legislation's Impacts on Sex Worker Health, Safety\n\nBill to study impacts of SESTA/FOSTA on sex workers\u2019 health, safety and trafficking investigations; letter pushes agencies to undertake national study\n\nText of Bill (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), led lawmakers in reintroducing the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, legislation directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct the first federal study on the impact of a 2018 anti-sex trafficking bill known as SESTA/FOSTA on sex workers and trafficking investigations. The bill was reintroduced on the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.\n\nSenators Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) cosponsored the bill in the Senate. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) cosponsored the bill in the House.\n\nThe bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to undertake the first-ever robust national study of the impacts of SESTA/FOSTA. The bill\u2019s landmark study would require consultation, as appropriate, with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and report to Congress on the study within one year of the date of enactment. The bill also adds a new requirement that the Attorney General submit a report on SESTA/FOSTA\u2019s impact on human trafficking investigations and prosecutions.\n\nSenators Warren and Wyden, alongside Representatives Khanna, Lee, Holmes Norton, and Coleman, also sent a letter to HHS and the DOJ, pushing the agencies to undertake this study.\n\n\u201cWhile the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act would require your departments to complete these studies, we encourage HHS and DOJ to pursue this research voluntarily as part of your respective missions to protect the health and safety of all Americans, including sex workers, and to investigate human trafficking,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe bill reintroduction follows a 2021 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finding that, as of March 2021, SESTA/FOSTA has never been used by federal prosecutors to seek criminal restitution for victims of sex trafficking. In fact, while Congress passed SESTA/FOSTA to crack down on sex trafficking by making websites legally liable for content that helps \u201cfacilitate prostitution,\u201d the GAO study confirmed that the law has only made it more difficult for officials to investigate and prosecute sex trafficking cases.\n\nAnecdotal reporting suggests SESTA/FOSTA and the loss of certain web services have also had profound negative impacts on sex workers. Before SESTA/FOSTA, many sex workers used online platforms to screen clients. Negotiations could happen virtually, instead of on the street. Sex workers were able to share vetting tools, like blacklists of dangerous clients. After SESTA/FOSTA was enacted, these sites and the tools that came with them shuttered overnight.\n\nThe SAFE SEX Workers Study Act would study the impact of SESTA/FOSTA on the health and safety of sex workers, including disparities in these effects on LGBTQ+ individuals, people living in rural areas, racial and ethnic minorities, Tribal communities, people experiencing exploitation and trafficking, and undocumented and documented immigrant communities.\n\n\u201cIf SESTA-FOSTA has negatively impacted sex workers\u2019 health and safety, it\u2019s our responsibility as lawmakers to take those unintended consequences seriously,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cOur bill will shed much-needed light on those impacts so we can better understand how to address them.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is tragic that SESTA/FOSTA has done nothing to help victims of human trafficking, while by all accounts causing sex workers to suffer from increased violence and threats. As I feared, SESTA/FOSTA demonstrated that shutting down online speech inevitably hurts marginalized groups hardest. I applaud Senator Warren and Rep. Khanna for authoring this legislation to comprehensively study SESTA/FOSTA\u2019s impacts on sex workers,\u201d said Senator Wyden.\n\n\"As the Government Accountability Office has highlighted, we know that SESTA/FOSTA has not been successfully used to prevent sex trafficking. Instead, since its enactment, workers are facing increased physical and sexual violence after being pushed off online platforms. Congress needs to listen to the stories of sex workers who are being put in harm\u2019s way. I'm proud to partner with Congresswoman Lee and Senators Warren and Wyden on this legislation,\u201d said Rep. Ro Khanna.\n\n\u201cFor years, SESTA/FOSTA has demonized sex workers and subjected them to an increased risk of violence and abuse. Instead of preventing trafficking, it made it harder for sex workers to access critical health and safety resources. I\u2019m proud to reintroduce this legislation with Rep. Khanna and Senators Warren and Wyden to study the unintended consequences of SESTA/FOSTA and enable Congress to make informed policy decisions to protect the health and safety of sex workers,\u201d said Rep. Barbara Lee.\n\nThe bill was drafted in consultation with sex workers, advocates for LGBTQI+ and sex worker rights, HIV/AIDS prevention and advocacy groups, and organizations that provide health, safety and legal services for sex workers and sex-trafficking victims. The bill has received the endorsement of more than 30 diverse national and regional organizations across the country: Reframe Health and Justice, Center for Democracy and Technology, Fight for the Future, Defending Rights & Dissent, Assembly Four, Black and Pink, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Whitman-Walker Institute, The Center for HIV Law and Policy, The Moore-O'Neal Law Group, LLC, Counter Narrative Project, SWOP Behind Bars, Support Ho(s)e, Free Speech Coalition (FSC), Sex Workers Outreach Project \u2013 Sacramento, Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center, Decriminalize Sex Work, Decrim Sex Work California, Advocating Opportunity, Amara Legal Services, Freedom Network USA, New Frameworks, Center for Constitutional Rights, Womankind, Oasis Legal Services, Win Without War, 18 Million Rising, Public Citizen, Positive Women's Network-USA, DecrimIL, AIDS Foundation Chicago, and Woodhull Freedom Foundation.\n\n\"Congress must consider unintentional impacts while working to prevent online trafficking. Forcing sex workers into less safe working conditions and preventing community harm reduction increases vulnerabilities to trafficking, it does not deter trafficking. It is essential that Congress passes the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act so it can make more informed legislative decisions and fund solutions that work for everyone,\u201d said Jean Bruggeman, Executive Director of Freedom Network USA.\n\n\u201cSex workers warned legislators of the potential harms of SESTA/FOSTA prior to its passage in 2018 and have been at the forefront of researching and documenting the consequences of this legislation over the past six years. Woodhull Freedom Foundation has supported this research including through a survey of 440 sex workers who reported SESTA/FOSTA has increased their exposure to violence, in part by limiting their access to online spaces impacting their ability to earn income, screen clients, and communicate with their peers. On this internationally recognized day to end violence against sex workers, we urge lawmakers to take this opportunity to pass the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act. This legislation is critically needed to supplement current research and provide a comprehensive understanding of SESTA/FOSTA\u2019s impacts to better ensure future legislation meant to address human trafficking does not inadvertently put sex workers and trafficking survivors at-risk,\u201d Mariah Grant, Sex Worker Rights Expert and Woodhull Freedom Foundation Advocacy Consultant.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-nadler-lawmakers-renew-push-to-make-bankruptcy-less-expensive-for-families", "Warren, Nadler, Lawmakers Renew Push to Make Bankruptcy Less Expensive for Families", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Nadler, Lawmakers Renew Push to Make Bankruptcy Less Expensive for Families\n\nBill would simplify the bankruptcy process for individuals and families, address racial and gender disparities in the system, crack down on predatory practices\n\nBill Text | Bill Summary | One-Pager | 2022 Letter of Support from 86 Law Professors\n\nWashington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), reintroduced the Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act, legislation to simplify and modernize the consumer bankruptcy system and make it easier for people forced into bankruptcy to get back on their feet.\n\nOver the last 40 years, consumer credit has skyrocketed as Americans took on more debt to deal with the increasing costs of housing, education, medical care, and child care \u2014 all while wages stayed stagnant. For millions of households, a job loss or a family illness can send them tumbling over a financial cliff, struggling under the weight of medical bills, student loans, mortgages, and car loans.\n\nOriginally introduced in 2020, Senator Warren\u2019s Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act aims to streamline the consumer bankruptcy process with a single, unified system. This reform will simplify the filing process, reduce filing fees, and ensure filers can take care of themselves and their families during the bankruptcy process, including by helping renters avoid eviction and helping safeguard homes and cars. Notably, the bill will allow individuals struggling with student loans to discharge the debt through bankruptcy, reversing a 2005 change that allowed special treatment for private student loan companies and offering significant relief to many who are burdened by educational expenses.\n\n\u201cPeople typically file for bankruptcy for one of three reasons: a job loss, a medical problem, or a family breakup \u2014 and when they do, they\u2019re faced with an expensive and complicated system. My bill would simplify and modernize the consumer bankruptcy system to make it easier and less expensive for people to get relief,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI\u2019ve dedicated my career to fighting for working families, and I\u2019ll keep fighting to make sure people forced into bankruptcy have the tools to get back on their feet.\u201d\n\n\"Bankruptcy is a key tool that allows individuals and families to get back up and keep working and providing for their families,\u201d said Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler. \u201cToday that promise rings hollow for many people because the bankruptcy system has become complex, unfair, and even punitive for ordinary people. The Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act ensures that the bankruptcy system works for the American people and not just big corporate creditors. Senator Warren and I have worked on this issue for many years, and I look forward to continuing our fight for consumers with this new legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cBig corporate debtors continue to reap the rewards of our broken bankruptcy system while everyday Rhode Islanders facing financial hardship struggle to obtain basic relief,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse. \u201cI\u2019m pleased to support this bill that makes the consumer bankruptcy system fairer and easier to access for those facing crushing personal debt.\u201d\n\n\u201cBankruptcy is a critical tool to help people who have fallen into debt get back on their feet, but the United States\u2019 consumer bankruptcy system is broken \u2014 it is overcomplicated, outdated, and often inaccessible for poor and working families. It\u2019s past time that we fix this system and make it work for everyday Americans, not the profits of big corporations,\u201d said Representative Jayapal. \"This legislation would make the process of filing for bankruptcy both easier and less expensive, help Americans take care of themselves by protecting their cars and homes, and close loopholes that allow predatory companies to rip people off and exploit the system. I\u2019m proud to be fighting alongside Senators Warren and Whitehouse and Congressman Nadler to level the playing field for everyday people.\u201d\n\nThe Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act would:\n\nMake it easier and less expensive for financially-strapped families and individuals to get financial relief.\n\nHelp filers care for themselves and their families during the bankruptcy process, and protect individuals\u2019 and families\u2019 dignity.\n\nHelp address racial and gender disparities in the bankruptcy system.\n\nClose loopholes that allow the wealthy to exploit the bankruptcy system.\n\nCrack down on predatory practices and hold corporate wrongdoers accountable.\n\n\"Many families who struggle with debt don\u2019t get help through bankruptcy because they can\u2019t afford the high costs needed to file or because the relief available has not kept up the debt problems families face today. This Act will ensure that those who need bankruptcy are not denied access simply because they cannot afford entry to the system, and it will give them a meaningful opportunity for a fresh start,\u201d said John Rao, Senior Attorney at the National Consumer Law Center.\n\n\"This legislation will repair some of the harms caused by the 2005 Bankruptcy Act, which allowed big businesses to use the bankruptcy rules, but made it far harder and far more expensive for people \u2014 especially Black, Latine, and lower-income families \u2014 to obtain needed bankruptcy relief,\" said Christine Chen Zinner, Senior Policy Counsel for Consumer Financial Justice at Americans for Financial Reform, \"Eliminating many of the burdensome and expensive hurdles from the 2005 Bankruptcy Act will once again allow everyday people \u2014 and not just powerful corporations \u2014 the opportunity to get a fresh financial start.\"\n\n\u201cPublic Citizen is heartened to see Senator Warren\u2019s leadership on the important set of reforms packaged in the Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act, and is proud to endorse these measures that would reduce the pain faced by those facing economic hardship and provide a more streamlined path forward for them to get back on their feet,\u201d said Elizabeth Beavers, Congress Watch Director at Public Citizen.\n\n\"The Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act is a lifeline for struggling families, offering a fair shot at financial recovery. It puts an end to predatory loopholes and slams the door on illegal debt collection practices. Most importantly, it wipes out the unjust law that traps Americans under the crushing weight of student loan debt,\" said Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services at Consumer Federation of America.\n\n\u201cYoung people have faced unique financial struggles and grappled with finding stability in the uneven and slow recovery from a series of economic crises,\u201d said Kristin McGuire, Higher Executive Director to Executive Director, Young Invincibles. \u201cSenator Warren is taking a bold stance to help young Americans find a path for economic recovery and Young Invincibles is proud to endorse the Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2024. Ensuring student loan debt is dischargeable like other debts and addressing the racial and gender disparities in the bankruptcy system are long overdue and necessary steps toward financial freedom for young adults and borrowers.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act is a much-needed step in making sure our bankruptcy system gives individuals a fair shot at a second chance. In addition to simplifying the bankruptcy process, this bill would also ensure that student loan debt is treated equally to other types of debt and make it possible to discharge municipal fees that can be harmful to people's stability and often have collateral consequences. We appreciate Senator Warren\u2019s dedication to economic justice and fairness, and this bill exemplifies that dedication,\u201d said Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Founding President and Director-Counsel at Tzedek DC.\n\nSenator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) cosponsored the legislation in the Senate. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) cosponsored the legislation in the House.\n\nThe Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act has been endorsed by: Action Center on Race and the Economy, Americans for Financial Reform, AFL-CIO, National Association of Consumer Advocates, Consumer Federation of America, Demos, National Consumer Law Center, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, Public Citizen, UnidosUS, Young Invincibles, Tzedek DC, Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement and Research (CLEAR), Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Center for Responsible Lending, U.S. PIRG, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-secures-new-protections-for-servicemembers-from-blast-overpressure-and-safer-drug-supply-chains-in-annual-defense-bill", "Warren Secures New Protections for Servicemembers from Blast Overpressure and Safer Drug Supply Chains in Annual Defense Bill", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Secures New Protections for Servicemembers from Blast Overpressure and Safer Drug Supply Chains in Annual Defense Bill\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), announced key priorities secured in the bill.\n\n\u201cI fought hard to secure provisions that protect our servicemembers from blast overpressure and ensure a reliable supply chain for life-saving drugs,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cWe must do more to crack down on greedy defense contractors, close the revolving door at the Pentagon, and guarantee housing worthy of military families. As we head into a new administration, I\u2019m going to keep conducting oversight and fighting to cut down on wasteful Pentagon spending.\u201d\n\nThe following provisions, which Senator Warren led, are included in the FY25 NDAA:\n\nProtecting servicemembers from blast overpressure: The bill incorporates major reforms from Senator Warren\u2019s bipartisan Blast Overpressure Safety Act, a comprehensive, bicameral bill to help mitigate and protect servicemembers from blast overpressure. The reforms include increasing transparency about blast overpressure safety in the weapons acquisition process, requiring comprehensive updates to exposure safety thresholds, and launching initiatives to treat traumatic brain injuries and other symptoms of exposure.\n\nSafer pharmaceutical supply chains: The FY25 NDAA requires the Pentagon to establish a plan to ensure access to safe, high-quality pharmaceutical products and eliminate or mitigate risks in the pharmacy supply chain, including the feasibility of establishing a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility owned and operated by the Department of Defense (DoD).\n\nCombating civilian medical debt: The Department\u2019s military treatment facilities (MTF) can provide civilians with care under limited circumstances, but the civilians who receive treatment are frequently left to deal with onerous billing, collection, and debt management practices. The Secretary of Defense must suspend civilian medical debt until DoD issues a final rule or interim final rule on providing financial relief to civilians who receive care at Military Treatment Facilities.\n\nChild care for military families: The bill requires DoD to redesign and modernize Child Development Center compensation and staffing models.\n\nResponding to and mitigating civilian harm: Senator Warren secured a provision requiring DoD to provide an annual report on civilian casualties in connection with U.S. military operations until December 31, 2030. DoD is also required to provide a report on its implementation of its instruction implementing the Civilian Harm and Response Action Plan.\n\nSupporting telehealth for mental health services: This bill authorizes DoD to prescribe regulations that would allow mental health providers to provide tele-mental health care services to servicemembers and their dependents regardless of the provider or patient\u2019s location.\n\nReverse engineering: Senator Warren worked with Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) to secure a provision that allows DoD to assess the feasibility and advisability of producing parts through reverse engineering, especially in cases where the Pentagon has only one source for a part or product.\n\nProtecting JROTC students from abuse and forced enrollment: Senator Warren secured $2 million for increased oversight of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC). This follows several reforms that Senator Warren secured in the FY 2024 NDAA from her JROTC Safety Act to protect JROTC students from sexual abuse by instructors and forced enrollment.\n\nAddressing the recruitment crisis: The bill addresses delays in processing recruits caused by MHS Genesis by requiring an annual report on DoD\u2019s efforts to address recruitment delays associated with medical conditions of applicants. It also creates a 2-year pilot program in which the Reserves can identify pre-existing medical conditions that are considered disqualifying but regularly or automatically receive medical waivers, and delegate the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command with the authority to approve recruits with these otherwise disqualifying conditions.\n\nProtecting our military from climate change: DoD is required to provide a briefing on flood and other natural disaster risks to military installations and surrounding civilian infrastructure, as well as information about how often DoD updates flood maps. The bill also provides $2 million in additional funding to support continued development of renewable electric vehicle charging stations.\n\nAddressing cryptocurrency risks to national security: This bill requires DoD to produce a report on the risks of state-sponsored crypto hacking and crypto crime.\n\nProtecting DoD employee data: This bill prohibits contractors and subcontractors from selling or transferring individually identifiable data of DoD employees.\n\nStrengthening nuclear spending oversight: Senator Warren secured a provision encouraging the National Nuclear Security Administration to release its updated financial integration policy as soon as possible.\n\nHolding colleges and universities accountable: The FY25 NDAA requires DoD to publish and provide Congress with an annual Postsecondary Education Complaint System report through 2029 to afford Congress the ability to conduct oversight and ensure accountability over the Tuition Assistance (TA) and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship programs, which receive hundreds of millions of dollars in DOD funding annually.\n\nSenator Warren also secured the following provisions for Massachusetts:\n\nCape Cod Gun Range: Senator Warren successfully struck funding for a gun range on Cape Cod following an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that found the range could contaminate drinking water and create a significant threat to public health for Cape Cod residents.\n\nImproved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP): This bill includes $30 million in funding for the ITEP program.\n\nLincoln Lab: The bill includes $76 million for MIT Lincoln Laboratory\u2019s engineering and prototype facility. It also includes full funding for the Lincoln Laboratory Research Program.\n\nDevens: The bill includes $39 million to improve reserve enlisted barracks at Devens Reserve Forces Training Area.\n\nHanscom: The bill includes $66 million for Hanscom Air Force Base\u2019s NC3 Acquisitions Management Facility and $315 million for military construction.\n\nBarnes: There is $12.2 million for the combined engine shop at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.\n\nRemote sensing of biometric data: This bill requires DoD to brief SASC on how its use of wearable technology and biometric health data for servicemember health, available technologies, the benefits of this data including for mental health treatment, the feasibility of tracking this data, and contract vehicles to use to deploy these tools.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/auchincloss-targets-chinas-role-in-us-fentanyl-crisis-with-new-bipartisan-legislation", "Auchincloss Targets China\u2019s Role in U.S. Fentanyl Crisis with New Bipartisan Legislation", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Democratic Chair of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)\u2019s Fentanyl Policy Working Group introduced bipartisan legislation alongside his colleagues that holds the CCP responsible for its role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis.\n\nSpearheaded by Working Group Co-Chairs Reps. Auchincloss and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and joined by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the Fentanyl Policy Working Group spent months building on the Select Committee\u2019s bipartisan investigation, which uncovered for the first time how the CCP directly subsidizes fentanyl precursors and analogues.\n\nThe lawmakers are now introducing three bipartisan bills aimed at better coordinating law enforcement efforts, strengthening sanctions on China-based and CCP-backed entities engaged in drug trafficking, and leveraging fines against People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) shippers that fail to implement appropriate transparency and related safeguards that hinder drug trafficking.\n\nThe bills developed by the working group are the Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024, The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act, and the International Protecting from PRC Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Act.\n\n\"Dismantling the fentanyl supply chain starts at the source. The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act sanctions Chinese chemical manufacturers that are profiting by poisoning the American people,\" said Congressman Auchincloss.\n\n\u201cFor too long, China has profited from the destruction of American lives, and the fentanyl crisis they are manufacturing knows no boundaries. As we continue our work fighting the immediate threat the drug poses, we are also going after the CCP and their central role in subsidizing, producing, and exporting the precursors that fuel this epidemic,\u201d said Congressman Newhouse.\n\n\u201cEarlier this year, the Select Committee\u2019s bipartisan investigation proved that the CCP could be doing much more to stop the flow of fentanyl. But if the CCP won\u2019t take action, Congress will,\u201d said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi. \u201cI want to commend Congressmen Auchincloss and Newhouse for their leadership of this working group. Building off the findings of our investigation, the three bills put forth today would help save lives, and help ensure that companies in China that produce and export deadly chemicals are held accountable.\u201d\n\n\"The Becca Schmill Foundation is incredibly grateful to Representative Auchincloss for his work to protect all Americans from the continued threat posed by illicit synthetic narcotics,\u201d said Deb Mann Schmill, Founder and President of the Becca Schmill Foundation. \u201cThe three bills introduced at Congressman Auchincloss\u2019 Fentanyl Policy Working Group will provide much-needed tools to combat the current phase of the opioid crisis, which has resulted in a record loss of life.\"\n\nThe Becca Schmill Foundation of Needham, Massachusetts was formed in memory of Rebecca (Becca) Mann Schmill by her loving family. Becca Schmill passed away on September 16, 2020, from fentanyl poisoning. She purchased the drugs with the assistance of a social media platform.\n\nSummaries of the bill can be found below.\n\nThe Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024\n\nThe Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024 would establish a coordinated task force to combat the trafficking of synthetic narcotics like fentanyl. The task force will bring together representatives from relevant federal agencies to conduct joint operations, disrupt trafficking networks, and enforce sanctions. It will focus on international and domestic coordination, including addressing the role of the People\u2019s Republic of China in the opioid crisis.\n\nThe task force aims to streamline interagency collaboration, enhance legal enforcement, and report regularly to Congress.\n\nThe CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act\n\nThe CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act targets what the Select Committee\u2019s bipartisan fentanyl report described as the \u201cAchilles\u2019 heel\u201d of fentanyl and related synthetic narcotics producers\u2014their exposure to the U.S. banking system courtesy of their licit activity. This legislation would codify important new authorities to address this threat while working to target those responsible for the epidemic.\n\nIt codifies and builds on Executive Order 14059, which established critical new sanctions authorities against actors involved in fentanyl trafficking. It also expands existing sanctions authorities to target PRC vessels or ports that knowingly or recklessly facilitate shipment/transportation of illicit synthetic narcotics, as well as PRC online marketplaces and other entities that knowingly or recklessly facilitate sale of illicit synthetic narcotics.\n\nThe legislation also provides authority to restrict foreign financial institution correspondent accounts and payable-through accounts if the President determines the account has knowingly facilitated transactions on behalf of individuals engaging in synthetic narcotics trafficking.\n\nInternational Protection from PRC Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Act", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://keating.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/keating-statement-recent-belarus-arrests", "KEATING STATEMENT ON RECENT BELARUS ARRESTS", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "William R. Keating", "K000375", "keating.house.gov", "keating", "https://keating.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "\"The Lukashenka regime\u2019s ongoing detention of political prisoners including journalists demonstrates the regime\u2019s continued disregard for the citizens it claims to represent. This includes the arrest of an additional seven journalists last week as well as the extended detention of individuals like Ihar Karney whose only \u201ccrime\u201d is journalism. More than 1,200 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, and I reiterate my call for their immediate release.\n\nThe people of Belarus have lived under Lukashenka\u2019s rule for 30 years, and as we approach upcoming presidential \u201celections\u201d next year, we must continue to support the democratic opposition and Belarusian civil society. As co-chair of the House Belarus Caucus, I pledge this support in the new Congress as the Belarusian government continues to run afoul of international law and the protection of civil liberties of Belarusians who seek freedom, rule of law, and respect for human rights.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-lawmakers-probe-real-estate-firm-easyknock-after-abrupt-closure-demand-answers-for-customers", "Warren, Lawmakers Probe Real Estate Firm EasyKnock After Abrupt Closure, Demand Answers for Customers", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Lawmakers Probe Real Estate Firm EasyKnock After Abrupt Closure, Demand Answers for Customers\n\nEasyKnock bought people\u2019s homes, turned customers into renters on the promise they could buy their homes back, and then often left customers worse off.\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, led a letter to the Founder and CEO of EasyKnock\u2014a real estate company that bought people\u2019s homes and turned them into renters\u2014probing the company\u2019s allegedly deceptive and predatory business practices and their impacts on customers after the company abruptly closed its doors on December 5, 2024. The letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).\n\nBefore its recent closure, EasyKnock purchased homes from financially distressed homeowners through its \u201cSell & Stay\u201d program, promising they would \u201creceive 100% of their home\u2019s value without having to move.\u201d However, consumer lawsuits and multiple state attorneys general have alleged that EasyKnock\u2019s deceptive advertising and business practices often left former homeowners far worse off than they were before the company found them, causing homeowners to lose cherished family homes and much of the equity they originally had in them.\n\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned about EasyKnock\u2019s lasting impact on vulnerable homeowners, including homeowners with pending residential sale-leaseback agreements with your company, and the extent to which the company will be handling these agreements in the wake of its abrupt closure earlier this month,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nAccording to reports, EasyKnock customers rarely received anything close to the full market values of their homes, and the company employed predatory tactics, such as consistent rent increases in spite of a lack of improvements to properties, placing customers in financial positions where they could no longer repurchase their homes.\n\n\u201cAcross America, the allegations against EasyKnock followed a similar pattern: EasyKnock made misleading statements about services to entrap vulnerable homeowners only to break its promises at the expense of working families,\u201d continued the lawmakers.\n\nIn December 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General\u2019s Office entered into a settlement with EasyKnock in which the company agreed to permanently halt sale-leasebacks in Massachusetts and make changes to its business practices.\n\nThis month, EasyKnock abruptly shut down. According to public reports, customers, shocked and confused by the news, were given little explanation of the closure, with one customer reporting that she was notified that a company called NESE Property Management now manages her home.\n\n\u201cEasyKnock\u2019s decision to 'shut down\u2019 raises even more questions about how it will handle ongoing agreements and properly compensate homeowners who were negatively affected by the company\u2019s actions,\u201d concluded the lawmakers.\n\nThe senators are requesting information about EasyKnock\u2019s past business practices and its abrupt closure by December 30, 2024.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-presses-trump-for-answers-on-elon-musks-glaring-conflicts-of-interest", "Warren Presses Trump for Answers on Elon Musk\u2019s Glaring Conflicts of Interest", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Presses Trump for Answers on Elon Musk\u2019s Glaring Conflicts of Interest\n\n\u201cMr. Musk\u2019s substantial private interests present a massive conflict of interest with the role he has taken on as your \u2018unofficial co-president.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cCurrently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country\u2014or merely good for his own bottom line.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to President-Elect Trump with concerns about Elon Musk\u2019s conflicts of interest as he serves as a top advisor for the incoming president.\n\nIn the weeks since the election, Mr. Musk has been named the co-chair of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, and has frequently been by Trump\u2019s side, joining his phone calls with Ukraine\u2019s president, \u201c[met] secretly\" with Iran\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations.\n\n\u201cBut Mr. Musk is no ordinary citizen,\u201d wrote Senator Warren, pointing out that he is the CEO of several companies that have significant interests before the federal government.\n\n\u201cMr. Musk\u2019s substantial private interests present a massive conflict of interest with the role he has taken on as your \u2018unofficial co-president,\u2019\u201d continued Senator Warren. \u201cCurrently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country\u2014or merely good for his own bottom line.\u201d\n\nSpaceX, Tesla, and Mr. Musk\u2019s other companies have an ongoing interest in how the government does or does not enforce labor laws, workplace safety rules, environmental regulations, and other federal laws. Additionally, his companies have been the subject of at least 20 recent investigations or reviews, creating adversarial and significant entanglements with federal regulators.\n\nFor example, Mr. Musk\u2019s automobile company, Tesla, has obtained nearly $42 million in government contracts to provide electric vehicles (EVs) and services to the government. The government indirectly subsidizes the company and its competitors via a $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Similarly, SpaceX, Mr. Musk\u2019s rocket company, has received nearly $20 billion in government contracts, providing crucial rocket launches.\n\nIndeed, Mr. Musk has already benefitted substantially from President-elect Trump\u2019s victory: in the five days after the election, Tesla\u2019s stock surge alone increased Mr. Musk\u2019s fortune by $70 billion.\n\n\u201cFederal law contains ethics rules for government employees that are specifically designed to protect the public from dangerous conflicts of interest and ensure that government employees are working on behalf of the public interest rather than twisting government policy to line their own pockets,\u201d continued the senator. \u201cAs a member of the transition team, Mr. Musk is not a federal employee, but the conflicts he faces are enormous and the need for him to be subject to similar ethics standards is obvious.\u201d\n\nOn November 27, 2024, the Trump transition team released its Transition Team Ethics Plan, which outlines that \u201ctransition team members will avoid both actual and apparent conflicts of interest,\u201d including financial interests of their \u201corganization with which they have a business or close personal relationship.\u201d Mr. Musk appears to be playing an influential role in the transition, especially as a key adviser to Trump and a high-profile policymaker in his role as co-chair of the DOGE Committee.\n\n\u201cHe should be held to the ethics standards that you have established for your transition team and should provide clarity about his role and his activities in order to reassure the American public that he is working solely on their behalf and not using his role in the transition as an opportunity to fatten his own wallet,\u201d concluded Senator Warren.\n\nSenator Warren is requesting Trump\u2019s transition team provide answers to her questions no later than December 23, 2024.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-senators-question-hegseth-nomination-his-disqualifying-views-on-women-in-the-military-allegations-of-sexual-assault", "Warren, Senators Question Hegseth Nomination, His Disqualifying Views on Women in the Military, Allegations of Sexual Assault", "2024-12-17", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Senators Question Hegseth Nomination, His Disqualifying Views on Women in the Military, Allegations of Sexual Assault\n\n\u201cIf women are treated as second-class citizens and barred from competing for the same opportunities for promotions and leadership as men, the military will lose the talent it has and be unable to recruit the talent it needs, and that will undermine our ability to keep Americans safe.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Susan Wiles, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s incoming Chief of Staff, about whether Pete Hegseth\u2019s attitudes toward women, including his opposition to women in combat, and allegations of sexual assault and harassment, disqualify him to be the next Secretary of Defense.\n\n\u201cAs Secretary, Mr. Hegseth will set the tone for how women are treated throughout the military and whether women have enough confidence in him to join or remain in the military,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nMr. Hegseth\u2019s opposition to women in combat roles has begun to cause \u201cmounting concern\u201d among female active duty service members about whether they will continue to serve their country under his leadership. As recently as November 7th, Mr. Hegseth stated: \u201cI\u2019m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn\u2019t made us more effective. Hasn\u2019t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.\u201d\n\n\u201cExperts tell us that meeting current recruiting goals and building the cutting-edge force we need for the future requires recruiting more women to the force,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cIf women are treated as second-class citizens and barred from competing for the same opportunities for promotions and leadership as men, the military will lose the talent it has and be unable to recruit the talent it needs, and that will undermine our ability to keep Americans safe.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr. Hegseth\u2019s ill-informed views ignore the significant role women have played in combat roles for the United States of America,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cHis dismissal of women as warfighters drives away both potential recruits and women who are already serving in the armed forces.\u201d\n\nMr. Hesgeth has also been under fire for his alleged history of sexual assault and harassment. Last month, according to press reports, the Trump transition team received a memo alleging that Mr. Hegseth \u201craped a then-30-year-old conservative group staffer in his room after drinking at a hotel bar.\u201d Additionally, when he served as president of Concerned Veterans of America CVA, a whistleblower report alleged that Hegseth and his management team \u201csexually pursued the organization\u2019s female staffers\u201d and \u201cignored serious accusations of impropriety, including an allegation made by a female employee that another employee on Hegseth\u2019s staff had attempted to sexually assault her\u201d at a strip club.\n\nAlready, the U.S. military's Defense Department continues to report unacceptably high levels of sexual harassment and assault in the military ranks, and it struggles to meet annual military recruiting goals.\n\n\u201cThe allegation that Mr. Hegseth sexually assaulted a woman and personally contributed to creating a hostile work environment for female employees raises severe concerns about his ability to address the Department of Defense\u2019s problems with sexual assault,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe Senators requested answers to their questions by December 30.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=157E2502-430E-4789-BD8C-2A12BE63E973", "Whip Clark Announces Congressional App Challenge Winner", "2024-12-16", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) announced that Christopher Yoo from Wellesley, Massachusetts is the Fifth Congressional District winner of the annual Congressional App Challenge.\n\nYoo\u2019s app, WayPoint, enables residents to report malfunctioning or damaged assistive crosswalk signals for the visually impaired to local municipalities.\n\n\u201cThe Congressional App Challenge offers students across the district and the nation an opportunity to explore their interest in STEM and showcase their coding skills,\u201d said Whip Clark. \u201cEvery year, I am inspired by the talent and innovation of our local students, and this year was no different. I want to congratulate Christopher on winning this year\u2019s challenge and thank him for his commitment to building a safer and more accessible community.\u201d\n\nYoo was inspired to create WayPoint after his experience volunteering at a concert composed exclusively of choristers with visual impairments. \u201cI created WayPoint to help local governments prioritize repairs and new crosswalk installations which enhance the safety and accessibility in public spaces for visually impaired individuals,\u201d said Yoo.\n\nYoo\u2019s app will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives website.\n\nThe annual Congressional App Challenge was first launched in 2013 and is designed to inspire innovative efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education for America\u2019s youth. Each spring, middle and high school students from around the country are invited to participate.\n\nFor more on this year\u2019s winning app, visit Whip Clark\u2019s website.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/congressman-moulton-introduces-building-safer-streets-act-improve-street-design", "Congressman Moulton Introduces \u201cBuilding Safer Streets Act\u201d to Improve Street Design Standards and Make Streets Safer", "2024-12-16", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON,, DC \u2013 Congressman Seth Moulton has introduced the \u201cBuilding Safer Streets Act,\u201d a bill that would bring street design standards into the 21st century and make way for innovative, locally-sensitive street designs and improvements by providing government agencies from the federal to local level with resources to remove red tape and make streets safer. It will also adjust street safety-focused grants so that the money reaches small communities.\n\nThis bill is the House companion to Senator John Fetterman\u2019s Senate version, introduced last Fall.\n\nCongressman Moulton has long been a strong advocate for building safer, greener, and more efficient transportation infrastructure in America.\n\n\u201cOver 100 people die due to road traffic accidents every day in America. Our community is no stranger to this type of tragedy,\u201d said Congressman Moulton. \u201cRoad safety should be a bipartisan effort. Never again should a pedestrian be injured or killed while crossing the street when they have a signal or simply walking down the sidewalk. We've made progress with new federal grants to help, and this bill would improve road design and federal safety reforms -- that will create safer streets for everyone.\u201d\n\nThe Building Safer Streets Act would:\n\nCreate a streamlined exceptions process for FHWA-recommended features that improve safety, removing the need for slow and costly exceptions requests\n\nEnsure FHWA guidelines and guidance distinguishes between rural, suburban, and urban needs\n\nAdjust the Safe Streets for All grant program to address the specific needs of small and rural communities\n\nProvide clarity for states and localities on how they can design streets to better accommodate users\n\nDirect the FHWA to help states and localities design streets that account for freight and transit networks (e.g. at-grade rail crossings, truck routes, or bus stops)\n\nCreate a consistent process at FHWA for determining design exceptions for projects that do not include multimodal facilities (e.g. bike lanes)\n\nRequire public documentation for FHWA decisions that expressly prohibit certain designs and limit local flexibility\n\nPrevent FHWA from considering higher speed limits as a contributor to value of time metrics\n\nPrevent FHWA from accepting rising road fatalities as an acceptable safety performance target\n\nFacilitate data-collection regarding updates to highway design manuals to allow best practices for designing lower speed non-freeway roadways.\n\nCongressman Moulton will reintroduce the bill in the 119th Congress and work with stakeholders to move it forward.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/moulton-announces-5-million-federal-grant-hamilton-wenham-regional-school", "Moulton Announces $5 Million Federal Grant for Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District to Invest in Zero-Emission Buses", "2024-12-16", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Salem, Mass. \u2013 Congressman Seth Moulton joins the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) to announce that the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District will receive almost $5 million in federal funding to replace 17 diesel buses with new zero-emission buses to reduce air pollution.\n\nThe project, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Congressman Moulton helped to pass in 2021, will directly improve the air quality for students, staff, and community members and reduce district transportation costs.\n\n\u201cI'm thrilled that the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District will receive nearly $5 million in funding to replace diesel buses with zero-emission vehicles. This federal funding will not only reduce transportation costs, but it will improve air quality and reduce harmful pollution. Everyone in the community, especially students, is going to benefit from this investment. I'm proud to partner with the EPA as we work toward building a healthier, more sustainable future,\u201d said U.S. Representative Seth Moulton.\n\nAcross the nation, over 3 million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use. Many of these are older vehicles that emit higher levels of harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases than newer vehicles. This pollution is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to these health impacts.\n\nEPA\u2019s Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program will accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles.\n\nThe $4,989,500 grant will be used to replace 17 Class 6/7 diesel buses with Class 6/7 zero-emission buses to reduce the district\u2019s emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and greenhouse gases (GHGs). The project will directly improve the air quality for students, staff, and community members and reduce district transportation costs. In addition, the district plans to leverage a public private partnership with Highland Electric Fleets to ensure cost-effective use of EPA funding and successful implementation of the project.\n\nIn total, 70 applicants across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory to receive over $735 million to assist in the purchase of over 2,400 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-murkowski-call-for-study-to-support-tribal-child-welfare", "Warren, Murkowski Call for Study to Support Tribal Child Welfare", "2024-12-16", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Murkowski Call for Study to Support Tribal Child Welfare\n\n\u201cThe U.S. government\u2019s record with AI/AN children has eroded Tribal communities\u2019 trust in the traditional child welfare system.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF) | GAO Acceptance (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study into child abuse and neglect in indigenous communities to help inform Congress\u2019 work to support Tribal child welfare programs.\n\nHistorically, American Indian (AI) and Alaskan Native (AN) communities have been subjected to trauma by the United States government. In the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds of thousands of children were displaced into over 500 boarding schools, where they experienced physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Then between the 1950s and 1970s, an estimated 25 to 35 percent of all AI/AN children were removed from their families and placed by child welfare agencies in foster care far from their tribal communities or were adopted, primarily by non-Indian families. Even today, AI/AN children are over-represented in the foster care system.\n\nTribal child welfare programs are systematically underfunded. In August 2016, GAO published a report revealing that over half of the Tribes interviewed lacked adequate resources for their foster care programs. These funding gaps have led to a lack of adequate child welfare infrastructure, including a shortage of trained child welfare professionals, inadequate technology for maintaining child case records, and a lack of emergency intervention services.\n\n\u201cTo best support Tribal child welfare programs, we need to better understand the common barriers Tribes face in accessing federal and state child welfare funding and technical assistance, the best practices that Tribal child welfare programs employ, and the gaps in federal data on AI/AN child abuse,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\nThe lawmakers urged GAO to consult with Tribes to examine existing child abuse and neglect prevention programs and resources, and produce a report with recommendations on how to better support Tribes\u2019 child welfare programs.\n\n\u201cThe federal government has a responsibility to invest in Tribal child welfare programs and to not repeat the harms of the past. This research is critical to better understanding those programs\u2019 urgent needs,\u201d concluded the senators.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=76157A85-AB50-423A-B8D4-037CBA83C4FD", "Whip Clark Statement on the Election of Co-Chairs of the Future Forum Caucus", "2024-12-13", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), Rep. Gabe Amo (RI-1), and Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-3) on their election as Co-Chairs of the Future Forum Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cThe voices of our youth must be heard in the halls of Congress, the Future Forum Caucus is committed to elevating the issues that matter most to them and creating a path into public service for young Americans. I am excited to learn from and partner with this innovative and energetic leadership team. Brittany, Gabe, and Morgan will undoubtedly advance Democrats\u2019 fight for an America worthy of future generations. Sending my sincerest congratulations to each of them.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=B9B23ADF-8BD3-4082-B146-066582AF5C57", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Ayanna Pressley\u2019s Appointment as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) as she steps into the role of Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cFrom the Boston City Council to the Halls of Congress, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has been at the forefront of the fight for women\u2019s rights and freedoms. As women across America face an unparalleled attack on our health and lives, I am so grateful for her leadership of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus as our newest Co-Chair. I congratulate Ayanna and am eager to partner with the entire Reproductive Freedom Caucus as we fight on behalf of women, mothers, and freedom.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ahead-of-fiscal-year-fy-2025-ndaa-vote-warren-presses-pentagon-on-strategy-to-prevent-price-gouging-overpayments-to-health-care-companies", "Ahead of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NDAA Vote, Warren Presses Pentagon on Strategy to Prevent Price Gouging, Overpayments to Health Care Companies", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Ahead of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NDAA Vote, Warren Presses Pentagon on Strategy to Prevent Price Gouging, Overpayments to Health Care Companies\n\nWarren Reveals List of Nearly 250 Bad Actors that Overcharged DoD by Almost $46 Million\n\n\u201cIt is critically important that DHA properly prevents and mitigates overpayments and price\n\ngouging in TRICARE.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF) | DoD\u2019s January 2024 Response (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter raising continued concerns about the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) failure to prevent price gouging and overpayments in the military\u2019s TRICARE health program. DoD\u2019s response to Senator Warren\u2019s July 2023 letter revealed a list of nearly 250 bad actors who have overcharged our military by nearly $46 million, which the Senator released today. In her new letter, Senator Warren requested further information about the department's plans to prevent overcharging.\n\nDoD relies on \u201cseveral managed care support organizations to deliver health care entitlements\u201d to servicemembers and veterans in a cost-effective manner. In December 2022, DoD awarded the most recent generation of these contracts, including a $70.9 billion contract to Humana and a $65.1 billion contract to TriWest Healthcare Alliance. DoD\u2019s response does not make clear if DoD is receiving any discount on care and whether any rebates or incentive payments have been made to the managed care support contractors.\n\nDoD\u2019s response also highlighted potential conflicts of interest among contractors who provide both claims-processing services and serve TRICARE patients. For example, PGBA, a DoD claims processing subcontractor, owns UCI Medical Affiliates, Inc., a health care service provider that services the TRICARE East Region. This dual ownership means that this claims processor could be more likely to \u201cprocess and accept claims, including potentially improper ones, from [its subsidiaries] because it would benefit their shared parent corporation.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren also pressed DoD to provide more information about ethics concerns regarding former Defense Health Agency (DHA) Director Raquel Bono, a key figure in the failure to address previous overpayments. The DoD Inspector General, after determining that the agency had been overcharged, reported that Bono \u201cdisagreed with the recommendations to seek voluntary refunds from TRICARE providers\u201d that had overcharged the program. Bono left government service shortly after and joined the board of Humana, a military health care provider. DoD did not provide an adequate response on this point and redacted critical information in the post-Government employment opinion letters it provided to Bono.\n\nWhile DoD provided a list of nearly 250 companies or providers who have overcharged the Pentagon over the past five years, it only listed the \u201c[a]mount of recommended recoupment\u201d \u2013 a total of nearly $46 million and failed to provide clarity on the final amounts that DHA recovered. In some of the worst cases, these companies had a history of nefarious behavior, needing to pay to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act for \u201ccrushing up pills and [including] them in creams used topically for pain treatment,\u201d and submitting false claims to TRICARE to boost profits.\n\n\u201cIt is critical that DoD is taking appropriate steps to prevent repeat overpayment offenders, and I request additional information from you regarding whether DoD continued contracts with any of the providers on this list, including whether it did so even after a company overcharged DoD the first time,\u201d wrote Senator Warren.\n\nSenator Warren also wrote about her concern with DoD\u2019s \u201cfailure to track what [DoD] deem[s] as \u2018accidental errors\u2019,\u201d which can be duplicate payments, patient coding errors, or incorrect calculations of amounts to be paid.\n\n\u201cIt is unclear how you determine that these are \u201caccidental errors\u201d and not deliberate, and I am also concerned by your decision to not track these errors to begin with,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\nIn order to improve transparency around DoD\u2019s efforts to prevent price gouging, Senator Warren requested DoD provide further clarity on their efforts by December 31, 2024.\n\nSenator Warren has led work to hold giant corporations accountable for price gouging consumers and the government and has urged DoD to crack down on these efforts:\n\nIn June 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), and 20 other lawmakers sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez and Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, raising concerns over Express Scripts\u2019 exclusive contract to administer TRICARE\u2019s pharmacy program, the healthcare system for the military, retirees, and their families.\n\nIn July 2023, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren chaired a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. She called out the Department of Defense (DoD) for wasting billions in taxpayers dollars due to price gouging by defense contractors for services and in health care, and identified opportunities for cost savings when DoD buys personnel-related goods and services.\n\nIn July 2023, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, regarding a series of DoD Inspector General (IG) reports finding that the Department of Defense (DoD) is failing to prevent price gouging and overpayments to contractors in the TRICARE health program.\n\nIn June 2023, Senators Warren and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), alongside Rep. Garamendi, reintroduced the bipartisan Stop Price Gouging the Military Act, which would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense (DoD) the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs.\n\nIn May 2023, Senator Warren and Representative John Garamendi sent letters to DoD, Boeing, and TransDigm on companies\u2019 refusal to provide cost or pricing data.\n\nIn May 2023, Senators Warren, Sanders, Braun, and Grassley sent a letter to DoD urging an investigation into contractor price gouging.\n\nIn October 2022, Senator Warren obtained a commitment from DoD not to increase contract prices due to inflation.\n\nIn October 2022 Senator Warren sent a letter to DoD urging them to insist on receiving certified cost or pricing data to justify any contract adjustments.\n\nIn June 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Garamendi introduced the bicameral Stop Price Gouging the Military Act, which would enhance DoD\u2019s ability to access certified cost and pricing data. Part of Senator Warren\u2019s legislation was incorporated into the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act reported to the Senate.\n\nOn May 12, 2022, Senators Warren and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced the Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2022, which would prohibit the practice of price gouging during all abnormal market disruptions \u2013 including the current pandemic \u2013 by authorizing the FTC and state attorneys general to enforce a federal ban against unconscionably excessive price increases, regardless of a seller's position in a supply chain.\n\nOn March 16, 2022, Senator Warren introduced the Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act to help stomp out rampant industry consolidation that allows companies to raise consumer prices and mistreat workers. The bill would ban the biggest, most anticompetitive mergers and give the Department of Justice and FTC the teeth to reject deals in the first instance without court orders and to break up harmful mergers.\n\nOn March 2, 2022, Senator Warren and her colleagues called out drug manufacturers for squeezing American families with rapid and widespread price hikes on prescription drugs.\n\nIn February 2022, at a hearing, Senator Warren called out corporations for abusing their market power to raise consumer prices and boost profits.\n\nThat same month, Senator Warren requested the Department of Justice to take aggressive action against corporations violating antitrust laws to hike prices for consumers.\n\nIn January 13, 2022, Senator Warren questioned Federal Reserve nominee Lael Brainard about market concentration and price gouging driving inflation.\n\nAt a hearing in January 2022, Senator Warren pressed Fed Chair Jerome Powell on the role of corporate concentration in driving up prices for consumers during his renomination hearing to be Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.\n\nIn December 2021, Senator Warren slammed Hertz's $2 billion dollar buyback plan, which would line the pockets of company executives and the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, while they raised rental car costs for consumers.\n\nIn November 2021, Senator Warren identified 11 energy companies for inflating natural gas prices for consumers while reaping record profits.\n\nThat same month, she requested the Department of Justice to investigate the poultry industry's anticompetitive behavior as turkey and chicken prices soar.\n\nIn the past year, Senator Warren has urged the Biden administration to closely scrutinize potential anticompetitive mergers that could lead to higher prices for consumers and accelerate industry consolidation. She has led letters about the proposed mergers of Frontier and Spirit airlines, Sanderson-Wayne, WarnerMedia-Discovery, and Amazon-MGM.\n\nIn September 2020, Senator Warren and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) formally requested that the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) investigate reports that the Pentagon redirected hundreds of millions of dollars of funds meant for COVID-19 response via the Defense Production Act (DPA) to defense contractors for \"jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms.\u201d\n\nIn May 2020, Senator Warren wrote to the Department requesting clarification on how the Department would prevent profiteering following a recent change to increase payments to contractors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nIn March 2020, Senator Warren joined her colleagues in urging the FTC to use its full authority to prevent abusive price gouging on consumer health products during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nIn May 2017, Senator Warren sent a letter to the Department of Defense Inspector General asking for an investigation into defense contractor TransDigm\u2019s refusal to provide cost information to the Department of Defense.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/at-hearing-warren-celebrates-caseys-record-of-fighting-for-families-calls-on-congress-to-build-on-that-legacy-and-reject-trillions-in-tax-giveaways-to-billionaires", "At Hearing, Warren Celebrates Casey\u2019s Record of Fighting for Families, Calls on Congress to Build on that Legacy and Reject Trillions in Tax Giveaways to Billionaires", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "At Hearing, Warren Celebrates Casey\u2019s Record of Fighting for Families, Calls on Congress to Build on that Legacy and Reject Trillions in Tax Giveaways to Billionaires\n\nFor the same amount it would cost to renew the 2017 Trump tax cuts, Congress can invest in family care infrastructure like paid leave, child care, early childhood education\n\n\u201cNext year's tax fight will be an opportunity to show the American people whose side they are on \u2013 the side of billionaires, who are clamoring for more handouts, or on the side of hard-working Americans.\u201d\n\nVideo of Exchange (YouTube)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 At a hearing of the Senate Committee On Aging, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for 2025 legislation to include investments like an expanded Child Tax Credit, affordable home care for sick relatives, paid leave, and affordable child care, so working families have an opportunity to get ahead. Meanwhile, the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which have been largely sucked up by billionaires and large corporations, are up for renewal in 2025.\n\nMs. Ai-Jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, testified that for the same $4.5 trillion it would cost to renew the 2017 Trump tax cuts, our country could \u201censure every child has access to high-quality early childhood education, every worker in the U.S. has paid leave, (and) raise wages for hard-working American families.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren called out Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for their plan to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires by slashing investments that actually grow our economy and support these good jobs.\n\nSenator Warren also highlighted Senator Bob Casey\u2019s (D-Pa.) leadership as Chair of the Aging Committee, his determination, and his work on behalf of American families.\n\nTranscript: Hearing to Examine Empowering People with Disabilities to Live, Work, Learn, and Thrive\n\nSenate Committee On Aging\n\nDecember 12, 2024\n\nSenator Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.\n\nSenator Casey has been a tireless champion for American families. As Chair of the Aging Committee, he has been right at the center of fights for rights for Americans with disabilities, lowering the cost of child care and elder care, and raising wages for workers.\n\nMeghann Luczkowski, a caregiver and disability advocate from Philadelphia, said it best:\n\nSenator Bob Casey opened his eyes to our families and saw the needs of our children. He opened his ears and listened to our lived experience. He opened his heart and genuinely cared about improving our children\u2019s situations. And as Senator of Pennsylvania, time and time again, he opened his mouth to fight for our kids\u2019 access to care and to their community. It will always be scary sending our disabled children out into the world, but with Senator Casey representing us, we could rest assured knowing they had a champion in Washington.\n\nI ask that this statement regarding the Chairman\u2019s work be entered, in its entirety, into the record.\n\nChair Casey: Without objection.\n\nSenator Warren: Thank you.\n\nAmerican families need Congress to continue building on Senator Casey\u2019s legacy. But instead, the big-ticket agenda item for Republicans next year is a $4.5 trillion extension of the Trump tax cuts for billionaires and billionaire corporations.\n\nWhat could $4.5 trillion buy us instead?\n\nWe could restore the expanded Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit that Senator Casey helped pass in the American Rescue Plan to put more money into the pockets of working families. We could make home care for seniors and people with disabilities more affordable, as Senator Casey has championed. We could pass paid leave for every worker, so they don\u2019t have to choose between a paycheck or caring for a loved one that needs help. And we could guarantee affordable child care for every family in America.\n\nNow, I listened to Senator Braun and Mr. Orrell talk about how to build a strong economy, so I want to pose that same question, I just want to do it slightly differently.\n\nMs. Poo, you are President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. That means that you represent 2.5 million domestic workers. If we are going to spend $4.5 trillion, I just want to know, which is the better investment in our economy overall? This is not about for individuals, it\u2019s just what\u2019s going to make the economy work better. Is it lowering costs for families and raising wages for care workers, on one hand, or another tax giveaway, largely sucked up by millionaires, billionaires, and giant corporations? Which is going to promote our economy?\n\nMs. Ai-Jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance: Senator Warren, thank you so much for that question. I should hope that if we are going to spend $4.5 trillion, that we are going to spend it on the needs of everyday American families.\n\nThe cost of care in this country is astronomical. Child care for two children costs more than rent in every state in America. The lack of paid leave costs Americans $22 billion annually, and the cost of aging and disability care at home costs between $62,000 and $280,000 per year. Instead of more handouts to billionaires and corporations, we can afford to ensure every child has access to high-quality early childhood education, every worker in the U.S. has paid leave, as you said. We can raise wages for hard-working American families. That seems like the better return on investment.\n\nSenator Warren: Yeah, so I very much appreciate your underscoring this point. And the reminder that when we raise wages for caregivers, that means there are more caregivers available. More people will go in, more people will stay in, more people will make this a part of their careers.\n\nAnd what does that mean? There are more people who have other jobs that will be able to go to those jobs. I think of this as a double investment. The investment that is the right investment for those who need the care and the families who are struggling to get it, but also the investment. If we want more workers in our economy, one of the ways we get more workers in our economy is to have care for those who need care at home.\n\nPresident Trump and Republicans in Congress have been clear that their plans to pay for the next tax giveaway to billionaires and billionaire corporations is to slash investments that actually grow our economy and support these good jobs. They plan to cut programs like Social Security. They are planning higher taxes on everyday items that families buy, like groceries and gas.\n\nNext year's tax fight will be an opportunity to show the American people whose side they are on \u2013 the side of billionaires, who are clamoring for more handouts, or on the side of hard-working Americans. Chairman Casey, I know which side you are on. I just want to say, thank you for your leadership, for your determination, and for everything that you have done for American families. It is an honor to fight alongside you.\n\nChair Casey: Senator Warren, thank you so much for your comments and also for the great advocacy that you undertake everyday on behalf of the people of that other Commonwealth of Massachusetts and of the American people, and especially American families. I'm so grateful for your work. I will miss working with you.\n\nSenator Warren: Thank you.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/congressional-investigation-reveals-navient-may-be-improperly-denying-borrowers-relief-from-predatory-student-loans", "Congressional Investigation Reveals Navient May Be Improperly Denying Borrowers Relief from Predatory Student Loans", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Congressional Investigation Reveals Navient May Be Improperly Denying Borrowers Relief from Predatory Student Loans\n\nLawmakers Seek Action from Regulators to Protect Borrowers from Navient\u2019s \u201cDisgraceful\u201d Behavior\n\n\u201cWe are concerned that Navient\u2019s cancellation process for borrowers who attended predatory, for-profit schools is flawed and opaque and potentially violates federal consumer protection law.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-PA) led 24 lawmakers in sending a bicameral letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, revealing the results of their investigation into Navient regarding its cancellation process for the predatory, for-profit student loans in its portfolio and urging the agencies to hold the student loan servicer accountable for any violations of federal law.\n\nThe investigation revealed that Navient may be improperly denying thousands of borrowers relief from loans that the company pushed onto students that attended fraudulent for-profit colleges. These loans are eligible for cancellation due to Navient\u2019s own misconduct, and thanks to the Holder Rule, which allows borrowers to raise claims and defenses against a loan holder. But, according to the elected officials, the school misconduct discharge process Navient has set up to cancel these debts is flawed and insufficient.\n\n\u201cNavient has admitted it is responsible for canceling \u2018all loans that meet the Holder Rule criteria,\u2019 but the convoluted process the company has set up for defrauded borrowers is flawed and may be improperly denying borrowers relief,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cWe urge the CFPB and FTC to investigate this matter and act to ensure that Navient is complying with federal law and providing relief to the defrauded borrowers harmed by its misconduct.\u201d\n\nEarlier this year, Senator Warren launched an investigation into Navient and the set of private, predatory student loans it pushed onto students likely to default \u2014 colluding with fraudulent for-profit colleges in exchange for a steady supply of federal and private loan borrowers. In its response to an initial letter from Senator Warren and other lawmakers, Navient agreed to cancel all loans that meet Holder Rule criteria.\n\nBut the investigation released today revealed that:\n\nOnly a fraction of Navient\u2019s borrowers who attended for-profit colleges have been sent school misconduct discharge applications \u2014 and Navient denies relief to 80% of those who apply.\n\nNavient\u2019s school misconduct discharge application is unnecessarily burdensome and confusing.\n\nNavient\u2019s rationales for denials are opaque and its appeals process is insufficient, making it impossible for borrowers to exercise their rights.\n\nNavient appears to be making incorrect categorical determinations about which school and loan types are eligible for cancellation under the Holder Rule.\n\nNavient\u2019s misconduct alone provides a basis for loan cancellation\u2014a fact which Navient has repeatedly ignored.\n\n\u201cIt is disgraceful that Navient appears to be evading its responsibility to cancel this fraudulent debt by rejecting 80% of applicants, inaccurately determining which loan and school types are eligible for cancellation, providing insufficient information when it does reject borrowers, and neglecting its responsibility to cancel all private fraudulent debts based on the Holder Rule and Navient\u2019s misconduct,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe lawmakers pushed CFPB Director Chopra and FTC Chair Khan to take supervisory and enforcement action as appropriate.\n\n\u201cWe ask your agencies to use their supervisory and enforcement authority to ensure Navient is delivering borrowers the relief they are entitled to under the Holder Rule and due to Navient\u2019s own misconduct,\u201d the lawmakers concluded.\n\nThe following Senators signed on in support of this letter: Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nThe following Representatives signed on in support of this letter: Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.).\n\n\u201cNavient's flawed cancellation process has caused confusion and complexity for borrowers who were first cheated by predatory, for-profit schools, and now find their private student loan balances at the mercy of Navient, a company known for its deceptive student loan practices and working hand-in-hand with these fraudulent institutions. The fox is guarding the henhouse, and we can't stand by and watch. Navient must fully recognize borrowers' rights and cancel private student loans where there is evidence of fraud and wrongdoing. We join Senator Warren and all signers in urging supervisory agencies to take immediate action to ensure consumers are protected.\" \u2013 Ashley Harrington, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, PPSL\n\nSenator Warren has led the fight to reform our higher education system, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable:\n\nIn November 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a letter blasting MOHELA for abusing borrowers with potentially illegal, exploitative terms of use.\n\nIn October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) commending the agencies on their progress in helping borrowers who are struggling financially to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy and asking them to continue expanding awareness of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new policy.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated new federal student debt relief, bringing the total number of Americans who have had their debt canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program during the Biden-Harris Administration to a historic 1 million people and counting.\n\nIn September 2024, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new report examining the impact of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new Higher Education Act rule, finding that low- and middle-income borrowers, seniors, women, and Black borrowers will receive enormous benefits from the new rule.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren joined Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to launch an investigation into the reported mishandling of student loan transfers by MOHELA, Nelnet and credit reporting agencies.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led over 30 lawmakers in a letter urging student loan servicer Navient to reform its flawed process to cancel the private student loans of borrowers who attended fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, cautioning the Department of Education on Federal Student Aid\u2019s transition to the Unified Servicing and Data Solution system.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, and Sanders released a joint statement on the American Federation of Teachers\u2019 lawsuit against MOHELA for allegedly overcharging and misleading student loan borrowers.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren and King led their colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging them to provide guidance and communication to borrowers as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program transfers from MOHELA to the Department of Education.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren led a growing coalition of senators in urging the Department of Education to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and 24 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, encouraging them to provide $2.7 billion in funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in fiscal year (FY) 2025.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Carper, Kaine, and Representative Don Davis (D-N.C.) called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to release data on the Postsecondary Education Complaint System (PECS), a centralized database to track complaints against schools who participate in the Tuition Assistance (TA) and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA) program.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Warren led eight of her colleagues in sending a letter to David L. Yowan, President and Chief Executive Officer of student loan servicer Navient, urging the servicer to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn April 2024, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, Markey, and Van Hollen released a new report: Servicing Scandals: Student Loan Servicers\u2019 Failures During Return to Repayment, which reveals a decades-long pattern of student loan servicer incompetence and misconduct that has affected millions of borrowers nationwide.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a hearing on student loan servicer Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) and its failures during borrowers\u2019 return to repayment, including MOHELA\u2019s mismanagement of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and John Larson (D-Conn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the U.S. Department of Education to end the practice of offsetting Social Security benefits to pay off defaulted student loans.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement calling for an investigation into student loan mismanagement by MOHELA.\n\nIn January 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to host a fourth session of the student debt negotiated rulemaking to consider relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship.\n\nIn December 2023, U.S. Senators Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Ed Markey,, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent follow-up letters to student loan servicers \u2013 MOHELA, EdFinancial, Nelnet, and Maximus \u2013 raising concerns about borrowers\u2019 problems with return to repayment, requesting information about the borrower experience, and pushing back on the servicers\u2019 claim that budget shortfalls limit their ability provide quality customer service to millions of borrowers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging him to leverage his existing and full authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Alex Padilla and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jim Clyburn, and Frederica Wilson led 79 other lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to swiftly deliver on his promise to deliver student debt cancellation to working and middle class families by early 2024.\n\nIn October 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) visited communities across Massachusetts to celebrate the Biden administration\u2019s student debt cancellation plan and help residents sign up for student loan relief.\n\nIn March 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Brown and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), urged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to swiftly discharge the loans of borrowers defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities, including those operated by Corinthian College.\n\nIn January 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Jayapal, Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) led more than 80 colleagues in a bicameral letter to the Department of Education calling for it to release the memo outlining the Biden administration\u2019s legal authority to cancel federal student loan debt and immediately cancel up to $50,000 of debt for Federal student loan borrowers.\n\nIn April 2021, Senators Warren and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led a group of colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education to take swift action to automatically remove all federally-held student loan borrowers from default.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-warren-at-hearing-trump-would-have-a-strong-partner-at-the-cfpb-to-enact-his-proposed-10-cap-on-credit-card-interest-rates", "ICYMI: Warren at Hearing: Trump Would Have a \"Strong Partner at the CFPB\" to Enact His Proposed 10% Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "ICYMI: Warren at Hearing: Trump Would Have a \"Strong Partner at the CFPB\" to Enact His Proposed 10% Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates\n\nTrump\u2019s interest rate cap could be enforced by the CFPB to save Americans billions of dollars in interest payments\n\nVideo of Committee Hearing\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) highlighted how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has worked to bring down credit card prices and can help fulfill President-elect Trump\u2019s promise to cap credit card interest rates at 10%.\n\nAccording to the Federal Reserve, Americans are carrying a record $1.17 trillion in credit card debt. Since the Federal Reserve started tracking credit card interest rates in 1994, credit card companies have steadily increased interest rates to record highs. Even as the Federal Reserve has cut rates, credit card interest rates have remained higher than ever, with average interest rates nearly doubling over the last decade.\n\nDuring the hearing, the Honorable Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, highlighted the CFPB\u2019s accomplishments in helping Americans struggling under the weight of credit card debt, like limiting late fees charged by credit card companies and cracking down on bad actors in the credit card market. Director Chopra emphasized that currently, Americans are paying an extra $25 billion a year in interest rates, compared to 10 years ago. If enacted, Direct Chopra confirmed that the CFPB would partner with President-elect Trump to enforce his plan to cap interest rates at 10%.\n\nSenator Warren also thanked Chairman Brown for his years fighting for the dignity of work at the helm of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.\n\nTranscript: Hearing to Examine Consumer Protection, Focusing on Protecting Workers' Money and Fighting for the Dignity of Work\n\nSenate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee\n\nDecember 11, 2024\n\nSenator Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, you have led this committee as a fierce fighter for consumers and someone who has pressed all of America to recognize the dignity of work. I speak for myself, and for millions of people across this country, to say we are grateful for your leadership. Thank you.\n\nPresident Trump spoke to the concerns of millions when he said he would put a 10% cap on credit card interest rates. That is the kind of big structural change that will make a big difference to families across America. Over the last decade, giant credit card companies have jacked up interest rates to historic levels. Average interest rates have nearly doubled from 13% back in 2013, to 23% in 2024, now the highest on record. Much of that increase has been driven by credit card companies tacking on just a few extra percentage points of interest to pad their profits, to the tune of an average of about $250 extra, straight out of the pockets of every credit card holder in America, in just last year alone.\n\nDirector Chopra, thank you for being with us today. Just give us a quick summary about what the CFPB has been doing to help Americans struggling under the weight of credit card debt.\n\nThe Honorable Rohit Chopra, Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Well, we put into place some rules that will stop credit card exploitation of loopholes to the tune of billions of dollars a year in penalty fees. We're going to make it easier to switch. We're going to ensure that people can actually get those rewards they were promised, and so much more good.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: So, Director Chopra, let me ask you, would President-elect Trump's plan to lower interest rates to 10% do more to help unrig the credit card market? And if such a cap were enacted, does the CFPB have the expertise and the capacity to enforce that?\n\nDirector Chopra: Well, we certainly have the capacity to enforce it. We enforce other types of interest rate caps. And by the way, federal law already has an interest rate cap on credit cards offered by credit unions, and that seems to work just fine.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: All right, and let me just ask, because I had the rest of this, and that is, would a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, as the President-elect has proposed, would that help unrig the credit card system and help consumers across the country?\n\nDirector Chopra: Yes.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: Good, that's a short answer. Do you want to add any more?\n\nDirector Chopra: Well, I think there's room for debate on where to set the number, but certainly we have found that other rate caps have allowed the market to function. But as the market has grown more and more concentrated and that there's even more mega mergers potentially on the horizon, we need to make sure that those credit card companies aren't coordinating, even subtly, to jack up rates even higher.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: Okay, and that concentration means less competition?\n\nDirector Chopra: That's right, and I think that has contributed to these fat margins. We have found that Americans are paying an extra $25 billion a year, compared to 10 years ago, even when controlling for market interest rates.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: Wow, $25 billion. So let me ask, when the President-elect takes on the big credit card companies and lowers credit card interest rates to 10%, will he have a strong partner at the CFPB?\n\nDirector Chopra: Well, the CFPB will enforce the law as written, and that's exactly what we would do.\n\nSenator Elizabeth Warren: Okay? So I understand that some people on Team Trump are trying to undermine the president-elect, billionaires who profit off of cheating people are begging him to \u201cdelete the agency.\u201d They're asking President-elect Trump to go back on his promise of a 10% cap on interest rates, instead of putting billionaires' profits ahead of the needs of working people. The CFPB has been in the trenches fighting for working families for over a decade, and so far, it has forced Wall Street banks to return over $20 billion directly to families they cheated. Now, with a single move, President-elect Trump can smash that record, saving American families tens of billions of dollars in interest payments. And when he does that, he will have a strong partner at the CFPB. So I just want to say thank you, Director Chopra, for your extraordinary record of service to people all across this country. Thank you for all you've done.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-escobar-reintroduce-legislation-to-strengthen-military-readiness-adapt-to-climate-change", "Warren, Escobar Reintroduce Legislation to Strengthen Military Readiness, Adapt to Climate Change", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Escobar Reintroduce Legislation to Strengthen Military Readiness, Adapt to Climate Change\n\nThe Defense Department is the largest consumer of fossil fuels on the planet\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill Section-by-Section (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representative Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, reintroduced the Department of Defense (DOD) Climate Resilience and Readiness Act to address the Pentagon\u2019s contributions to climate change and to mitigate climate change\u2019s impact on our military readiness.\n\nThe Department of Defense has long recognized that climate change threatens the nation\u2019s military readiness and coastal infrastructure. Multiple military leaders have testified before Congress to confirm the threat that climate change poses to our national security and strategic interests, as well as confirmed the need to address climate change. To adequately address these risks, serious changes will be required of the Pentagon\u2019s operations and carbon emissions.\n\nThe Department of Defense Climate Resiliency and Readiness Act would require the DoD to take specific actions to adapt to climate change and improve energy efficiency:\n\nCommits the U.S. military to net zero energy in non-operational sources, producing as much renewable energy as total energy consumed, by 2034.\n\nProduce a list of military installations that emit the most carbon and an estimate of total energy consumption.\n\nConsider the effects of climate change and contractors' energy efficiency performance when considering entering into any contract and give preference to contractors that verifiably use green manufacturing technology.\n\nProvide an annual report of the effects of climate change on military readiness, with an estimate of the financial costs of damage to bases and other infrastructure resulting from climate change-related events over the preceding year.\n\nIncorporate climate resilience into existing operational strategies.\n\nInvest in a new, ten-year research, development, and demonstration program on energy storage, hybrid microgrid, and energy resiliency.\n\nConsider current and potential vulnerabilities of military installations to climate change in any future process of base realignment and closure (BRAC).\n\n\u201cOur military readiness and national security depend on how we adapt to climate change,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cThis bill will update our military\u2019s infrastructure and operations with the urgency needed to protect against the worst effects of climate change.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren and Representative Escobar initially introduced this bill in May 2019 and again in July 2021.\n\nSenators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) co-sponsored the bill. In the House, Representatives John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Military Readiness, along with Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), both members of the House Armed Services Committee, were original co-sponsors.\n\nThe DoD Climate Resilience and Readiness Act has been endorsed by Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Public Citizen, and Earthjustice.\n\nSenator Warren has been a leading voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee calling for actions to combat climate change:\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with Representatives Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) urged the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council, composed of the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), urging them to finalize the Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule as quickly as possible.\n\nIn December 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) urged the Department of Defense to take proactive steps to ensure the strength and readiness of DoD assets and installations in the face of the climate crisis.\n\nIn April 2019, Senator Warren wrote to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following up on concerns brought forth by eight military leaders about the rising threat of climate change to the United States military's missions, operational plans, installations, and overall readiness.\n\nIn April 2019, Senator Warren and Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed wrote to the Government Accountability Office calling for a review of potential threats to national security resulting from the impacts of climate change on defense contractors and the defense supply chain, and to review the extent to which the Department of Defense can address climate change and other environmental risks during the contracting process.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-gluesenkamp-perez-take-on-military-contractors-overcharging-us-military-restricting-servicemembers-from-repairing-equipment", "Warren, Gluesenkamp Perez Take on Military Contractors Overcharging U.S. Military, Restricting Servicemembers from Repairing Equipment", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Gluesenkamp Perez Take on Military Contractors Overcharging U.S. Military, Restricting Servicemembers from Repairing Equipment\n\nNew bill would ensure servicemembers have \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d access to repair materials.\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) introduced the Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act to increase military readiness and cut costs by allowing servicemembers to repair their own equipment.\n\nOur military pays Pentagon contractors hundreds of billions of dollars annually to purchase weapons systems and other equipment. However, the equipment is often subject to contractor-imposed restrictions on how servicemembers can diagnose, repair, and maintain their own weapons, leaving servicemembers unable to conduct necessary fixes and beholden to contractors no matter how austere the environment. These restrictions put military readiness at risk and pose concerns about the Pentagon overspending on basic services and equipment.\n\nThe Navy has been forced to fly contractors to ships at sea to perform simple fixes, Marines in Japan had to send engines back to the U.S. for repairs instead of fixing them on-site, and Marines in a training exercise were forced to choose between voiding their equipment warranty by fixing it or marking the equipment inoperable.\n\nThe Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act ensures our military will be provided with the tools and materials needed to maintain the equipment it has purchased and directs the Pentagon to use those tools to reduce sustainment costs, improve military readiness, and build servicemember skills needed in possible future austere environments. Specifically, this bill:\n\nRequires that each major weapons program\u2019s acquisition strategy includes 3 cost-saving proposals to cut sustainment costs without reducing performance requirements.\n\nMandates a report on cost-saving strategies to enhance transparency.\n\nRequires the Pentagon to assess the cost-effectiveness of access to intellectual property, ensuring it is a priority throughout a program\u2019s lifecycle.\n\nEnsures contractors provide our military with \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d access to repair materials, including parts, tools, and information, so servicemembers are able to repair their own equipment when needed.\n\nDefines \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d as providing similar prices, terms, and conditions as those made available to the contractor\u2019s authorized repair providers to ensure an even playing field.\n\nGives our military additional flexibility to access and use repair data, and ensures access to repair data is a key consideration in regulations governing the rights of the United States in items developed with government funding.\n\nRequires the Pentagon to track and publicly report instances when the military is forced to have a contractor repair equipment because right-to-repair restrictions prevent servicemembers from maintaining or repairing their own DoD equipment.\n\nPromotes accountability through reports from the Government Accountability Office.\n\n\u201cPentagon contractors are taking advantage of our military, forcing them to pay excessive prices and wait weeks for basic equipment repairs. Without the right to repair their own equipment, our servicemembers in the field are at risk,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI\u2019ve long pushed for cutting waste out of the Pentagon budget, and this bill cuts out greedy contractors by empowering servicemembers and creating competition.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaintaining a ready and agile military is dependent on our servicemembers being able to repair their own equipment quickly and effectively. Military technicians want to be working with their hands to fix things \u2013 not getting stuck on the phone on hold with a manufacturer. Shipping equipment out for repair or bringing authorized contractors to sea or the battlefield isn\u2019t just costly, challenging, and time-consuming \u2013 it deprives servicemembers of experience fixing the equipment they rely on to stay safe in hostile situations,\u201d said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. \u201cBy ensuring our military has the ability to fix critical equipment, we can empower our servicemembers, boost military readiness, save taxpayer dollars, and bring back respect for these skills.\u201d\n\nThe Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act is endorsed by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).\n\nSenator Warren has repeatedly sought to bolster competition and fight back against costly right-to-repair restrictions:\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Defense Department and to the defense contractor industry regarding the costly restrictions imposed on the Department of Defense that bar the military from repairing its own military equipment and instead force it to pay billions of dollars extra to military contractors.\n\nIn July 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren included a provision in the Senate Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA that would require contractors to provide DoD with \u201cfair and reasonable\u201d access to repair materials with a bipartisan committee vote of 21-4.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), celebrated the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reversing course and allowing enforcement of Massachusetts\u2019 pro-consumer Right to Repair law.\n\nIn June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reverse its course after it sent a recent letter to auto manufacturers, advising them not to comply with Massachusetts\u2019 Right to Repair law.\n\nIn February 2022, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King (I-Maine), and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) urged the Department of Health and Human Services to move forward with the march-in petition submitted for the prostate cancer drug Xtandi.\n\nIn July 2021, Senator Warren and Representative Doggett sent a letter to the Department of Defense requesting information about steps taken to reduce costs of DoD-funded prescription drugs and medical products.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-huffman-renew-push-to-invest-in-clean-energy", "Warren, Huffman Renew Push to Invest in Clean Energy", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Huffman Renew Push to Invest in Clean Energy\n\nBill would make historic investment to help fight the climate crisis, spark green innovation, and boost demand for American-made clean energy products\n\nBill Text | One-Pager\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) reintroduced the BUY GREEN Act, legislation to establish $1.5 trillion in federal procurement commitments for our clean energy future. The funds would be used to purchase American-made clean, renewable, and emission-free energy products for federal, state, and local use and to establish grant funding for U.S. companies to invest in clean energy manufacturing.\n\nThe federal government spends $500 billion annually to purchase goods and services. Many of these products have significant environmental impacts, including transportation equipment, building infrastructure, and electronics.\n\n\u201cAmerica needs to invest in clean energy like our future depends on it,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cThis bill will help grow our green economy and establish America as a world leader in clean energy.\u201d\n\n\"As we face the urgent challenges of the climate crisis, I'm proud to introduce a bill that represents a transformative step toward a cleaner, more sustainable future,\" said Representative Huffman. \"By investing in supporting American-made clean energy products, we are not only driving the transition to renewable and emission-free energy but also creating opportunities for innovation and good-paying jobs here at home.\"\n\nA 2021 poll showed that 59% of voters support this bill. This strong bipartisan support suggests that our country is ready for us to make big investments to save our planet and build back greener.\n\nSpecifically, the bill would:\n\nEstablish a \"Clean Energy Fund\" at the Department of Energy (DOE) for green procurement by authorizing the DOE to provide funding to federal agencies for clean energy purchases and creating a competitive federal grant program for state, local, and tribal governments to purchase clean energy products.\n\nReduce carbon pollution by providing enough funds to electrify the entire federal fleet, including postal service vehicles; providing enough funds to electrify all public transit and school buses; and providing funds to design, build, and retrofit buildings, including federal, childcare, educational, and manufacturing facilities, to be more energy efficient.\n\nBoost the green economy and clean energy sector by establishing a grant program for U.S. companies to invest in clean energy manufacturing by retrofitting or building facilities that produce covered products and bolstering our ability to create clean energy products that can then be exported globally to make the U.S. a leader in green innovation.\n\nSupport workers and frontline communities by including strong labor provisions to ensure jobs provide strong wages, benefits, and worker protections by and directing 40% of state, local, and tribal grant funding to purchases that benefit frontline, disadvantaged, and vulnerable communities that have been environmentally neglected.\n\nProtect taxpayer funds from fraud, waste, and abuse by forming a Green Procurement Oversight Advisory Board that will ensure the use of funds is compliant with clean energy and labor provisions and by directing the U.S. Comptroller General to conduct oversight of the use of funds and to publicly report on program efficacy each year.\n\nIn the Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) cosponsored this legislation.\n\nThe BUY GREEN Act has been endorsed by Sunrise Movement, MoveOn, GreenLatinos, Sierra Club, Green New Deal Network, Center for Progressive Reform, League of Conservation Voters, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, New Consensus, Public Citizen, Climate Hawks Vote, and Zero Hour.\n\nSenator Warren has long worked to protect taxpayer money and ensure strong implementation of climate policy:\n\nIn November 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren reintroduced the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act. The bill proposes streamlining the process for people in communities affected by natural disasters seeking housing assistance.\n\nIn November 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Jared Huffman reintroduced the National Institutes of Clean Energy Act (NICE), legislation that would invest $400 billion over the next decade to establish and operate a new system of clean energy institutes at the Department of Energy (DOE) focused on research and development of advanced clean energy technologies.\n\nIn September 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King, along with Representatives Ro Khanna, Alma Adams, Pramila Jayapal, and Jan Schakowsky, wrote to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging the agencies to develop strong guardrails for the 45Q tax credit, which is designed to encourage carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects.\n\nIn June 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Sean Casten led a letter to the Federal Reserve Board (Fed), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), urging regulators to stop their obstruction of global financial regulators\u2019 work to tackle climate-related financial risks. The lawmakers also called out the weaknesses revealed by the Fed\u2019s 2023 \u201cpilot scenario analysis\u201d exploring six major banks\u2019 resilience to climate-related financial risks.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Robert Garcia reintroduced the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would authorize the U.S. Department of Transportation to distribute $500 billion over ten years to electrify and modernize public vehicles and rail and build new electric transportation infrastructure across the country. The bill would also create 1 million new jobs, save $100 billion annually in health damages, and prevent 4,200 deaths per year from air pollution.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Sean Casten and Veronica Escobar, urged the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council, composed of the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to finalize the Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Rule as quickly as possible.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren, released a statement describing the Securities and Exchange Commission\u2019s (SEC) finalized climate risk disclosure rule as \u201cthe bare minimum.\u201d\n\nIn September 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Martin Heinrich, Ed Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Jeff Merkley called on the Treasury Department to take key actions pertaining to climate and climate-related financial risk to avert the impending environmental and economic crises.\n\nIn September 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren urged Chair Gensler to quickly finalize a strong climate risk disclosure rule, reminding him that he has a mandate to protect investors and strong public support.\n\nIn March 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Representatives Dan Goldman and Jamie Raskin and 47 of their colleagues sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler, urging him to protect investors and finalize a strong climate disclosure rule without further delay.\n\nIn September 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren called on SEC Chair Gary Gensler to protect investors and stand up to fossil fuel lobbying by issuing a strong climate risk disclosure rule quickly.\n\nIn June 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a comment letter with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Brian Schatz on the SEC\u2019s mandatory climate disclosure rule, highlighting several areas for improvement and key elements that the SEC should preserve in its final rule, including strong Scope 3 emissions disclosure requirements.\n\nIn March 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a letter with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Brian Schatz urging the SEC to require disclosure of anti-climate lobbying activities in the Commission\u2019s rule.\n\nIn May 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and then-Congressman Andy Levin introduced the Buy Green Act to use the enormous breadth of U.S. federal procurement to help fight the climate crisis, spur innovation, and boost demand for American-made clean energy products at home and in the rapidly-growing markets for green products abroad.\n\nIn May 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and then-Congressman Andy Levin introduced the National Institutes of Clean Energy Act of 2021, legislation that would invest $400 billion over the next ten years to establish and operate a new system of institutes at the Department of Energy dedicated to research and development (R&D) of advanced clean energy technologies.\n\nIn April 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Sean Casten reintroduced the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021 which would reduce the chances of environmental and financial catastrophe by requiring public companies to disclose more information about their exposure to climate-related risks.\n\nIn March 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren unveiled the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act which would invest $500 billion over ten years in state, local, and tribal projects to jumpstart the transition to all electric public vehicles and rail and help modernize the nation's crumbling infrastructure.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-jacobs-lawmakers-reintroduce-legislation-addressing-unsafe-conditions-in-privatized-military-housing", "Warren, Jacobs, Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation Addressing Unsafe Conditions in Privatized Military Housing", "2024-12-12", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Jacobs, Lawmakers Reintroduce Legislation Addressing Unsafe Conditions in Privatized Military Housing\n\nPrivate housing companies that serve military families often evade responsibility when they fail to provide adequate housing\n\nBill Text | One-Pager\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, reintroduced the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act, legislation that would comprehensively reform our privatized military housing system in the wake of disturbing reports revealing unsafe and unsanitary conditions.\n\nIn 1996, Congress established the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), which allowed the Department of Defense (DOD) to partner with private sector developers who would own, operate, and maintain military family housing and, in return, have access to federal direct loans, loan guarantees, and other incentives.\n\nHowever, over the past several years, military families have come forward to expose the terrible conditions of privatized military housing\u2014including toxic mold, rodent infestations, and lead-based paint\u2014 and raised the serious difficulties they have faced trying to get help with these conditions.\n\n\u201cThe Department of Defense owes a responsibility to our servicemembers to provide them and their families with safe and sanitary housing,\" said Senator Warren. \"This bill will fundamentally reform a broken system and hold private housing providers accountable for their shameful failures.\"\n\n\u201cOur military families sacrifice so much for us \u2013 and the least we can do is ensure their housing is clean, safe, affordable, and meets their needs,\u201d said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. \u201cWhile we\u2019ve made progress in addressing inadequate housing across the country, we still have more work ahead to conduct necessary oversight, protect and empower tenants, and demand accountability for unacceptable conditions. Our military families deserve the best \u2013 and that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to introduce the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act to deliver comprehensive reform to our privatized military housing system that often overlooks landlords\u2019 negligence and silences military families.\u201d\n\nThe Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act would:\n\nIncrease oversight by requiring the Secretary of Defense to establish formal written guidance for all housing contracts and to rescind contracts if providers do not correct breaches.\n\nDemand transparency from housing providers by requiring an annual financial statement (equivalent to a 10-K) for the entire company and for each contract the provider has with DOD.\n\nEstablish tenant protections by codifying that all federal, state, and local housing protections that apply to those who live in the communities that surround bases also apply to servicemembers and by forbidding landlords from closing maintenance requests in the work order system until an independent inspector has approved the work.\n\nProvide medical care by directing DOD to establish a health registry for all servicemembers and families to screen and track for medical conditions acquired as a result of unsafe housing and by providing healthcare coverage for all dependents who develop environmentally-caused medical conditions associated with residing in privatized military housing.\n\nStrengthen ethics by prohibiting all senior DOD officials and any Member of the House or Senate Armed Services Committees from owning any investments in an entity owned or controlled by a privatized housing provider (mutual funds excluded).\n\nIn the Senate, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) cosponsored the legislation. House cosponsors include Representatives Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and James Moylan (R-Guam).\n\n\u201cThis measure assures that our brave military men and women have safe and healthy homes, which they and their families deeply deserve and need. Many of our nation\u2019s servicemembers and their families have suffered through nightmarish living conditions\u2014including toxic mold, infestations of rodents, and lead-based paint\u2014while in privatized military housing. The Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act will increase transparency, strengthen tenant protections, and guarantee servicemembers and their families access to quality housing,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal.\n\n\"It is well past time to increase, stabilize, and regulate the housing supply available for servicemembers,\" said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. \"My district alone is home to over 40,000 active-duty service members and their families who deserve to be securely housed.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am happy to announce that our office is co-leading with Rep Jacobs the Military Housing & Service Member Protection Act,\u201d said Delegate James Moylan. \u201cThis act focuses on Increased oversight, Transparency, Tenant Protections, Medical care provisions, and a commitment to ethical practices. Our Warfighters deserve the BEST conditions when away from their appointed places of duty and our office is FULLY committed to ensuring this is realized. I will continue to work with congressional leadership to champion our service members quality of life both now, and always! Lastly\u2026 Go Army, beat Navy, HOOAH!\u201d\n\nThe Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act has been endorsed by the Military Officers Association of America, the National Military Family Association, and the Military Housing Coalition.\n\nSenator Warren has been in a leader in raising concerns about problems with privatized military housing and led the push to protect military families:\n\nIn September 2024, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Representatives Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced the Restore Military Families\u2019 Voices Act, which would bar private military housing companies from imposing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on tenants as a condition for housing services.\n\nIn July 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) led colleagues in calling out the Department of Defense (DoD) for failing to protect military families living in military housing operated by private companies under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI).\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren led an annual hearing highlighting personnel priorities for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the military services for the coming year, including military housing and child care.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on the need to increase military housing availability and the damaging impact of non-disclosure agreements between private landlords, servicemembers, and their families on housing safety at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced further enforcement of the Tenant Bill of Rights for military families as one of the key priorities secured in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), as well as creating a working group of DoD officials and military families to ensure ongoing oversight of deficiencies in privatized military housing.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting information on the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) plans to address the unhealthy prevalence of mold, lead-based paint, and asbestos in housing for America\u2019s servicemembers.\n\nIn October 2023, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raising concerns that Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) families had to pay out of pocket to modify their homes to meet their families\u2019 needs and asking for additional information about DoD\u2019s oversight of the program.\n\nIn June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with other Senate Armed Services Committee members, announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan Military Housing Readiness Council Act, which would provide a platform for oversight and accountability of privatized military housing to give military families a voice and bring together experts to ensure military families have the safe housing they deserve.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressing concern over reports that military families are being forced to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with privatized military housing companies in order to receive compensation for poor housing conditions.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced her provisions to require military housing companies to disclose mold and the health effects of mycotoxins before a lease is signed was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.\n\nIn August 2022, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the Military Housing Readiness Council Act, legislation that would ensure oversight and accountability on safe housing conditions for servicemembers and military families. The legislation would create a Military Housing Readiness Council comprised of DoD officials, servicemembers, military families, and military housing experts to ensure ongoing oversight of deficiencies in privatized military housing.\n\nIn June 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced the Military Housing Oversight and Service member Protection Act as one of her key priorities for the FY 2023 NDAA. The proposal would ensure medical care for military families affected by unsafe housing by directing DoD to establish a health registry for all servicemembers and families and establishing a presumption of service-connected disability for servicemembers and lifetime medical care for dependents.\n\nIn February 2022 during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, Elizabeth Warren pressed Pentagon nominees for tough oversight as they improve military housing conditions.\n\nIn July 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced improving military housing as one of her key priorities for FY 2022 NDAA.\n\nIn January 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren requested Defense Secretary Austin for his public commitment to respond and make a priority to her requests about military housing issues during a SASC hearing.\n\nIn March 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wrote to Defense Secretary Austin, and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, continuing the lawmakers' investigation into whether the largest military housing providers under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative are complying with federal laws that protect Americans with disabilities.\n\nIn December 2020, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) questioned the five largest private military housing providers about their reported failure to provide adequate housing to families with disabilities.\n\nIn May 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren released the findings from her three-month-long investigation of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative and of five private companies that have contracts with the military services to provide on-base housing under the program. She sent letters to then-SASC Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and then-Ranking Member Jack Reed, and to the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to provide each with the results of her investigation, revealing how and why private military housing developers failed to meet basic housing standards, which in some cases resulted in severe health problems for military families.\n\nIn April 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren and then-Representative Deb Haaland introduced the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act, a comprehensive bill to address a series of disturbing reports revealing unsafe and unsanitary conditions in privatized, on-base housing for military personnel and their families.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/auchincloss-warren-harshbarger-hawley-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-cut-drug-costs-rein-in-pharmacy-benefit-managers-pbms", "Auchincloss, Warren, Harshbarger, Hawley, Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Drug Costs, Rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), alongside Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), introduced the Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral bill will prohibit joint ownership of PBMs and pharmacies, a gross conflict of interest that enables these companies to enrich themselves at the expense of patients and independent pharmacies.\n\nOver the past decade, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) \u2014 the middlemen between pharmacies and insurance companies \u2014 have morphed into large healthcare conglomerates that exercise control over every link in the prescription drug delivery chain. Today, the largest healthcare conglomerates each own a PBM \u2014 which pays for pharmacy services \u2014 as well as the pharmacy chains that provide those services. This inherent conflict of interest results in higher drug costs for patients and fewer independent pharmacies, but bigger profits for the corporate healthcare giants.\n\nThe Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act would address this by:\n\nProhibiting a parent company of a PBM or an insurer from owning a pharmacy business;\n\nRequiring that a parent company in violation of the PBM Act divest its pharmacy business within three years;\n\nEnabling the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Health and Human Services, Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, and state attorneys general to issue orders requiring violators of the PBM Act to divest its pharmacy business and disgorge any revenue received during the period of such violation;\n\nDirecting the FTC to distribute any disgorged revenue to harmed communities, including consumers overcharged at vertically integrated pharmacies.\n\nMandating reporting of all divestitures to the FTC, and allowing the FTC to review all divestitures and subsequent acquisitions to protect competition, financial viability, and the public interest.\n\n\u201cThe PBM industry is rife with self-dealing that raises costs for patients and bankrupts independent pharmacists. No PBM should be allowed to own pharmacies, because it poses an unacceptable conflict of interest when it then sets reimbursement rates for its own versus external pharmacies. Independent pharmacies deserve fair play,\u201d said Representative Auchincloss.\n\n\u201cPBMs have manipulated the market to enrich themselves \u2014 hiking up drug costs, cheating employers, and driving small pharmacies out of business. My new bipartisan bill will untangle these conflicts of interest by reining in these middlemen,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\n\u201cAs a life-long pharmacist, I know first-hand how unchecked PBM consolidation and vertical integration have allowed these shadowy middlemen to self-deal and manipulate the system in ways that are driving up drug costs, limiting patient choices, and putting the financial screws to independent community pharmacies,\u201d said Representative Harshbarger. \u201cI\u2019m a proud conservative Republican, but we have antitrust laws for a reason. That\u2019s why I\u2019m joining my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Patients Before Monopolies Act, which will protect consumers and taxpayers, and ensure fair competition by breaking-up these anticompetitive, conflict-of-interest arrangements. Federal regulators should never have let this excessive concentration of our healthcare industry happen in the first place, and so it\u2019s up to Congress to get the job done.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe insurance monopolies are ruining American health care. Patients and independent pharmacies are paying the price. This legislation will stop the insurance companies and PBMs from gobbling up even more of American health care and charging American families more and more for less,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nThe Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act is endorsed by the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc (APCI), Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT), Patients Rising, and AffirmedRx.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=812ED567-E652-42C8-AF96-CAE0C995435B", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez\u2019s Election as Chair of the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-3) on her election as Chair of the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cCongresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez knows that when women succeed, America succeeds. In her new role as the DWC Chair, she will guide our work to build a more inclusive country, defined by affordable child care, paid family leave, reproductive freedom, and equal pay on the job. I look forward to partnering with Teresa and the entire DWC leadership team to make life easier and more secure for America\u2019s women and families.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/11/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4087/", "Neal Elected Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee for the 119th Congress", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nToday, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after being unanimously selected by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to continue his service as Ranking Member of the Committee for the 119th Congress:\n\n\u201cDelivering immeasurable wins for the American people through the Committee on Ways and Means has been the honor of a lifetime, and my commitment only deepens with the challenges that lie ahead in the 119th Congress. From the Child Tax Credit to lowering health care costs, major retirement savings legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, oversight of the Trump Administration, and so much more, Ways and Means has gone big for the people under my leadership.\n\n\u201cWith the President-elect and House Republicans already telegraphing how their only policy proposals will run through the Committee, I am ready to defend our progress, and the programs and institutions people count on every day. The Republican agenda exists to enrich billionaires and big corporations while threatening Social Security and Medicare and socking everyone else with the bill, but Ways and Means Democrats will stop their unpopular proposals in their tracks.\n\n\u201cNow is the time to show the American people without a shadow of a doubt who we are and what we stand for\u2014their prosperity and well-being. There\u2019s much to be done in unlocking opportunity and making life more affordable, and I look forward to making it happen under our jurisdiction.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/11/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4092/", "Neal Statement on House Vote of NDAA", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nToday, Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement after voting against passage of H.R. 5009 \u2013 Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.\n\n\u201cAs a long serving member of Congress, and one who is proud to have two military bases in their district, I am appalled that the National Defense Authorization Act has become a political weapon for House Republicans. Since 1961, the NDAA has historically been bipartisan legislation that not only ensures the strength and stability of our military, but also invests in research and development initiatives that address matters of global significance. Commonsense measures like 4.5% pay increase for servicemembers and authorizing projects that benefit the workforce at companies like General Dynamics and Warren Pumps have been a hallmark of the NDAA for decades.\n\n\u201cHowever, House Republicans have once again politicized what has historically been bipartisan legislation by including extremist provisions. Instead of prioritizing initiatives that will support servicemembers and their families, like those at Westover and Barnes, they are choosing to promote a culture war. Ultimately, these political stunts resulted in a bill I could no longer support. With the incoming administration and a new legislative session on the horizon, I implore Republicans to stop playing political games and get back to what the American people elected us to do: the difficult work of legislating. That means supporting our men and women in uniform, not promoting an extremist agenda.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3413", "Trahan Announces $144K in Federal Funding to Support Local Law Enforcement", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) announced a total of $143,806 in federal funding secured to support law enforcement initiatives in Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Fitchburg, and Marlborough. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program.\n\n\u201cPolice officers across the Commonwealth go to work every day to protect our communities, and they deserve the equipment and support necessary to do their jobs as safely and efficiently as possible,\u201d said Congresswoman Trahan. \u201cAs a proud supporter of federal programs like Byrne JAG that deliver funding directly to local police departments, I\u2019m glad to see these awards that will better support officers in our gateway cities. I look forward to continuing my work with local police chiefs and community leaders to identify additional steps we can take to better support our local law enforcement.\u201d\n\nSince taking office in 2019, Trahan has consistently supported increased funding for the Byrne JAG program and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, the two main initiatives that direct federal funding to local police departments. Last year, Trahan supported legislation containing $924,061,000 in funding for the Byrne JAG program, a $377 million increase from when she first took office, and $664,516,000 for the COPS program, a $321 million increase since 2019.\n\nThe City of Lowell is receiving $37,617 for the Lowell Police Department to retain a Crime Analyst in the Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit as well as a Grant Research Analyst and a Program Manager in the Research and Development Unit.\n\n\u201cWe are grateful to have received this award from the Edward Byrne Memorial JAG Program. This funding will directly support our efforts to improve public safety in Lowell,\u201d said Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. \u201cIt\u2019s an important step in ensuring our community remains safe, resilient, and responsive to the needs of all residents.\u201d\n\nThe City of Lawrence is receiving $37,617 to purchase a new marked police cruiser that will help improve Lawrence Police Department response times, officer safety, and overall community trust in law enforcement.\n\n\u201cBeing awarded the Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Grant 15 is a blessing. This grant will support the acquisition of a marked police cruiser, enhancing public safety. This achievement reflects our city's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents,\u201d said Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePe\u00f1a.\n\nThe City of Haverhill is receiving $34,493 to continue the Haverhill Police Department\u2019s purchase of nonlethal equipment to help de-escalate situations involving volatile, aggressive, and assaultive individuals. The Haverhill Police Department used a similar investment in 2023 to begin the purchase of tasers and ballistic shields for officers.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the City of Haverhill and our Police Department, we are very appreciative of the federal government\u2019s continued support to increase safety in our community. The Haverhill Police Department applies annually for this grant and this year the funding will be put towards purchasing tasers, which are proven to assist with de-escalation during use of force encounters,\u201d said Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett.\n\nThe City of Fitchburg is receiving $19,287 to improve the Fitchburg Police Department\u2019s officer training infrastructure and efficiency as well as to increase police presence at community events, in the downtown area, and targeted patrols in areas of increased criminal activity.\n\n\"As Mayor of Fitchburg, I want to thank Congresswoman Trahan for her collaboration and support in securing this JAG grant. These funds will make a real difference by helping us upgrade equipment in our training and roll call rooms\u2014key spaces that keep our officers sharp and prepared. The grant will also support dedicated community policing patrols downtown and in our neighborhoods, creating more opportunities for meaningful engagement between law enforcement and residents. This kind of partnership helps us address challenges and invest in the well-being of our community,\u201d said Fitchburg Mayor Sam Squailia.\n\nThe City of Marlborough is receiving $14,919 for the Marlborough Police Department to purchase new traffic cameras to assist with criminal and motor vehicle investigations. The cameras will record data that can help officers investigating retail theft, hit and run accidents, and other criminal activity.\n\n\u201cThe City is excited and grateful to receive almost $15,000 from the Department of Justice as part of the 2024 BJA Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. In the past, this grant allowed the City to successfully purchase and replace Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), ballistic shields for active shooter situations, and replace optic sights on patrol rifles. This year\u2019s funding will purchase new traffic cameras to assist with traffic safety and enforcement. I want to thank Congresswoman Trahan for her assistance in securing this grant, the Department of Justice for the award, and the Marlborough Police Department for their work on identifying critical needs for the department,\u201d said Marlborough Mayor J. Christian Dumais.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:45Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-hawley-harshbarger-auchincloss-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-cut-drug-costs-rein-in-pharmacy-benefit-managers-pbms", "Warren, Hawley, Harshbarger, Auchincloss Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Drug Costs, Rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Hawley, Harshbarger, Auchincloss Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Drug Costs, Rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)\n\nPatients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act will untangle health care middlemen\u2019s dual ownership of pharmacies, limiting expensive conflicts of interest\n\nText of Bill (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), alongside Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), introduced the Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral bill will prohibit joint ownership of PBMs and pharmacies, a gross conflict of interest that enables these companies to enrich themselves at the expense of patients and independent pharmacies.\n\nOver the past decade, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) \u2014 the middlemen between pharmacies and insurance companies \u2014 have morphed into large health care conglomerates that exercise control over every link in the prescription drug delivery chain. Today, the largest health care conglomerates each own a PBM \u2014 which pay for pharmacy services \u2014 as well as the pharmacy chains that provide those services. This inherent conflict of interest results in higher drug costs for patients and fewer independent pharmacies, but bigger profits for the corporate health care giants.\n\nThe Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act would address this by:\n\nProhibiting a parent company of a PBM or an insurer from owning a pharmacy business;\n\nRequiring that a parent company in violation of the PBM Act divest its pharmacy business within three years;\n\nEnabling the FTC, Department of Health and Human Services, Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, and state attorneys general to issue orders requiring violators of the PBM Act to divest its pharmacy business and disgorge any revenue received during the period of such violation;\n\nDirecting the FTC to distribute any disgorged revenue to harmed communities, including consumers overcharged at vertically integrated pharmacies.\n\nMandating reporting of all divestitures to the FTC, and allowing the FTC to review all divestitures and subsequent acquisitions to protect competition, financial viability, and the public interest.\n\n\u201cPBMs have manipulated the market to enrich themselves \u2014 hiking up drug costs, cheating employers, and driving small pharmacies out of business. My new bipartisan bill will untangle these conflicts of interest by reining in these middlemen,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\n\u201cThe insurance monopolies are ruining American health care. Patients and independent pharmacies are paying the price. This legislation will stop the insurance companies and PBMs from gobbling up even more of American health care and charging American families more and more for less,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\n\u201cAs a life-long pharmacist, I know first-hand how unchecked PBM consolidation and vertical integration have allowed these shadowy middlemen to self-deal and manipulate the system in ways that are driving up drug costs, limiting patient choices, and putting the financial screws to independent community pharmacies,\u201d said Representative Harshbarger. \u201cI\u2019m a proud conservative Republican, but we have antitrust laws for a reason. That\u2019s why I\u2019m joining my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Patients Before Monopolies Act, which will protect consumers and taxpayers, and ensure fair competition by breaking-up these anticompetitive, conflict-of-interest arrangements. Federal regulators should never have let this excessive concentration of our healthcare industry happen in the first place, and so it\u2019s up to Congress to get the job done.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe PBM industry is rife with self-dealing that raises costs for patients and bankrupts independent pharmacists. No PBM should be allowed to own pharmacies, because it poses an unacceptable conflict of interest when it then sets reimbursement rates for its own versus external pharmacies. Independent pharmacies deserve fair play,\u201d said Representative Auchincloss.\n\nThe Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act is endorsed by the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc (APCI), Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT), Patients Rising, and AffirmedRx.\n\n\u201cGiant PBMs and insurers owning their own pharmacies has driven independent pharmacies out of business and reduced patient access to quality care. The Patients Before Monopolies Act addresses the root cause of this problem \u2014 consolidated market power \u2014 by eliminating the inherent conflicts of interest within the big three PBM business model,\u201d said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project. \u201cWe are thrilled to see Sen. Warren and Sen. Hawley lead this bipartisan effort to lower drug costs, protect independent retail pharmacies, and improve patient access to care.\u201d\n\n\u201cA particularly egregious result of the vertical integration of PBM-insurers with retail and mail-order pharmacies is that the PBM \u2013 which competes with independent pharmacies and others \u2013 decides what their rival pharmacy will be reimbursed and which patients will be allowed to use them. There are also countless examples of PBMs paying their pharmacies much higher reimbursement than non-affiliated pharmacies and using patient data to steer patients to their own pharmacies,\u201d said Anne Cassity, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Community Pharmacists Association. \u201cWe're grateful to Sens. Warren and Hawley and Reps. Harshbarger and Auchincloss for introducing the PBM Act, which will go a long way in eliminating the conflicts of interest that currently exist in this space.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe inherent conflicts of interest between PBMs owning their own retail, mail-order, and specialty pharmacies have resulted in higher drug costs, reduced patient choice and access to care, and unsustainable reimbursements to non-PBM affiliated pharmacies. With retail pharmacies closing at an alarming rate and patients fighting life threatening diseases being steered to PBM owned pharmacies and often overcharged thousands of dollars for medications, Senator Warren\u2019s Patients Before Monopolies Act couldn\u2019t come soon enough,\u201d said Greg Reybold, Vice President of Healthcare Policy and General Counsel at the American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. \u201cThis commonsense legislation strikes at the heart of anti-competitive PBM behavior and roots out conflicts of interest by prohibiting ownership of both a PBM and a pharmacy. American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc, is grateful to Senator Warren for her work and leadership on this issue and looks forward to fighting for this critically important piece of legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile there are a variety of conflicts of interest that can compromise the intended role of PBMs to act as counterweights to inflated drug prices, one of the chief areas of system misalignment arises from PBM ownership of pharmacies. As these large vertically integrated companies serve as both price-setter and price-taker for pharmacy transactions, PBM incentives to reduce drug markups and to manage pharmacy reimbursement and network decisions in an unconflicted manner are significantly undermined,\u201d said Antonio Ciaccia, President of 3 Axis Advisors. \u201cIn our work advising government programs and commercial plan sponsors, we stress that minimizing or eliminating these areas of misalignment are foundationally critical in order to achieve greater balance for medicine accessibility and affordability.\u201d\n\n\"For too long vertically integrated PBMs have put profits over patients, driving up costs, limiting access to essential medications and forcing countless independent pharmacies to close their doors. The Patients Before Monopolies Act is a step toward breaking these monopolies, restoring fairness and competition and, most importantly, ensuring patients get the care they need at a price they can afford,\u201d said Greg Baker, Pharmacist, CEO of AffirmedRx, a transparent PBM. \u201cAt the heart of our mission is the belief that transparency and integrity should be the foundation of health care. I congratulate Senators Warren and Hawley, and Representatives Harshbarger and Auchincloss for putting patients first, and urge Congress to pass this bipartisan bill.\u201d\n\n\"This bill is the next step in urgently-needed legislation to eliminate the profiteering and other conflicts of interest that exist when private health insurers and their pharmacy benefit managers are allowed to design and sell health benefit plans while also owning pharmacies, clinics and other point-of-care entities,\u201d said Monique Whitney, Executive Director of Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency. \u201cVertical integration among the largest healthcare insurers has only served to saddle Americans with the priciest possible premiums for impossibly high-deductible plans that provide fewer options and ultimately result in poorer health outcomes. We applaud Senators Warren and Hawley for recognizing the need to dismantle the current system, which has failed consumers and taxpayers at just about every level.\u201d\n\n\u201cAcross the country, patients feel increasingly disenfranchised by the healthcare system. The culprit: a complex web of powerful health conglomerates including health insurers, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), and their affiliated pharmacies,\u201d said MacKay Jimeson, Executive Director of Patients Rising. \u201cPatients Rising applauds Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley, along with Representatives Diana Harshbarger and Jake Auchincloss for putting forward bi-partisan legislation to put patients before monopolies. It is critical we crack down on health conglomerate conflicts of interest and encourage businesses to operate in the interest of patients' long term health and wellbeing.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has led efforts to use every tool available to lower drug prices and fight Big Pharma\u2019s anti-competitive business practices:\n\nIn October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reintroduced the United States Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act, legislation to require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in consultation with the Department of Commerce, to produce a report on the impacts of foreign investment in the United States\u2019 pharmaceutical industry.\n\nIn June 2024, Senator Warren and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent letters to eight pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily de-list over 100 \u201csham\u201d patent listenings, which would create opportunity for more competition and lower drug prices.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, and Under Secretary Laurie Locascio, highlighting the lawmakers\u2019 new review of public comments on the agency\u2019s Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights and urged them to strengthen and finalize the guidance.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the Chamber of Commerce expressing concern and demanding an explanation for the organization\u2019s opposition to the Biden administration\u2019s proposal to boost competition and lower drug prices for American families and businesses by allowing agencies to consider price when deciding to exercise their \u201cmarch-in rights\u201d under the Bayh-Dole Act.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Warren sent the letter in response to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) discontinuing the brand-name version of Flovent HFA, the go-to inhaler for children, blasting the company for its price-gouging strategy that may cause millions of children to lose access to one of the few drugs that is appropriate to treat their asthma and allergies.\n\nIn February 2024, Senators Warren and Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) led 75 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Biden administration in support of strengthening and finalizing its draft guidance to protect taxpayers and reduce prescription drug prices. The lawmakers submitted a public comment supporting the \u201cInteragency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights\u201d and calling for changes to ensure increased transparency, oversight, and accessibility of medical products invented through taxpayer-funded research and development.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal announced that three drug manufacturers pulled their sham patents after warnings, and urged the FDA to continue fighting against Big Pharma\u2019s patent abuse.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren published an op-ed in Newsweek commending the Biden administration\u2019s announcement that price can be considered in the government\u2019s decision to march-in on a drug, effectively lowering drug costs, and calling on Americans to fight back against an industry that has been taking advantage of them for decades.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren issued a statement after the Biden administration announced it would issue guidance to federal agencies that would allow the government to seize patents of certain expensive drugs developed with taxpayer support to create more competition and lower prices.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent letters to the CEOs of 8 pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily remove sham patent claims improperly included in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book and end their unlawful practices that delay competition and drive up costs for patients and taxpayers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, legislation that would radically reduce drug prices through public manufacturing of prescription drugs.\n\nIn September 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the FTC to issue a policy statement about the improper listing of drug-related patents in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf, urging him to close loopholes that pharmaceutical companies have exploited to block generics from entering the market, keeping drug prices high and maximizing profits.\n\nIn June 2023, Senators Warren and Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gina Raimondo and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra asking for information on the membership, process, timeline, and scope of work of the recently announced Interagency Working Group for Bayh-Dole.\n\nIn April 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to Kathi Vidal, Director of the USPTO, calling on USPTO to take immediate action and use its existing administrative authorities to help lower drug prices and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for anti-competitive business practices. The lawmakers outlined six specific actions that the USPTO should take.\n\nIn February 2023, Senators Warren and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representatives Jayapal and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) sent a letter to the USPTO, calling on the agency to give close scrutiny to any of Merck\u2019s requests for new patents for Keytruda, a biological treatment used to treat cancer, citing new reports about Merck\u2019s ongoing abuse of the patent system to protect its monopoly on the drug.\n\nIn January 2023, Senators Warren and King and Representative Doggett led their colleagues in sending a follow-up letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra that urged the Secretary to exercise his authority to lower the price of cancer treatment Xtandi.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Warren and Rep. Jayapal sent a letter to Director Kathi Vidal following up on their June 2021 letter about USPTO\u2019s efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for anti-competitive business practices and tackle high drug prices.\n\nIn June 2022, Senators Warren and King and Representatives Doggett, Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Porter led a group of 100 members from across the ideological spectrum to urge HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to swiftly act and use his existing authorities to lower prices on critical prescription drugs.\n\nIn April 2022, Senator Warren sent a letter to HHS Secretary Becerra, sharing the findings from a letter that over 25 legal and public health experts sent to her outlining three powerful legal tools the Biden administration could use to lower drug prices.\n\nIn March 2022, Senator Warren and her colleagues called out drug manufacturers for squeezing American families with rapid and widespread price hikes on prescription drugs.\n\nIn February 2022, Senators Warren and King and Representative Doggett urged HHS to exercise its march-in rights for the life-saving cancer drug Xtandi to dramatically lower its price for millions of Americans.\n\nIn June 2021, Senator Warren led a letter questioning PhRMA's lobbying efforts to block policies that would lower drug costs for millions of Americans.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-op-ed-if-trump-really-wants-to-help-working-people-he-wont-kill-this-federal-agency", "Warren Op-Ed: If Trump Really Wants to Help Working People He Won\u2019t Kill This Federal Agency", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Op-Ed: If Trump Really Wants to Help Working People He Won\u2019t Kill This Federal Agency\n\n\u201cThe election made clear that working people want the government to unrig the economy. The CFPB is doing that work \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly why these billionaire CEOs don\u2019t want the agency around.\u201d\n\nOp-Ed in the Boston Globe\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) published an op-ed in the Boston Globe highlighting how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has protected working Americans from abusive banks and other businesses.\n\nRead the full op-ed here and below:\n\nBoston Globe - Senator Elizabeth Warren: If Trump really wants to help working people he won\u2019t kill this federal agency\n\nDecember 11, 2024\n\nThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created to protect regular people from abusive banks and other businesses. Isn\u2019t that what Trump said he wants to do?\n\nWhen a bunch of billionaires tell you they know what\u2019s best for you, hang onto your wallet. Over the past few weeks, Republican politicians and billionaires have come out swinging with lies about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, hoping they can pave the way to \u201cdelete\u201d the agency. But if you have a checking account, credit card, mortgage, or student loan, you might want to know what it could mean for you if the CFPB disappears. That\u2019s the dangerous promise of Project 2025.\n\nSuppose you take out a car loan with Wells Fargo. Month after month you make your payments, but the bank messes up. Maybe they piled on fees you didn\u2019t owe or charged you the wrong interest rate. On their end, it looks like you\u2019ve fallen behind on your payments, so they repossess your car. Now you can\u2019t get to work or take your kids to school. What are your options? You can\u2019t afford to sue. The police won\u2019t help. Before the CFPB, about all you could do was reach out to the bank\u2019s customer service and beg them to solve the problem, get left on hold, transferred from department to department, and end up nowhere. That was it \u2014 until the CFPB.\n\nThat\u2019s not a hypothetical. The CFPB received thousands of complaints that Wells Fargo had unlawfully repossessed cars and wrongfully foreclosed on homes. Wells Fargo illegally injured the owners of more than 16 million accounts \u2014 you may have been one of them. That\u2019s where the CFPB comes in. The agency took on the giant bank, stopped the repos, and ordered the bank to pay back more than $2 billion to those customers who had been wronged. No need to file a lawsuit. No need to spend hours on the phone. That\u2019s the power of having a cop on the beat.\n\nWhile CEOs and right-wing think tanks like the Heritage Foundation try to get rid of the CFPB, it\u2019s worth remembering that the agency didn\u2019t appear out of thin air. The CFPB was created in 2010 in the aftermath of a huge cheating scandal that led to the 2008 housing crash. Shady lenders were tricking and trapping people with complicated mortgages that eventually crashed our economy and cost millions of people their homes. In \u201cnever again\u201d mode, Congress created the CFPB as an independent agency with the power to stand up to giant corporations intent on cheating American consumers. Congress even funded the CFPB through the Federal Reserve to insulate it from everyday partisan politics. And it worked: The agency set standards so that people didn\u2019t get fooled, and those rules drove the seedy, fly-by-night companies out of our markets.\n\nIn the years since the mortgage crash, the CFPB has taken on aggressive junk fees that make price comparisons impossible. When servicemembers and veterans were being tricked into paying interest rates that surged up to 200 percent on pawn loans, the CFPB beat back the predators. And when it became clear that some medical debt collector companies were double billing patients or even charging patients for services they never received, the agency stepped up to try to right those wrongs.\n\nNavient, one of the companies that doles out student loans, exploited students, lied to borrowers, overcharged service members, and conspired with fraudulent for-profit schools to trick students into taking on more loans they couldn\u2019t repay. In September, the CFPB delivered over $100 million in relief to Americans and permanently blocked Navient from the federal student loan system. Without the CFPB, Navient would probably still be cheating students.\n\nThe election made clear that working people want the government to unrig the economy. The CFPB is doing that work \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly why these billionaire CEOs don\u2019t want the agency around. When the CFPB stops a big bank from cheating you, that\u2019s one less chunk of change that goes into its pockets. These CEOs have made big political donations hoping to buy a Congress and a president who will \u201cdelete\u201d the agency.\n\nFor years, when big banks would say \u201cjump,\u201d too many politicians would ask, \u201cHow high?\u201d Trump promised change. He pledged to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent \u2014 it will take a strong CFPB to make that happen. He promised to rein in the influence of big tech \u2014 the CFPB is tackling that right now. He promised to make government work better for working people \u2014 the mission the CFPB delivers on every day.\n\nTrump\u2019s first big decision on the CFPB will be to settle on a director \u2014 someone who will help the CEOs try to destroy the agency or someone who will keep the CFPB true to its mission to unrig the system. Will Trump decide to stand up to giant corporations to help the workers who voted for him or will he cower to the corporate billionaires? We should know soon.\n\nElizabeth Warren is a US senator from Massachusetts who helped create the CFPB before she was elected to Congress.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-renews-fight-for-economic-growth-that-benefits-workers", "Warren Renews Fight for Economic Growth That Benefits Workers", "2024-12-11", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Renews Fight for Economic Growth That Benefits Workers\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reintroduced the Accountable Capitalism Act to strengthen employee power and ensure America\u2019s largest corporations pursue growth in a way that helps workers and consumers as well as shareholders. The legislation would help reverse harmful trends from the last 40 years that have encouraged large corporations to focus on short-term gains for a small group CEOs and shareholders over broader stakeholder interests and the long-term health of the workforce and economy.\n\nAround 93% of American-held corporate shares are owned by just 10% of our nation\u2019s richest households, while more than 40% of American households hold no shares at all. This means that corporate America\u2019s commitment to \u201cmaximizing shareholder return\u201d is a commitment to making the rich even richer, while leaving workers and families behind.\n\nThe Accountable Capitalism Act would implement the following requirements:\n\nCorporations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue must obtain a federal charter as a \u201cUnited States corporation,\u201d obligating company directors to consider the interests of all corporate stakeholders, including employees and customers, in addition to shareholders.\n\nAny corporate political spending must be approved by at least 75% of a corporation\u2019s shareholders and 75% of its Board of Directors, ensuring political expenditures benefit all corporate stakeholders.\n\nAt least 40% of a company\u2019s Board of Directors must be selected by the corporation\u2019s employees.\n\nDirectors and officers of United States corporations are prohibited from selling company shares within five years of receiving them or within three years of a company stock buyback.\n\n\u201cWorkers are a major reason corporate profits are surging, but their salaries have barely moved while corporations' shareholders make out like bandits,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cWe need to stand up for working people and hold giant companies responsible for decisions that hurt workers and consumers while lining shareholders\u2019 pockets.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren first introduced the Accountable Capitalism Act in August 2018.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=FEFD68F6-A01D-4511-9AD4-2C551AB3D43F", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Greg Casar\u2019s Election as Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35) on his election as Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cThe son of Mexican immigrants who got his start as a union organizer, justice is Congressman Casar\u2019s north star. He will bring vision, talent, and determination to his tenure leading the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Greg has shown a natural skill for collaboration and leadership as CPC\u2019s whip, and I\u2019m thrilled to see him step into this new role. Congratulations to Greg and the incoming CPC leadership team!\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://keating.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/keating-kean-ross-lawler-statement-opening-strategic-partnership", "KEATING, KEAN, ROSS, LAWLER STATEMENT ON THE OPENING OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MOLDOVA", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "William R. Keating", "K000375", "keating.house.gov", "keating", "https://keating.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "\u201cWe applaud the recent opening of negotiations between the United States and Moldova to upgrade our relationship to a Strategic Partnership. This reflects the strength and durability of the longstanding friendship between our two countries ever since Moldova\u2019s declaration of independence over three decades ago. The Strategic Partnership will demonstrate our comprehensive, bilateral partnership and the shared values of the Moldovan and American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe also congratulate the people of Moldova who recently enshrined the policy of European Union accession into their constitution via a referendum in October. That this referendum passed despite immense Russian election meddling is a testament to the Moldovan people\u2019s commitment to their transatlantic future. It is clear that the Kremlin failed in its attempts to undermine Moldova\u2019s democracy, and we stand with the Moldovan people as they continue on the path of further integration with the West.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://keating.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/keating-kean-statement-recent-developments-georgia", "KEATING, KEAN STATEMENT ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GEORGIA", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "William R. Keating", "K000375", "keating.house.gov", "keating", "https://keating.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "\u201cThe Georgian government\u2019s recent decision to suspend its EU accession negotiations coupled with the passage of the so-called \u201cforeign agents law\u201d has laid bare what we have long suspected: this government has shown no interest in pursuing the Euro-Atlantic ambitions of its citizens. As the Georgian people have taken to the streets to protest this betrayal of their hopes and dreams, the Georgian government has responded with violent beatings and arrests of protestors, opposition figures, and journalists. We wholeheartedly condemn these actions which undermine Georgia\u2019s prosperous, democratic, and European future.\n\nIn response to the Georgian government\u2019s actions, we support the suspension of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership. Further, we believe the U.S. must impose additional targeted financial sanctions and visa restrictions against Georgian officials who undermine democracy in the country and have facilitated the violent crackdown against protesters, civil society, opposition figures, and journalists. These actions are in direct response to the Georgian government\u2019s decisions, which have unsurprisingly received praise from the Kremlin.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/moulton-statement-ndaa-rule-no-vote", "Moulton Statement on NDAA Rule \"No\" Vote", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Passing any truly bipartisan bill is incredibly challenging in today\u2019s hyper-polarized Washington, but we have a remarkable record of doing so on the Armed Services Committee. Being an election year, this time took extra effort\u2014on both sides\u2014to get to a final NDAA that eliminated the poison pill amendments that politicize and weaken our military. But despite an agreement to deliver a clean version of the bill, Speaker Johnson injected his conservative partisan politics at the last minute before the bill came to the House floor.\n\nToday, I voted against the rule to move the bill forward because I refuse to reward the Speaker for jamming ideological riders into such an important piece of legislation, essentially forcing members to choose between protecting a vulnerable population and paying our troops. This is bad faith policymaking and it sets a terrible precedent for the annual defense bill going forward. This provision plays politics with our nation\u2019s defense.\n\nLet me be clear, as a matter of principle, I believe Congress should not be legislating complex medical decisions that are best decided by medical science, doctors, patients, and their families.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/10/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4088/", "Neal Statement on USTR Initiating Section 301 Investigation on Nicaragua", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the initiation of an investigation by United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai regarding Nicaragua\u2019s trade practices related to human rights, labor rights, and the rule of law:\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement by Ambassador Tai is a huge milestone in our enforcement of trade agreements and a continuation of the unwavering commitment of the Biden-Harris Administration to protecting workers and ensuring fair trade practices. Over the last four years, the Administration and House Democrats have deployed trade policy as a force for good, and this investigation will shine a much-needed light on the disturbing but credible reports of wrongdoing by the Nicaraguan government. Engaging in human and labor rights violations and dismantling the rule of law are unacceptable and threaten to destabilize our region and economy.\n\n\u201cThe Biden-Harris Administration and House Democrats are committed to fair trade that protects workers and promotes shared prosperity in Central America. The use of Section 301 is an appropriate use of a powerful tool to respond to shocking allegations of labor suppression and gross violations of civil and human rights. Compare that with how the President-elect intends to use trade as a cudgel, threatening universal tariffs on our trading partners, for his own political gain.\n\n\u201cOn this International Human Rights Day, let me be unequivocal: Democrats are committed to standing up to human rights abuses and will never stop fighting for workers in the United States and abroad.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-lawmakers-blast-dr-oz-for-proposal-to-end-traditional-medicare-call-out-glaring-conflicts-of-interest", "Warren, Lawmakers Blast Dr. Oz for Proposal to End Traditional Medicare, Call Out Glaring Conflicts of Interest", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Lawmakers Blast Dr. Oz for Proposal to End Traditional Medicare, Call Out Glaring Conflicts of Interest\n\nTrump Nominee to Run Medicare Would Endanger the Program\n\nOz\u2019s proposals would benefit his own investments into giant private health insurers.\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate Traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health insurers that would benefit from that move.\n\nIn June 2022, ahead of his campaign for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Dr. Oz outlined his vision for the Medicare program, in which he advocated to eliminate Traditional Medicare and instead lean on private insurers that run Medicare Advantage, a private health care program that drastically overcharges for care. Non-partisan estimates project that these insurers overcharged CMS $88 billion in 2024 alone, especially through the practice of \u201cupcoding,\u201d in which private insurers exaggerate the health conditions of their enrollees on paper to secure higher payments from CMS \u2013 even if enrollees receive no treatment for those conditions.\n\nNotably, Dr. Oz has at least $550,000 invested in UnitedHealth Group, the largest private insurer in Medicare Advantage. Under Dr. Oz\u2019s plan, UnitedHealth Group\u2019s revenue from Medicare Advantage would roughly double to $274 billion annually \u2013 a glaring conflict of interest.\n\n\u201cAs CMS Administrator, you would be tasked with overseeing Medicare and ensuring that the tens of millions of seniors that rely on the program receive the care they deserve, including cracking down on abuses by private insurers in Medicare Advantage,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cThe consequences of failure on your part would be grave. Billions of federal health care dollars \u2013 and millions of lives \u2013 are at stake.\u201d\n\n\u201cGiven your financial ties to private insurers, combined with your view that the traditional Medicare program is \u201chighly dysfunctional\u201d and your advocacy for eliminating it entirely, it is not clear that you are qualified for this critical job,\u201d concluded the lawmakers.\n\nSenator Warren is a leading voice on reining in abuses in Medicare Advantage and protecting patients:\n\nIn May 2024, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), responding to the agency\u2019s request for information (RFI) on Medicare Advantage (MA) data and raising concerns that CMS does not collect adequate data to determine when vertically integrated insurance companies in MA may be using anti-competitive tactics to raise health care costs and pocket extra profits.\n\nIn May 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Warren called out private insurers in Medicare Advantage for accelerating the rural hospital crisis.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Warren and Brown led their colleagues in a letter to HHS and CMS that urged the agencies to protect seniors by holding insurance companies accountable for abuses in Medicare Advantage.\n\nIn January 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent a letter to CMS, urging the agency to take administrative action to curb billions in overpayments to MA insurers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to the CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, raising concerns about shortfalls in CMS\u2019s data collection and reporting practices for MA plans, and urging CMS to close data gaps to strengthen oversight of MA plans and improve care for Medicare beneficiaries.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren, Cortez Masto, Cassidy, and Blackburn introduced bipartisan legislation to improve transparency of MA plans and ensure these plans are best serving the health care needs of America\u2019s seniors. The Encounter Data Enhancement Act would require Medicare Advantage plans to report important information about how much they are actually paying for patient services and how much patients are responsible for paying out-of-pocket.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren and Braun urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General to determine if vertically-integrated health care companies are hiking prescription drug costs, evading federal regulations.\n\nIn November 2023, at a Senate Finance Committee markup of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, Senator Warren highlighted the need to do more to prioritize hearing health for seniors and strengthen transparency in Medicare Advantage, and secured commitments from Senate Finance Committee leadership to prioritize these proposals in future packages.\n\nIn October 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren called out giant MA insurers for using deceptive marketing tactics to lure seniors into the wrong plans and drown out competition from smaller insurers that may offer better coverage. Senator Warren called on CMS to act within the fullest extent of its authority to crack down on MA insurers that game the system to overcharge the government and to ensure insurers publish accurate data on patient care and out-of-pocket costs.\n\nIn May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren highlighted the prevalence of ghost networks in Medicare Advantage plans and called for stronger oversight of the program.\n\nIn March 2023, Senator Warren sounded the alarm on a new analysis by policy experts showing that all Medicare beneficiaries \u2013 including those enrolled in Traditional Medicare \u2013 are paying higher premiums due to overpayments in MA. She sent a letter to CMS and called on the agency to finalize its proposed rule to ensure payments to MA plans accurately reflect the cost of care.\n\nIn March 2023, U.S. Senators Warren and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent letters to the top seven MA insurers \u2013 Humana, Centene, UnitedHealthcare, CVS/Aetna, Molina, Elevance Health, and Cigna \u2013 regarding their questionable claims that CMS\u2019s 2024 proposed Medicare Advantage payment rules would hurt beneficiaries.\n\nIn March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren defended CMS\u2019s proposed adjustments to the Calendar Year 2024 MA payment rates, pushing back against giant insurance companies and their lobbyists who are peddling misinformation to protect their billions in profits and scare beneficiaries into opposing the rule.\n\nIn April 2022, Senator Warren and Representatives Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure highlighting concerns about overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans that line the pockets of big insurance companies.\n\nIn February 2022, chairing a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Warren delivered remarks about strengthening Medicare and cracking down on pharmaceutical and insurance companies\u2019 corporate greed to pay for expanded coverage.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-sanders-wyden-whitehouse-renew-push-to-protect-americans-sensitive-data-from-greedy-brokers", "Warren, Sanders, Wyden, Whitehouse Renew Push to Protect Americans\u2019 Sensitive Data From Greedy Brokers", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Sanders, Wyden, Whitehouse Renew Push to Protect Americans\u2019 Sensitive Data From Greedy Brokers\n\nLegislation would ban brokers from selling Americans\u2019 location and health data, rein in giant data brokers, and set some long overdue limits on the industry\n\nMillions of Americans' data is collected and sold by data brokers for massive profits\n\nBill Text | One-Pager\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) reintroduced the Health and Location Data Protection Act, legislation banning data brokers from selling Americans\u2019 sensitive personal information. Data gathered by brokers has been used to circumvent the Fourth Amendment, out LGBTQ+ Americans, and stalk and harass individuals. Recently, some brokers have been caught selling the cellphone-based location data of people visiting abortion clinics, risking the safety and security of women seeking basic health care.\n\nThe $200 billion industry is largely unregulated by federal law. Data brokers gather personal data, such as location data from weather or prayer apps, often without consumers\u2019 consent or knowledge. Brokers sell this data in bulk to virtually any willing buyer, reaping massive profits. These predatory and invasive practices pose real dangers to Americans\u2019 privacy and safety.\n\n\u201cData brokers are raking in giant profits from selling Americans\u2019 most private information \u2013 even location tracking data from visits to clinics for reproductive care,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cAs Republicans ramp up efforts to criminalize abortion, it\u2019s more important than ever to crack down on greedy data brokers and protect Americans\u2019 privacy.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe ability to buy the information of women who visit abortion clinics and track them back to their homes is everything a repressive right-wing prosecutor could dream of,\u201d Senator Wyden said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t hypothetical either: far-right activists have already paid data brokers to target women who visit abortion clinics on their personal electronic devices with misinformation about their reproductive choices. It\u2019s high time for Congress to put privacy first and crack down on the shady data brokers who are selling sensitive personal data to make a quick buck.\u201d\n\n\u201cData hunters have no business collecting Americans\u2019 most sensitive information without their consent. I\u2019m pleased to join Senator Warren in reintroducing this timely bill safeguarding personal health and location data, particularly when women are looking over their shoulder as Republicans continue their attacks on abortion and other reproductive health care,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse.\n\nThe Health and Location Data Protection Act would:\n\nBan data brokers from selling or transferring health and location data and require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to implement the law within 180 days, while making exceptions for HIPAA-compliant activities, protected First Amendment speech, and validly authorized disclosures.\n\nEnsure robust enforcement of the bill\u2019s provisions by empowering the FTC, state attorneys general, and injured persons to sue to enforce the provisions of the law.\n\nProvide $1 billion in funding to the Federal Trade Commission over the next decade to carry out its work, including the enforcement of this law.\n\nSenator Warren has used oversight and policy tools to protect the sensitive data of American consumers from Big Tech companies and data brokers:\n\nIn October 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, and Richard Blumenthal, along with Representative Katie Porter wrote to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging the investigation and prosecution of major tax preparation companies for illegally sharing protected and sensitive taxpayer information with Big Tech firms.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Representative Katie Porter sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, among others, calling on them to investigate use and disclosures of legally protected and sensitive taxpayer information by tax prep companies.\n\nIn April 2024, Senators Warren, Bill Cassidy, and Richard Blumenthal wrote to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) urging an assessment of the cybersecurity landscape leading up to, and after, the Change Healthcare cyberattack.\n\nIn April 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren pushed back on Big Tech\u2019s misleading claims that \u201cfree data flows\u201d provisions in trade agreements will help combat China\u2019s digital authoritarianism, when the opposite in fact is true.\n\nIn January 2024. at a hearing of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Emily Kilcrease, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, on the national security risks posed by digital trade rules that allow tech companies to collect, sell, and store Americans\u2019 data wherever is cheapest, including China.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren, Ed Markey, John Kennedy, and Jeff Merkley joined their colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Traveler Privacy Protection Act, which would ban the use of facial recognition technology and the collection of facial biometric data by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in U.S. airports.\n\nIn November 2023, Senators Warren and Bill Cassidy, M.D. released statements after Duke University published a report highlighting the detail, ease, and volume at which data brokers are selling the personal data of U.S. service members to web addresses located both in the United States and abroad.\n\nIn September 2023, Senators Warren and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, expressing concerns about the implementation of the contract the Department of Defense (DoD) awarded to Leidos Partnership for Defense Health (Leidos) for the Military Health System (MHS) Genesis electronic health record system, after reports that the use of MHS Genesis may be contributing to delays in military recruiting, creating barriers to accessing benefits information, and invading the privacy of service members and military recruits.\n\nIn July 2023, Senators Warren and Lindsey Graham unveiled comprehensive legislation that would rein in Big Tech by establishing a new commission to regulate online platforms. The commission would have concurrent jurisdiction with FTC and DOJ, and would be responsible for overseeing and enforcing the new statutory provisions in the bill and implementing rules to promote competition, protect privacy, protect consumers, and strengthen our national security.\n\nIn July 2023, Senator Warren opened an investigation into a disturbing report on Google\u2019s confidential effort to secure exclusive access to millions of tissue samples held at the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) Joint Pathology Center (JPC).\n\nIn March 2023, Senators Warren, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Upholding Protections for Health and Online Location Data (UPHOLD) Privacy Act, legislation that would expand protections for Americans\u2019 personal health data by preventing companies from profiting off of personally identifiable health data for advertising purposes, allow consumers greater access to and ownership over their personal health information, restrict companies\u2019 ability to collect or use information about personal health without user consent, and ban data brokers from selling location data.\n\nIn March 2023, Senators Warren, Cassidy, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reintroduced the Protecting Military Service Members\u2019 Data Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that would protect the data of U.S. service members by preventing data brokers from selling lists of military personnel to adversarial nations including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. They first introduced the bill in May 2022.\n\nIn June 2022, Senators Warren, Cory Booker, and Ron Wyden sent letters to two leading mental health apps, expressing deep concerns about the companies\u2019 use of patients\u2019 personal health data.\n\nIn June 2022, Senators Warren, Wyden, Patty Murray, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Bernie Sanders introduced the Health and Location Data Protection Act, sweeping legislation that bans data brokers from selling some of the most sensitive data available about everyday Americans: their health and location data.\n\nIn May 2022, Senators Warren, Bill Cassidy, M.D., and Marco Rubio introduced the Protecting Military Service Members\u2019 Data Act of 2022 to protect the data of U.S. service members by preventing data brokers from selling lists of military personnel to adversarial nations including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.\n\nIn May 2022, Senator Warren led thirteen of her Senate colleagues in letters to two data brokers demanding answers regarding their collection and sale of the cellphone-based location data of people who visit abortion clinics such as Planned Parenthood.\n\nIn December 2021, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Warren called on Congress and regulators to pass stronger antitrust laws, ban mergers involving huge companies, and encourage robust enforcement to protect the economy, consumers, workers, and data.\n\nIn March 2020, Senators Warren, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) sent a letter to Ascension, the second largest health systems provider in the United States, regarding the company's information-sharing partnership with Google-also known as Project Nightingale-that provides Google with the health records of tens of millions of Americans.\n\nIn November 2019, following alarming reports of Google\u2019s efforts to obtain the health records of millions of Americans without their awareness or consent, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, and Cassidy sent a bipartisan letter to Google demanding answers to the serious questions and concerns raised by \u201cProject Nightingale.\u201d\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-statement-on-federal-judge-blocking-kroger-albertsons-merger", "Warren Statement on Federal Judge Blocking Kroger-Albertsons Merger", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Statement on Federal Judge Blocking Kroger-Albertsons Merger\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, in response to a federal judge blocking the $25 billion Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:\n\n\u201cIf you shop at Kroger or Albertsons, the FTC just stopped your grocery prices from surging higher. Kroger has been jacking up your grocery bill already, and it would\u2019ve been even worse if it merged with Albertsons in the biggest supermarket merger in U.S. history. FTC Chair Lina Khan is showing what it looks like for the government to work for working people.\u201d\n\nSince Kroger and Albertsons proposed the merger, Senator Warren has expressed concerns about the deal. In October 2022, Senators Warren, Sanders, and Rep. Schakowsky wrote to the FTC urging the agency to reject the proposed merger, and in December 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to oppose the merger, regardless of the companies\u2019 ineffectual proposal to divest a limited number of stores.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=753B3D21-081F-499D-A2A7-47A7506F155F", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Clarke\u2019s Election as Congressional Black Caucus Chair", "2024-12-09", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-9) on her election as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cSince her arrival to Congress in 2007, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has been an ardent advocate for the people of New York and our nation \u2013 lending her voice to highlight the challenges faced by workers, women, children, and those too often overlooked in our communities.\n\n\u201cAt this pivotal point in America\u2019s story, I am grateful to have Yvette at the helm of the CBC to continue its legacy of transformative leadership. I look forward to working with her and the entire CBC team to ensure everyone, in every zip code, can lead the life of dignity, freedom, and justice they deserve.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3411", "Congresswoman Trahan Announces 2024 Congressional App Challenge Winners", "2024-12-09", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "LOWELL, MA \u2013 On Friday, December 6th, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) announced Chelmsford High School students Obinna Onyemauwa, Wilson Ochie, and Kensmyth Taveras as the winners of the Third Congressional District\u2019s annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC). Their app, \u201cEcosense\u201d, was selected by a local judges from the pool of submissions from middle and high school students who participated in this year\u2019s competition.\n\n\u201cEvery year, I continue to be amazed by the sheer talent, ingenuity, and technological expertise of students across the Third District who participate in the Congressional App Challenge. It\u2019s truly inspiring to see our young people tackle global challenges using fresh, innovative solutions,\u201d said Congresswoman Trahan. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to announce this year\u2019s winners, Obinna Onyemauwa, Wilson Ochie, and Kensmyth Taveras, who developed an app that teaches users about their community\u2019s water quality levels and local ecosystems. Thank you to every student who participated in this year\u2019s highly competitive challenge and made it a tough choice for our judges.\u201d\n\nThe \u201cEcosense\u201d app provides data on nearby water stations and animal habitats, mapping geographic coordinates to locate species across the country. It tracks and records animals sighted, displays water quality statistics, and compares these to government safety standards. The app includes a collection of animal species names with timestamps for research accuracy and integrates AI-driven image recognition, using Yolo11 and Microsoft Azure, to identify animals captured in photos. Additionally, it pulls data from government databases and incorporates animations to enhance the user experience.\n\n\u201cThe impact this app has potential to do is vast, from helping local universities with their research, providing information on organism habitats & environmental water quality statistics to helping the everyday person learn about the changes happening to the earth & allowing them to make an informed decision on what they consume.\u201d said Obinna Onyemauwa, Wilson Ochie, and Kensmyth Taveras.\n\nBackground:\n\nCongresswoman Trahan\u2019s office invited Yumio Saneyoshi, the founder of the Penguin Coding School in Acton, MA, to judge the challenge. The Congressional App Challenge began in 2013, and since then, the CAC has inspired over 40,000 students across all 50 states to program an app.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:45Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-castro-casar-urge-military-to-improve-access-to-medical-debt-relief-for-civilian-patients", "Warren, Castro, Casar Urge Military to Improve Access to Medical Debt Relief for Civilian Patients", "2024-12-09", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Castro, Casar Urge Military to Improve Access to Medical Debt Relief for Civilian Patients\n\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned that the proposed rule inappropriately restricts DoD\u2019s authority to waive these fees (debts), as intended by Congress.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Greg Casar (D-Texas) wrote to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) urging it to strengthen the proposed Military Health System Modified Payment and Waiver Program (MHS MPWP) rule to limit costs for non-beneficiary civilians - people not covered by a military health care plan - who cannot afford to pay the high costs of treatment at a military hospital. The MHS MPWP establishes a sliding fee scale and \u201ccatastrophic fee waiver\u201d for patients not covered by military health care. The lawmakers urged DHA to amend the proposed rule to prioritize using DoD\u2019s authority to waive fees for patients and to require that financial relief options be provided to patients across services, including on invoices upon discharge. The lawmakers specifically want the agency to amend the rule to prioritize the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) debt waiver authority, expand debt relief options for civilians, and implement a less bureaucratic process for civilians seeking relief.\n\nCivilians often arrive at Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) incapacitated and in need of emergency, life-saving care. Uninsured or underinsured civilians are often taken to MTFs as the closest available option for emergency care and typically do not have any choice to seek more affordable care, leaving them at high risk of medical debt. Civilians treated at MTFs are routinely left with five figure bills and are stuck navigating a complicated debt relief process with often wrong or deceitful information about their right to seek relief.\n\nUnder a provision secured by Representative Castro in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress expanded the military\u2019s authority to waive medical costs for any non-beneficiary civilian patients if their care helps train military medical providers, therefore increasing the medical readiness of the military. This came after a report by the Government Accountability Office found that DoD and DHA rarely used its authority to waive civilian medical debt, billing over 60,000 civilian patients between 2016 and 2021 and only reducing 0.1 percent of the debt in eligible cases.\n\nAdditionally, the lawmakers argued simply waiving these fees is more time and cost-effective than pursuing repayment from patients. When patients are unable to pay the exorbitant medical bills for getting treatment at an MTF, DHA is required to send bills delinquent by more than 180 days to collections. However, on average each year, the Treasury Department only recovers 1 percent of the delinquent debts DHA sends it. The lawmakers also pushed the agencies to suspend collections of any debt while any application is pending for the MPWP and to temporarily continue suspending debts while the rule is first implemented.\n\nThe lawmakers pushed for broader relief that aligns with several states that provide medical debt relief to low-income individuals such as Washington, Vermont, and Illinois, by providing free care for patients with income at or below the 300% federal poverty line and reduced fees for patients whose income is up to 600% FPL. Additionally, when it comes to making payments, DHA should move toward a less bureaucratic process, similar to states like Massachusetts, California, and Oregon, which have simpler processes to assess the ability of patients to pay or limit sending bills to collections for certain low-income patients or patients in the process of seeking relief.\n\nLastly, to prevent further debt burden for patients, the lawmakers urged DHA to stop counting patients\u2019 medical debt as taxable income, which could result in patients still having to pay an increase in taxes they cannot afford. DoD should work with the IRS to waive the debt under the \u201cgeneral welfare exclusion\u201d so patients do not have to pay these harmful additional costs.\n\nDHA accepted public comments on this rule until December 2, 2024. Once finalized, the rule will apply to non-beneficiary patients who received medical care provided on or after June 21, 2023.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-slams-inhaler-manufacturer-gsk-for-its-billion-dollar-drug-price-gouging-scheme-harming-millions-of-children", "Warren Slams Inhaler Manufacturer GSK for its Billion Dollar Drug Price-Gouging Scheme, Harming Millions of Children", "2024-12-09", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Slams Inhaler Manufacturer GSK for its Billion Dollar Drug Price-Gouging Scheme, Harming Millions of Children\n\nGSK withdrew its brand-name inhaler Flovent from the market, replacing it with an \u201cauthorized generic\u201d that is four times more expensive\n\nGSK\u2019s abusive tactics will cost state Medicaid programs nearly $1 billion this year\n\n\u201cPatients, providers, and taxpayers deserve answers for your unconscionable profiteering\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) a follow-up letter on its decision to discontinue Flovent HFA, the go-to inhaler for children, and replace it with an authorized generic version of the drug. This comes after new research from John Hopkins University revealed that GSK\u2019s pricing scheme was costing patients, taxpayers, and state Medicaid programs.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Warren sent GSK a letter raising concerns about its decision to discontinue Flovent HFA and replace it with a more costly authorized generic version of the drug. The decision appeared to be driven by a loophole that GSK began abusing after Congress lifted the Medicaid rebate cap, forcing manufacturers to increase rebate payments back to the Medicaid program. GSK\u2019s response failed to answer the majority of Senator Warren\u2019s questions regarding pricing decisions for the authorized generic inhaler, which is manufactured by Prasco. Though GSK provided pricing information for Flovent HFA\u2019s net price after rebates and discounts, the company claimed it was impossible for it to provide comparable information for the \u201cauthorized generic.\u201d\n\nIn a new report, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that GSK\u2019s decision to remove the inhaler will cost state Medicaid programs nearly $1 billion in 2024. By discontinuing Flovent HFA and peddling its own authorized generic, which it claims is cheaper for patients, the company will charge higher prices - and refund less in rebates. GSK will avoid $367.6 million in rebate payments to Medicaid and instead charge Medicaid over $551.8 million in 2024.\n\nIn addition, many health insurers have chosen not to cover the authorized generic version of the drug because of its cost. Doctors have scrambled to shift their patients over to the only other viable alternative for children with asthma, Asmanex, which has experienced shortages as demand surges. This crisis has left millions of children without reliable access to life-saving medication, straining families and healthcare providers.\n\n\u201cCongress passed new laws to make drugs cheaper for patients and taxpayers,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cBut GSK figured out a loophole - and is instead charging four times as much for the same drug. This is outrageous behavior with real public health consequences.\u201d\n\nSenator Warren has requested a complete response to the follow-up questions by no later than December 18, 2024.\n\nSenator Warren has led efforts to use every tool available to the government to lower drug prices and fight anticompetitive business practices in the health care industry:\n\nIn October 2024, wrote to Chair Lina Khan of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging the FTC to closely scrutinize two proposed deals in the oncology market and block them if they violate antitrust law.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged the FTC to closely scrutinize the Novo Nordisk-Catalent merger and to block it if it violated antitrust law.\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra asking him to lower the cost of vital weight-loss drugs by using the agency\u2019s existing legal authority to issue generic licenses for semaglutide, a prescription drug sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy.\n\nIn August 2024, Senators Warren and King and Representative Doggett wrote to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo reiterating their agencies\u2019 clear legal authority to use \u201cmarch-in\u201d rights under the Bayh-Dole Act to lower drug prices for Americans.\n\nIn June 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent letters to eight pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily de-list over 100 patents that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined may be improperly or inaccurately listed in the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s (FDA\u2019s) Orange Book, which would open opportunity for more competition and lower drug prices for Americans.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, and Under Secretary Laurie Locascio, highlighting the lawmakers\u2019 new review of public comments on the agency\u2019s Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights and urged them to strengthen and finalize the guidance.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the Chamber of Commerce expressing concern and demanding an explanation for the organization\u2019s opposition to the Biden administration\u2019s proposal to boost competition and lower drug prices for American families and businesses by allowing agencies to consider price when deciding to exercise their \u201cmarch-in rights\u201d under the Bayh-Dole Act.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the leadership of Novo Nordisk (Novo), slamming the company for its decision to discontinue production of Levemir (detemir) insulin, one of only three long-acting insulins on the market, and asked the company to commit to continue producing Levemir until a biosimilar is made available.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Warren sent a letter in response to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) discontinuing the brand-name version of Flovent HFA, the go-to inhaler for children, blasting the company for its price-gouging strategy that may cause millions of children to lose access to one of the few drugs that is appropriate to treat their asthma and allergies.\n\nIn February 2024, Senators Warren and Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) led 75 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Biden administration in support of strengthening and finalizing its draft guidance to protect taxpayers and reduce prescription drug prices. The lawmakers submitted a public comment supporting the \u201cInteragency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights\u201d and calling for changes to ensure increased transparency, oversight, and accessibility of medical products invented through taxpayer-funded research and development.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal announced that three drug manufacturers pulled their sham patents after warnings and urged the FDA to continue fighting against Big Pharma\u2019s patent abuse.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren published an op-ed in Newsweek commending the Biden administration\u2019s announcement that price can be considered in the government\u2019s decision to march-in on a drug, effectively lowering drug costs, and calling on Americans to fight back against an industry that has been taking advantage of them for decades.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren issued a statement after the Biden administration announced it would issue guidance to federal agencies that would allow the government to seize patents of certain expensive drugs developed with taxpayer support to create more competition and lower prices.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent letters to the CEOs of 8 pharmaceutical companies urging them to voluntarily remove sham patent claims improperly included in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book and end their unlawful practices that delay competition and drive-up costs for patients and taxpayers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, legislation that would radically reduce drug prices through public manufacturing of prescription drugs.\n\nIn September 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the FTC to issue a policy statement about the improper listing of drug-related patents in the FDA\u2019s Orange Book.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf, urging him to close loopholes that pharmaceutical companies have exploited to block generics from entering the market, keeping drug prices high and maximizing profits.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=CDABF326-375B-4037-AECF-E3B759D7E2E3", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Meng\u2019s Election as Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair", "2024-12-07", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Grace Meng (NY-8) on her election as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cAt every turn of her career in Congress, Rep. Grace Meng has fought to expand opportunities for Asian Americans and ensure that the voices of this vibrant, growing community are heard in the halls of power. We have important work ahead as we seek to build economic opportunity and financial stability for every American. I am excited to partner with Chair Meng and the entire CAPAC leadership team on this mission and to empower AANHPI communities nationwide.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases?ID=37B21DF4-1A8D-4A87-B98F-E480CFF97164", "Whip Clark Statement on Rep. Brad Schneider\u2019s Election as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition", "2024-12-06", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Katherine M. Clark", "C001101", "katherineclark.house.gov", "clark", "https://katherineclark.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement congratulating Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) on his election as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition for the 119th Congress.\n\n\u201cCongressman Brad Schneider understands that our most critical job is delivering results to families back home. As Chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the 119th Congress, he will build on the Coalition\u2019s legacy of common sense and action-oriented leadership.\n\n\u201cI congratulate Brad on his election and the entire New Dem leadership team, and I am eager to partner together to lower costs for hardworking families and build a future where everyone has a fair shot at success.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/06/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4089/", "Neal Statement on November 2024 Jobs Report", "2024-12-06", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) November 2024 jobs report:\n\n\u201cWith another expectation-beating month of job growth, the U.S. economy proves once again its strength and resilience in life\u2019s twists and turns. Let me say it plainly: President Biden, Vice President Harris, Congressional Democrats, and the American people are to thank. Investing directly in workers and their families continues to pay off, and we remain the envy of the world.\n\n\u201cThe bar is high, and there\u2019s still much more to do in bringing down costs and unlocking opportunity, which only makes the risk of not getting it right even higher. At least 11 billionaires are poised to oversee programs that seniors, children, and people grappling with illness and disability rely on. Slashing the corporate rate even further and raising the cost of everything money can buy with a national sales tax won\u2019t be the answer to the people\u2019s prayers. We have the blueprint for growth and solutions, not personal enrichment and cash grabs, and we can work together to deliver.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/05/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4090/", "Neal and Underwood, Wyden and Shaheen, Jeffries and Schumer Release CBO Findings Detailing Impact on Americans\u2019 Health Insurance Should Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire in 2025", "2024-12-05", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nU.S. Representatives Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, and Lauren Underwood (D-IL), with U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, as well as U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer secured new data from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) detailing the impact on Americans\u2019 health insurance should the Affordable Care Act\u2019s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) expire at the end of 2025. If Congress does not extend these tax credits, premiums will increase by 7.9 percent and 3.8 million Americans will go uninsured altogether. The full text of the lawmakers\u2019 CBO request can be found here. CBO\u2019s findings released today can be found here.\n\n\u201cThe Affordable Care Act transformed our health care system, and already this year, Open Enrollment is breaking records with nearly 1 million new consumers selecting coverage for 2025,\u201d said Ranking Member Neal. \u201cToday\u2019s analysis shows that abandoning this life-saving credit is a sure-fire way for President Trump and Republicans to throttle the American people with a sicker, more expensive way of life. Unless they want to raise taxes on workers and families and leave millions uninsured, passing an extension is not negotiable.\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause of the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, Congressional Democrats were successful in lowering the cost of health care for millions of hardworking taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office\u2019s report today illustrates the critical need to extend the enhanced ACA tax credits with the fierce urgency of now. We are calling on House and Senate Republicans to partner with us to lower health care costs for American families,\u201d said Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.\n\n\u201cOur Health Care Affordability Act provides quality, affordable health care coverage for millions of American families\u2014many of them for the very first time. These savings are a lifeline, but if we don\u2019t act now, Americans will see higher health care costs when these popular tax credits expire in 2025,\u201d Underwood said. \u201cThis legislation works and we are running out of time. Congress must act immediately to pass our legislation and make these lower health care costs permanent.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a stark preview of health care under Donald Trump: higher insurance premiums for families who buy health coverage on their own, and more uninsured Americans who can\u2019t afford health insurance at all,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cRepublicans have an opportunity to end their ideological crusade against the Affordable Care Act and work in a bipartisan manner to make health care more affordable for working families, but instead they seem poised to hand another big tax break to corporations and the wealthy.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese vital tax credits are at risk of expiring \u2013 unless we act. Democrats made massive progress in making heath care more affordable for millions of Americans. Congress should work in a bipartisan manner to extend these middle class tax cuts rather than give another tax break to corporations and the ultra-wealthy,\u201d said Leader Schumer.\n\n\u201cNew data from CBO confirms what we feared: if Congress fails to extend these tax credits, health care costs will skyrocket for millions of families and 3.8 million Americans will lose coverage entirely,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cAt a time when Americans are already facing higher prices, we should do everything we can to lower costs when and where we can. It\u2019s time we pass my Health Care Affordability Act to permanently extend the tax credits so many families rely on.\u201d\n\nIn September, Underwood and Shaheen introduced the Health Care Affordability Act, which would make permanent the Affordable Care Act\u2019s enhanced premium tax credits for Health Insurance Marketplace coverage as extended through the Inflation Reduction Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-lawmakers-seek-to-protect-victims-from-billionaires-exploiting-the-bankruptcy-system", "Warren, Lawmakers Seek to Protect Victims from Billionaires Exploiting the Bankruptcy System", "2024-12-05", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Lawmakers Seek to Protect Victims from Billionaires Exploiting the Bankruptcy System\n\nFollowing the Supreme Court\u2019s decision clearing the way for opioid victims to hold Sackler family accountable, lawmakers reintroduce bill to stop companies from using bankruptcy to escape accountability for hurting consumers, workers, and families\n\nBill Text (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Nondebtor Release Prohibition Act to explicitly prohibit the use of non-consensual, non-debtor releases in bankruptcy. This legislation would protect consumers, workers, and families from companies and individuals attempting to exploit the bankruptcy system to evade accountability to victims.\n\nThe bankruptcy system is designed to give debtors, or individuals or corporations struggling financially, a fresh start. In exchange for receiving the protections of bankruptcy, debtors must disclose details about their finances to the bankruptcy court. But in some cases, non-debtor, or third-party, billionaires and corporations who have not themselves filed for bankruptcy attempt to obtain the protections of bankruptcy, including releases from future liability, even without the consent of victims who would be bound by the releases. This behavior can leave victims of bankrupt corporations, including victims of the opioid epidemic or widespread sexual assault scandals, without a pathway to justice. The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, attempted to use this mechanism to protect themselves from lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. The Nondebtor Release Prohibition Act would curb that abuse of our bankruptcy system by prohibiting liability releases for non-debtors unless victims affirmatively consent.\n\nIn June 2024, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma that the use of non-debtor releases without the consent of claimants is illegal under bankruptcy law. This bill would codify that decision, and goes further by:\n\nDefining what constitutes consent by claimants to prevent companies from using deceptive or extortionary tactics to extract consent;\n\nForcing the dismissal of any Chapter 11 bankruptcy where a company has split their assets and liabilities into separate companies, known as the Texas Two-Step, in the 10 years leading up to the bankruptcy filing; and\n\nSeverely restricting bankruptcy courts\u2019 ability to slow or limit lawsuits against a non-debtor even if that litigation impairs a corporate debtor\u2019s ability to reorganize.\n\n\u201cBillionaires and corporations should not be able to use our bankruptcy system to escape accountability for serious allegations, including medical malpractice, sexual abuse, or national public health crises like the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cOur bankruptcy system is meant to grant struggling individuals and companies a fresh start, and this bill will protect our bankruptcy system and victims from abuse.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor years, bad actors exploited the bankruptcy system to evade accountability for egregious wrongdoing\u2014like igniting America\u2019s opioid crisis. While the Supreme Court narrowed this loophole earlier this year, it\u2019s up to Congress to close it once and for all,\u201d Senator Durbin said. \u201cThe Nondebtor Release Prohibition Act will ensure that non-debtor releases are not weaponized against victims seeking accountability.\u201d\n\n\u201cCurrent bankruptcy law is unjust and unacceptable\u2014allowing individuals and entities to use bankruptcy proceedings as a means to evade justice. For too long, bad actors\u2014including the Sackler family, USA Gymnastics, and Boy Scouts of America\u2014 have taken advantage of this glaring loophole to escape accountability for serious wrongdoings. Commonsense legislation, like the Non-Debtor Release Prohibition Act, is desperately needed to put an end to special treatment and stop this abuse of justice,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal.\n\nSenator Warren and Representative Nadler first introduced this bill in July 2021.\n\nRepresentative Nadler reintroduced this bill in the 118th Congress in July 2024 with the following Representatives as co-sponsors: Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Henry \u201cHank\u201d Johnson (D-Ga.), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-schmitt-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-encourage-resiliency-competition-in-dod-procurement-of-ai-cloud-computing-tools", "Warren, Schmitt Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Encourage Resiliency, Competition in DoD Procurement of AI, Cloud Computing Tools", "2024-12-05", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Schmitt Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Encourage Resiliency, Competition in DoD Procurement of AI, Cloud Computing Tools\n\nNew bill offers meaningful guardrails to promote competition, protect national security\n\nText of Bill (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) introduced the bipartisan Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act to ensure that the Department of Defense (DoD)\u2019s procurement of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing tools prioritizes resiliency and competition. The bill offers meaningful regulation to limit Big Tech monopolies from elbowing out competitors in the AI and cloud computing markets.\n\nGovernment contracts play a powerful role in shaping markets. DoD has already awarded $9 billion in contracts to Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon to build its cloud computing network, and has requested an additional $1.8 billion for AI programs for fiscal year 2025. The Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act will ensure that DoD\u2019s new contracts protect competition in the AI and cloud computing markets, instead of giving an unfair advantage to a few big players. The bill also encourages DoD to consider cloud computing services from multiple providers so the agency isn\u2019t locked in by a single tech company, which also limits national security risk.\n\nSpecifically, the bill would:\n\nRequire DoD \u2014 when contracting with cloud, foundation model, or data infrastructure providers that enter into contracts of $50 million or more with DoD annually \u2014 to administer a competitive award process, ensure that the government maintains exclusive rights to access and use of all government data, and consider multi-cloud technology where feasible and advantageous.\n\nRequire DoD\u2019s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to ensure that government data provided for the purpose of development and operation of AI products to DoD will not be disclosed or used without DoD authorization, and such government data, if stored on vendor systems, is appropriately protected from other data.\n\nRequire DoD to publish a report every four years on competition, innovation, barriers to entry, and market power concentration in the AI sector, with recommendations for legislative and administrative action.\n\n\u201cRight now, all of our eggs are in one giant Silicon Valley basket. That doesn\u2019t only stifle innovation, but it\u2019s more expensive and it seriously increases our security risks,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cOur new bill will make sure that as the Department of Defense keeps expanding its use of AI and cloud computing tools, it\u2019s making good deals that will keep our information secure and our government resilient.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud to work with Senator Warren on the \u2018Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act of 2024\u2019, which will encourage resiliency, interoperability, and innovation,\u201d said Senator Schmitt. \u201cCompetition and innovation are critical drivers of the Department of Defense\u2019s ability to maintain its strategic advantage, ensuring that defense contractors, technology developers, and internal DoD teams are constantly striving to deliver cutting-edge solutions in an increasingly complex and dynamic global security environment.\u201d\n\nThe Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act is endorsed by the American Association of People with Disabilities, Economic Securities Project Action, Encode Justice, and the Open Markets Institute.\n\n\u201cIt is imperative that we act swiftly to harness the potential of AI to spur innovation, rather than allowing the industry to entrench their narrow interests. Senator Warren\u2019s Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act is common-sense legislation that encourages dynamism and resiliency in our country\u2019s cloud computing infrastructure. The Department of Defense has itself identified that consolidation in parts of the private defense industry poses a threat to national security; this legislation would leverage the government\u2019s procurement power to mitigate consolidation and encourage competition in the broader digital economy,\u201d said Taylor Jo Isenberg, Executive Director of Economic Security Project Action.\n\n\u201cThe Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act will strengthen America's resilient defense technology ecosystem through rigorous procurement standards. This legislation establishes essential safeguards for government data while ensuring the Department of Defense can leverage competitive markets to advance our national security capabilities,\u201d said Sunny Gandhi, VP of Political Affairs at Encode Justice.\n\n\"Without reform to the federal tech procurement process, the Department of Defense is likely to fall victim to and further entrench the concentrated power of the tech industry,\" said Ramsay Eyre, a senior policy analyst at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator. \"Policies like the ones in this bill will promote competition in AI and cloud computing through DoD's procurement power.\"\n\nSenator Warren has been a leader in the fight to rein in Big Tech and strengthen antitrust enforcement to boost competition in the tech industry:\n\nIn September 2024, Senator Warren wrote to Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Jonathan Kanter in support of the DOJ\u2019s ongoing probe into Nvidia\u2019s potentially anticompetitive behavior.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren wrote to Tesla\u2019s Board of Directors with concerns over CEO Elon Musk\u2019s continued conflicts of interest and misappropriation of company resources, and the Board\u2019s failure to hold him accountable.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) wrote a letter to OpenAI, seeking answers about how the company handles whistleblowers and safety reviews after former employees complained that internal criticism is often stifled.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren delivered the keynote address at RemedyFest, where she called out Big Tech for their anti-competitive tactics that have led to market consolidation and record profits.\n\nIn January 2024, at a hearing of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Senator Warren questioned Emily Kilcrease, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, on the national security risks posed by digital trade rules that allow tech companies to collect, sell, and store Americans\u2019 data wherever is cheapest, including China.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to continue to reject any trade or policy proposals from Big Tech that would deem the European Union\u2019s Digital Markets Act (DMA) to be discriminatory or an illegal trade barrier, in order to protect the administration\u2019s shared pro-competition priorities with its European allies.\n\nIn November 2023, Senator Warren and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), led 10 lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, commending his administration\u2019s actions countering Big Tech\u2019s influence in trade negotiations, and asking him to replace \u201cdigital trade\u201d provisions lobbied for by Big Tech in Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) negotiations with new language to ensure regulatory agencies and Congress are able to counter Big Tech abuses and develop a new model for digital rules in trade agreements that promotes competition and protects workers, consumers, and small businesses.\n\nIn July 2023, Senators Warren and Graham introduced the Bipartisan Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act which would rein in Big Tech by establishing a new commission to regulate online platforms. The commission would have concurrent jurisdiction with FTC and DOJ, and would be responsible for enforcing the new statutory provisions in the bill and implementing rules to promote competition, protect privacy, protect consumers, and strengthen our national security.\n\nIn May 2023, Senator Warren released a 22-page investigative report: Big Tech\u2019s Big Con: Rigging Digital Trade Rules to Block Antitrust Regulation. The investigation, based on a review of previously undisclosed emails, reveals that Big Tech is using its revolving door hires to gain backdoor access to key United States Trade Representative and Commerce Department officials, undermining the Biden Administration\u2019s promises to end rigged trade deals and protect workers, consumers, and the environment.\n\nIn October 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to Secretary Raimondo underscoring the dangers of Big Tech\u2019s digital trade agenda, following up on a letter the lawmakers sent to Secretary Raimondo in July 2022 requesting additional information about the revolving door between Commerce and Big Tech and its potential impact on global digital trade rules.\n\nIn July 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to Secretary Raimondo raising questions about the revolving door between the Department of Commerce and Big Tech companies, and its potential impact on global digital trade rules.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-warner-shaheen-renew-push-to-hold-equifax-other-credit-reporting-companies-accountable-for-data-breaches", "Warren, Warner, Shaheen Renew Push to Hold Equifax, Other Credit Reporting Companies Accountable for Data Breaches", "2024-12-05", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Warner, Shaheen Renew Push to Hold Equifax, Other Credit Reporting Companies Accountable for Data Breaches\n\nUnder this legislation, Equifax would have paid at least $1.5 billion in penalties for 2017 data breach\n\nBill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mark Warner (D-Conn.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), along with Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), reintroduced the Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act, to hold credit reporting agencies accountable for data breaches involving consumer data.\n\nThe 2017 Equifax hack revealed that Credit Reporting Companies (CRCs) collect enormous amounts of sensitive data\u2014including Social Security numbers, birth dates, credit card numbers, and driver\u2019s license numbers\u2014from over 145 million Americans. They collect this data in order to profit off of its aggregation, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Cybersecurity experts found that this consumer data lacked proper safeguards against hackers. Seven years after that massive data breach, in 2024, consumers are still inadequately protected.\n\nThe Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stronger authority over data security at CRCs, imposes strict financial penalties for failing to protect consumer data, and automatically compensates customers for stolen data. This bill would:\n\nImpose strict penalties for breaches involving consumer data at credit reporting agencies. Penalties begin at $100 for each customer who had one piece of personal identifying information compromised, with an additional $50 for each additional piece of information compromised per consumer.\n\nEnsure robust recovery for affected consumers by requiring the FTC to use 50% of penalties collected to compensate consumers.\n\nEstablish an Office of Cybersecurity at the FTC that is tasked with annual inspections and supervision of cybersecurity at CRCs. The FTC will report to Congress on areas where it needs to enhance the agency\u2019s authorities to fully address cyber-theft.\n\nIncreases penalties for cases of inadequate cybersecurity or failure to notify an agency of a breach. Doubles the automatic per-consumer penalties and increases the maximum penalty for cases where a CRC fails to follow the data security standards or fails to notify the FTC of a data security breach.\n\n\u201cCredit reporting companies like Equifax shouldn\u2019t be able to put millions of Americans at risk of identity theft and avoid real accountability,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cThis bill ensures credit reporting companies take the proper precautions with consumer data.\u201d\n\n\u201cMore than half of American adults have had to grapple with the consequences of data breaches resulting from credit reporting agencies mishandling and failing to protect consumer data. By imposing strict penalties to hold companies accountable while facilitating compensation for affected Americans, our bicameral legislation will help prevent the abuses and negligence which could allow the next consumer data breach,\u201d said Congressman Krishnamoorthi.\n\n\u201cI have been sounding the alarm for years about the importance of protecting individuals' private and sensitive information, but all too often, our data gets into the wrong hands \u2013 without our knowledge or consent. I\u2019m proud to introduce this legislation to hold companies like Equifax accountable for securing data that's central to Americans' identity management and access to credit,\" said Senator Warner.\n\nThe following organizations co-sponsored the bill: National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), Americans for Financial Reform, U.S. PIRG, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).\n\n\"This bill improves data security for the credit bureaus, to prevent breaches like the terrible one at Equifax in 2017. It also imposes real and meaningful penalties when credit bureaus, entrusted with our most sensitive financial information, break that trust. I commend Senator Warren for introducing it, and for her persistence on this important issue.\" - Chi Chi Wu, Senior Attorney, National Consumer Law Center\n\n\"Credit reporting agencies hold people's most sensitive information and we've already seen terrible examples of what can go wrong. This legislation provides powerful tools to incentivize robust data protection and hold companies accountable for data breaches and identity theft.\" - Christine Chen Zinner, Senior Policy Counsel, Americans for Financial Reform\n\n\u201cThe steady increase in data breaches in recent years has made clear the need for stricter oversight of businesses\u2019 data security practices, and Senator Warren\u2019s bill does just that. Companies handling Americans\u2019 most sensitive personal data must do all they can to protect it, and there should be penalties if they fail to do so. The Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act is a common-sense measure that will protect consumers from harmful data breaches.\u201d - Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)\n\n\u201cGiven the sensitive information credit reporting agencies have collected about us without our consent, they should do everything possible to properly safeguard our data from breaches, identity theft, and scams. The Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act would provide the necessary oversight and financial penalties to ensure that credit bureaus take data protection seriously.\u201d - Mike Litt, U.S. PIRG Consumer Campaign Director.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/12/04/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4091/", "Neal Statement on GAO Report on Cryptocurrency in 401(k) Plans", "2024-12-04", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the use of cryptocurrency in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Neal requested the report back in 2022 as many major defined contribution plan providers announced the option to invest in cryptocurrencies and after the Department of Labor cautioned that plan sponsors should exercise extreme care with cryptocurrency.\n\n\u201cDefined contribution plans are a key leg in our three-legged retirement savings system, with millions of Americans investing trillions of savings for a secure tomorrow. As markets evolve and new investing vehicles emerge, it is incumbent on the federal government to ensure proper oversight. Today\u2019s report shows there\u2019s more to do to protect American workers and their retirement savings from the volatile, high-risk environment that comes with cryptocurrencies. The crypto market, since it began emerging as a 401(k)-investment option for some retirees and investment firms in 2022, has not been fully subjected to proper oversight and regulation. As a result, as this report outlines, it has brought uniquely high risk to retirees. Americans must be confident that their investments are secure, and do not face unnecessarily high volatility, cybersecurity, and theft risk.\n\n\u201cWays and Means Democrats\u2019 commitment to the American worker is ironclad, and we will continue to ensure their dignity and financial security in retirement. Whether it was through the SECURE Act 2.0, the Butch Lewis Act, or making enhancements to the Saver\u2019s Credit, we have made progress in making it easier for workers to save and plan for a secure retirement. Trump\u2019s Billionaires \u2018R\u2019 Us cabinet will go to any length to leverage new markets for their own gain, but Democrats stand ready to fight for the dignity of work and protect Americans financial security.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-statement-on-trump-nominating-billy-long-as-irs-commissioner", "Senator Warren Statement on Trump Nominating Billy Long as IRS Commissioner", "2024-12-04", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Senator Warren Statement on Trump Nominating Billy Long as IRS Commissioner\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump has named Billy Long to serve as Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) Commissioner, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the incoming top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement:\n\n\u201cBilly Long\u2019s nomination to lead the I.R.S is bad news for middle-class taxpayers and a win for ultra-wealthy tax cheats. He has zero relevant experience for this critical management role and this pick \u2014 along with the unprecedented firing of the current commissioner \u2014 should set off alarm bells about the weaponization of the tax agency. If he\u2019s confirmed, taxpayers can expect longer wait times for customer service, a more complicated process to file taxes, and free rein for the rich and powerful to continue rigging the system at the expense of everyone else.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-statement-on-trump-nominating-paul-atkins-as-sec-chair", "Senator Warren Statement on Trump Nominating Paul Atkins as SEC Chair", "2024-12-04", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Senator Warren Statement on Trump Nominating Paul Atkins as SEC Chair\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump has named Paul Atkins to serve as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the incoming top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement:\n\n\u201cThe U.S. stock market is the envy of the world precisely because the SEC promotes safe and transparent markets that protect investors from getting cheated, so I\u2019m concerned about putting at the helm of the SEC a Wall Street lobbyist whose main contribution during the last financial crisis was to protest fines against the giant corporations that defrauded investors. I look forward to meeting with Paul Atkins to ask about his potential conflicts of interest and his commitment to serving the American people.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-bennet-khanna-jayapal-reintroduce-cbo-fair-scoring-act", "Warren, Bennet, Khanna, Jayapal Reintroduce CBO FAIR Scoring Act", "2024-12-04", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Bennet, Khanna, Jayapal Reintroduce CBO FAIR Scoring Act\n\nWould allow legislators to formally consider the impacts of bills on people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and design policies that more effectively advance racial and economic equity.\n\nBill Text | One-Pager\n\nWashington, D.C. - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) along with Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) reintroduced the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Fiscal Analysis by Income and Race (FAIR) Scoring Act. This legislation seeks to provide policymakers with standardized data about the real-world effects of their policies across race and income groups.\n\nThe CBO is required by law to produce a formal cost estimate \u2013 describing how a legislative proposal would affect the federal budget over a 10-year window \u2013 for nearly every bill that is approved by a full committee in the House or Senate. While these cost estimates provide insight into the fiscal impact of proposed legislation, lawmakers have limited information about the distributional impacts across racial and income groups. The lack of reliable information about the potential socioeconomic effects of legislation inhibits the understanding of how policies are impacting income gaps and racial disparities, including if the policies are making the disparities worse or improving them. It also undermines lawmakers\u2019 ability to design effective policies that address racial and income inequality and support vulnerable communities.\n\n\u201cWe must do more to close the wealth gap in America that continues to widen across race and income,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cThis bill is a first step towards that end by providing lawmakers with the data they need to make informed decisions to advance racial and economic justice in future legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur country suffers from enormous income and wealth inequality, and too often legislation fails to account for how policy changes affect all Americans,\u201d said Senator Bennet. \u201cThe FAIR Scoring Act will ensure there is objective, non-partisan information on how the effects of legislation will be distributed by income and race to better inform lawmakers and the American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs wealth inequality becomes one of the greatest challenges facing the US today, I am proud to partner with Sen. Warren (D-MA) on the FAIR Scoring Act. Our bill standardizes the legislative scoring system and ensures that legislators consider a bill\u2019s impact on various socioeconomic groups. It is an important step to promoting strong, equitable, growth in the 21st century economy,\u201d said Rep. Ro Khanna\n\n\u201cWhen legislation is proposed, it is critical that we know all of the impacts of it, including on people who have been disadvantaged as a result of years of damaging policies,\u201d said Representative Jayapal. \u201cWhile the CBO currently scores the financial impacts, that leaves major question marks around what communities are affected. I\u2019m proud to co-lead this legislation that will help to ensure racial, gender, and economic justice is considered in introduced bills before they become law.\u201d\n\nThe CBO FAIR Scoring Act would:\n\nRequire the CBO to estimate the distributional impacts by race and income \u2013 in dollar terms and as a percent change in after-tax-and-transfer-income \u2013 for bills that have a gross budgetary effect of at least 0.1% of GDP in any fiscal year within the 10-year budget window;\n\nRequire the CBO to provide such scores to relevant congressional committees before the bills are reported to the floor, to the extent possible;\n\nRequire the CBO to prepare a report describing possible methods for conducting distributional analyses by gender to strengthen CBO\u2019s capacity to conduct analyses of the interaction between race and gender.\n\nThe CBO FAIR Scoring Act has been endorsed by The Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Our Revolution, Indivisible, Coalition on Human Needs.\n\nSenator Warren has long been an advocate for advancing racial and economic equity:\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Maxine Waters reintroduced the Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act to require the Federal Reserve to use its existing authorities to close racial employment and wage gaps and report on how the gaps change over time.\n\nIn August 2021, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet and Representatives Ro Khanna and Dean Phillips announced that they will introduce the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Fiscal Analysis by Income and Race (FAIR) Scoring Act.\n\nIn February 2021, Senator Warren questioned Xavier Becerra, the nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), on his commitment to address structural racism in our health systems and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Attorney General Becerra committed to improve data collection for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.\n\nIn February 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee, Robin Kelly, and Karen Bass reintroduced the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act.\n\nIn January 2021, Senators Warren, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden sent a letter to Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the FDA to quickly conduct a review of the accuracy of pulse oximeters -- devices used to monitor blood oxygen levels -- across racially diverse patients and consumers.\n\nIn December 2020, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley sent a letter to Gene L. Dodaro, U.S. Comptroller General, requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on how COVID-19 relief funds have been distributed to disproportionately affected communities.\n\nIn April 2020, Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and report racial and other demographic data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and fatality rates.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-if-labor-nominee-chavez-deremer-commits-to-strengthening-unions-shes-a-strong-candidate-for-the-job", "Warren: If Labor Nominee Chavez-DeRemer Commits to Strengthening Unions, She\u2019s a \u201cStrong Candidate For The Job\u201d", "2024-12-03", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren: If Labor Nominee Chavez-DeRemer Commits to Strengthening Unions, She\u2019s a \u201cStrong Candidate For The Job\u201d\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump has named Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:\n\n\u201cI plan to hold President-elect Trump\u2019s feet to the fire for working people, and I look forward to hearing more from Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer. It\u2019s a big deal that one of the few Republican lawmakers who have endorsed the PRO Act could lead the Department of Labor.\"\n\n\u201cIf Chavez-DeRemer commits as labor secretary to strengthen labor unions and promote worker power, she\u2019s a strong candidate for the job. But this nomination is an early test: will Trump stand strong with workers or bow down to his corporate donors and the Republican establishment\u2019s opposition? And if Republican Senators block Trump\u2019s labor nominee for standing with unions, it will show that the party\u2019s support for workers is all talk.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-blumenthal-urge-biden-administration-to-prevent-military-use-against-americans", "Warren, Blumenthal Urge Biden Administration to Prevent Military Use Against Americans", "2024-12-02", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Blumenthal Urge Biden Administration to Prevent Military Use Against Americans\n\n\u201cIt is antithetical to what those in uniform have sworn to protect and defend, and a serious threat to our democratic system\u2019 to weaponize the military to advance the president\u2019s political interests\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging them to issue a policy directive prohibiting the mobilization of active duty military or federalizing National Guard personnel to be deployed against Americans unless specifically authorized.\n\nThis comes after President-elect Trump recently indicated that he could invoke the Insurrection Act \u201con his first day in office.\u201d He has called his political opponents \u201cthe enemy from within\u201d and said they \u201cshould be very easily handled by \u2014 if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.\u201d When asked to clarify these remarks in late October, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance reiterated that President-elect Trump would use force against Americans.\n\nThe senators asked for the directive to state the Insurrection Act should be narrowly applied and that the President must consult with Congress to the maximum extent practicable. The senators also point out the urgent need for this policy directive given questions raised by the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s Trump v. United States decision, which significantly expanded presidential immunity for official acts.\n\n\u201cGiven the disagreement amongst scholars on the serious implications of the recent Supreme Court decision, it is reasonable to assume that service members, other DoD personnel, and the broader military community may not be aware of or fully understand their rights and responsibilities,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cIf unaddressed, any ambiguity on the lawful use of military force, coupled with President-elect Trump\u2019s demonstrated intent to utilize the military in such dangerous and unprecedented ways, may prove to be devastating.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the senators are urging President Biden to issue a policy directive that includes that:\n\nThe narrow application of the Insurrection Act should be limited to instances when State or local authorities are so overwhelmed and that the chief executive of the State requests assistance or attacks against the U.S. government overwhelm State or local authorities;\n\nIn instances when federal forces are necessary to protect or prevent violations of individuals\u2019 civil liberties, federal forces should only be authorized when state, local, or federal civilian law enforcement personnel are unable, fail, or refuse to protect their rights;\n\nAny armed forces employed must operate under the Standing Rules for the Use of Force and cannot violate the writ of habeas corpus, federal law, or where applicable, federal or state law;\n\nThe President must consult with Congress to the maximum extent practicable before exercising this authority, as well as transmit to the Federal Register the legal authorities.\n\n\u201cAs many of us wrote previously, \u2018it is antithetical to what those in uniform have sworn to protect and defend, and a serious threat to our democratic system\u2019 to weaponize the military to advance the president\u2019s political interests,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-representative-jake-auchincloss-healey-driscoll-administration-mbta-and-newton-mayor-fuller-celebrate-commitment-to-rebuild-newtonville-station", "U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss, Healey-Driscoll Administration, MBTA, and Newton Mayor Fuller Celebrate Commitment to Rebuild Newtonville Station", "2024-11-25", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Newton, MA \u2013 Today, Congressman Jake Auchincloss, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, MBTA, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, and state and local leaders celebrated a commitment to rebuild Newtonville Station. The station is to become the first fully ADA-accessible commuter rail station in Newton.\n\n\"This upgrade helps commuters, supports affordable housing, and advances the goal of regional rail,\u201d said Representative Jake Auchincloss (MA-04). \u201cThe $7 million in Community Project Funding my office secured to improve Newton\u2019s commuter rail will help kickstart a virtuous cycle of better service and increased ridership.\u201d\n\n\"We're proud to be delivering a new and modernized Newtonville Station that will make commuter rail service safer and more reliable, enhance accessibility, and improve quality of life for our residents,\u201d said Governor Healey. \u201cThis commitment is an important step forward in our goal to improve transportation infrastructure across the state. I\u2019m grateful for the strong leadership of Secretary Tibbits-Nutt, General Manager Eng, Congressman Auchincloss, Mayor Fuller and all of the residents, legislators, and advocates who have been working so hard for so long to make this possible.\u201d\n\n\u201cResidents in Newton deserve modern, user-friendly and accessible transportation infrastructure. The Newtonville Station project is a great example of the results we can deliver when local, state, and federal government work together,\u201d said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. \u201cThese improvements will make people\u2019s daily travel routines more consistent, improve connectivity between our communities and provide the infrastructure we need to encourage more housing.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe MBTA system is now more accessible than ever, and we are going to keep that forward momentum going,\u201d said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. \u201cThe Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to building a transportation network which is fully accessible to everyone, and improvements at Newtonville Station will help get us there. We have already completed hundreds of projects to expand travel options for everyone of all abilities and we are going to continue to be relentless in making capital investments so everyone can use the T to get to where they need to go.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis station reconstruction will make Newtonville Commuter Rail station in Newton fully accessible with a state-of-the-art station supporting safety, security and comfort. This addresses a crucial need for riders with disabilities and others who have struggled with the existing station infrastructure,\" said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. \"Finding ways to deliver projects like this go beyond infrastructure improvements\u2014they\u2019re also about fostering a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable MBTA for all who depend on public transit.\n\nNewtonville Station is one of three Commuter Rail stations in the city of Newton, but it serves the largest number of riders and holds the most immediate potential for transit-oriented development.\n\nThe project will be supported through a combination of state and federal assistance, as well as MBTA funding. Congressman Auchincloss secured $7 million through federal earmarks to renovate all three of Newton\u2019s stations.\n\nThe MBTA is evaluating multiple contract procurement methods to rebuild Newtonville Station. The MBTA is engaging with the industry, and construction schedules will be determined based on feedback.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-27T20:01:11Z", "2026-06-27T22:32:33Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-reps-auchincloss-boyle-and-lawler-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-designate-november-2024-as-lung-cancer-awareness-month", "U.S. Reps. Auchincloss, Boyle, and Lawler Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Designate November 2024 as Lung Cancer Awareness Month", "2024-11-22", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), and Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced a bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to designate November 2024 as Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The initiative aims to draw attention to the importance of prevention, early detection, and research to curb lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. In the United States Senate, the resolution is led by Senator Tina Smith (D-MN).\n\n\u201cLung-cancer screening saves lives. The difference between early and late detection of a tumor is often a matter of life and death,\u201d said Rep. Auchincloss. \u201cWashington needs to do more to advance awareness of screening and to support research and clinical care.\u201d\n\n\"Lung cancer impacts families and communities across the country. This resolution is an important step in raising awareness, encouraging preventative measures, and supporting groundbreaking research to save lives,\" said Rep. Boyle. \"By coming together, we can ensure more Americans have access to the tools and resources needed to combat this devastating disease.\"\n\n\u201cLung cancer is the deadliest and one of the most common forms of cancer,\u201d said Rep. Lawler. \u201cWe simply must do more to raise awareness and combat this deadly disease. That\u2019s why I\u2019m joining Congressman Brendan Boyle in introducing a bipartisan resolution recognizing November as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. One life lost to lung cancer is too many. Together, we can build a future where the devastation of lung cancer is no more.\u201d\n\nThe resolution highlights the need to increase public awareness campaigns, expand access to screening programs, and invest in life-saving research through federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH).\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-27T20:01:11Z", "2026-06-27T22:32:33Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-representative-jake-auchincloss-announces-launch-of-pro-housing-yimby-caucus-to-tackle-affordable-housing-shortage", "U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss Announces Launch of Pro-Housing \u201cYIMBY\u201d Caucus to Tackle Affordable Housing Shortage", "2024-11-21", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss Announces Launch of Pro-Housing \u201cYIMBY\u201d Caucus to Tackle Affordable Housing Shortage\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Scott Peters (CA-50), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Marc Molinaro (NY-19), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), and Chuck Edwards (NC-11) announced the launch of the pro-housing \u201cYes In My Back Yard\u201d (YIMBY) Caucus to promote the development of housing nationwide. The YIMBY movement focuses on encouraging new housing development, removing barriers to the construction of new homes, and investing in the infrastructure needed to unlock more affordable and walkable neighborhoods nationwide. The U.S. housing supply shortage, which sits between 4 and 7 million units, deprives young Americans of a strong start, pushes Americans into homelessness, and squeezes seniors on a fixed income. The co-chairs of this caucus will work to address these challenges at the federal level and convene regularly with local and state leaders who determine the bulk of housing policy.\n\n\u201cThe cost of housing is the greatest economic challenge facing Massachusetts. The answer: build more housing,\u201d said Rep. Auchincloss. \u201cAt all levels of government, Americans need permitting & land use reforms that unlock more housing production.\u201d\n\n\u201cSan Diego is consistently one of the most expensive places to live in the country, and far too many people in our community cannot afford a home or are pushed into homelessness,\u201d said Rep. Peters. \u201cBack in 2018, I was one of the founding members of the San Diego Democratic YIMBY Club when it was a fledgling movement, and I am honored to be a founding Co-Chair of this effort in Congress. This caucus will be essential for fostering pro-housing growth policies that lower costs, help people achieve the dream of home ownership, and create vibrant, walkable, and transit-connected communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe cost of rent is far too high. We must act to expand affordable housing options,\u201d said Rep. Garcia. \u201cThis is a long-term, structural problem requiring us to take bold steps to create the new homes our community needs. Embracing YIMBY-ism, building more housing units, and embracing mixed-use zoning will increase our housing supply and drive down costs for Americans. We need to get more ambitious with proposals to speed up housing production, including offering more financial incentives for states and local governments that welcome new construction.\u201d\n\n\u201cAcross the country, people are suffering under the weight of ever-higher housing costs,\u201d said Laura Foote, Executive Director of YIMBY Action. \u201cOur national housing shortage is pushing people down into poverty, away from opportunity, and throws a wet blanket on our economy. Building more housing near jobs has the ability to uplift millions of Americans and rebuild the middle class. We\u2019re thrilled that a decade of YIMBY activism has led to this moment, and we\u2019re grateful to the bipartisan leaders tackling America\u2019s housing shortage head on.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe lack of housing supply and housing affordability are a national crisis affecting every region of our country,\u201d said Laura Arce, Senior Vice President, UnidosUS. \u201cWe need comprehensive and commonsense solutions to build more types of housing in more places. UnidosUS commends the establishment of the YIMBY Caucus and stands ready to support its work to create a housing market that works for all families.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe exclusionary land use regulations that caused California\u2019s housing shortage and affordability crisis are not unique to California -- and the housing crisis has spread to every jurisdiction that copied California\u2019s approach,\u201d said Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY. \u201cWe need strong, pro-housing leadership at all levels of government to bring back the American dream of affordable homeownership, and to give renters a break on their housing costs. The creation of the bi-partisan House YIMBY caucus sends a powerful message: We must remove the barriers to housing abundance.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s affordable and homelessness crisis demands urgent action by all levels of government to address its two main causes: the severe shortage of homes affordable to people with the lowest incomes and the wide gap between incomes and housing costs,\u201d said Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. \u201cI applaud Representatives Robert Garcia (D-CA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Scott Peters (D-CA), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) for creating the bipartisan YIMBY caucus to help advance housing solutions at the scale needed to help end this crisis once and for all.\u201d\n\n\u201cBPC Action applauds Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Scott Peters (D-CA), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) for creating and co-chairing the bipartisan House YIMBY Caucus,\u201d said Michele Stockwell, President, BPC Action. \u201cAt the heart of today\u2019s housing affordability crisis is the acute shortage of affordable rental homes and entry-level homeownership options. We look forward to engaging with the YIMBY Caucus to identify common sense federal, state, and local actions that could be taken to ease regulatory barriers to increase our nation\u2019s housing supply.\u201d\n\n\u201cA critical shortage of apartment homes at all price points continues to impact communities across every corner of our country,\u201d said National Apartment Association (NAA) President and CEO Bob Pinnegar. \u201cFollowing an election where housing was at the forefront of conversation, now is the time for bold, bipartisan action. NAA applauds the formation of the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Caucus and looks forward to collaborating on sustainable solutions that boost housing supply and improve affordability for generations of renters to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cState and local leaders across the country, from both political parties, are taking significant steps to ease restrictive regulations that limit housing growth,\u201d said Alex Armlovich, Niskanen Center Senior Housing Policy Analyst. These efforts span various areas, including zoning and land use rules, permitting processes, procedural reviews, and multifamily building codes. The launch of the bipartisan House YIMBY Caucus marks a watershed in Congress\u2019s recognition of the housing shortage and the need for stronger federal support to bolster state and local initiatives. Niskanen Center\u2019s housing team applauds the founding YIMBY Caucus members\u2014and looks forward to collaborating on innovative, bipartisan solutions to address the housing crisis.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-27T20:01:11Z", "2026-06-27T22:32:33Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-jake-auchincloss-addresses-veterans-in-foxborough-and-swansea-for-veterans-day", "Congressman Jake Auchincloss Addresses Veterans in Foxborough and Swansea for Veterans Day", "2024-11-11", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Newton, MA - U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D, MA-04) honored Bay State veterans in Foxborough and Swansea for Veterans Day. Rep. Auchincloss began the day at the Foxborough Veterans Day Ceremony at Foxborough High School. He then took part in the Swansea Veterans Day Ceremony on the Veterans Memorial Green. At both events, Rep. Auchincloss honored the sacrifice of his fellow veterans and their devotion to the Constitution.\n\n\u201cToday, we are grateful to our veterans, not just for their courage in combat but also for their honor in peace,\u201d said Congressman Jake Auchincloss. \u201cAs I nominate the next generation of officers to the service academies, I am impressed and gratified by their proficiency and patriotism. When I speak to these young men and women, I tell them to draw inspiration and take example from the veterans we honor today, who fought fiercely for freedom and never forgot their loyalty to the Constitution and to this republic of laws.\u201d\n\nPhotos from both events can be found here.\n\nCongressman Jake Auchincloss is a 36-year-old Democrat and former Marine officer who commanded infantry in Afghanistan & counter-narcotics special operations in Panama.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases/-rep-jake-auchincloss-and-jewish-congressional-colleagues-condemn-antisemitic-pogrom-in-amsterdam", "Rep. Jake Auchincloss and Jewish Congressional Colleagues Condemn Antisemitic Pogrom in Amsterdam", "2024-11-08", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Jake Auchincloss", "A000148", "auchincloss.house.gov", "auchincloss", "https://auchincloss.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014 The following statement is signed by Representatives Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Elissa Slotkin (MI-07), Steve Cohen (TN-09), David Kustoff (TN-08), Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL-25).\n\nOn the eve of the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, we are outraged to witness a modern-day pogrom unfold on the streets of Amsterdam.\n\nWhat should have been a normal evening of fans enjoying a soccer game quickly turned into a night of horror as Israeli and Jewish fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were ambushed by a violent, antisemitic mob. Over several hours, dozens of Jews and Israelis were severely injured after antisemitic mobs hunted them down, beat them, attacked them with knives, ran them over with cars, and even threw them into the river. Let\u2019s be clear, these people were targeted because they are Jewish.\n\nWhat we witnessed last night is horrific but not unpredictable \u2013 it is the culmination of the failure to name and confront antisemitism, especially when disguised as anti-Israel sentiment. For years, European nations have failed to address this problem. From France\u2019s highest court ruling that Sarah Halimi\u2019s murderer would not face trial, to the defacement of Anne Frank\u2019s monument in Amsterdam, to the normalization of Holocaust denial through inversion and false equivalencies, countries across Europe are failing to meet this moment and confront antisemitism head on.\n\nWe urge Dutch authorities to arrest all those who participated in these heinous acts of antisemitic violence and act swiftly to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. We support Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt\u2019s call for the Netherlands to conduct a thorough investigation as to why it took police hours to break up the pogrom and protect Israeli and Jewish victims of these attacks. We also urge our European allies to meaningfully address the rapid rise of antisemitism across the continent.\n\nAs Jewish Members of Congress, we will never abandon the fight to end antisemitism. We will continue to monitor the situation until the investigation is complete, each Israeli safely returns home, and those responsible are fully brought to justice.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-op-ed-in-time-the-plan-to-fight-back", "Warren Op-Ed in TIME: The Plan to Fight Back", "2024-11-08", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Op-Ed in TIME: The Plan to Fight Back\n\n\u201cAmericans do not want a country where political parties each field their own team of billionaires who then squabble over how to divvy up the spoils of government.\u201d\n\n\u201c(I)f Democrats want to earn back the trust of working people and govern again, we need to convince voters we can\u2014and will\u2014unrig the economy.\u201d\n\nOp-Ed in TIME Magazine\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) published an op-ed in TIME Magazine laying out what Democrats must learn from President-elect Trump\u2019s win and how we can fight back to earn the trust of Americans.\n\nRead the full op-ed here and below:\n\nTIME Magazine \u2013 Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Here's the Plan to Fight Back\n\nNovember 7, 2024\n\nTo everyone who feels like their heart has been ripped out of their chest, I feel the same. To everyone who is afraid of what happens next, I share your fears. But what we do next is important, and I need you in this fight with me.\n\nAs we confront a second Donald Trump presidency, we have two tasks ahead. First, try to learn from what happened. And then, make a plan.\n\nMany political experts and D.C. insiders are already blaming President Joe Biden\u2019s economic agenda for Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 loss. This does not stand up to scrutiny. Even though the Biden economy produced strong economic growth while reining in inflation, incumbent parties across the globe have been tossed out by voters after the pandemic. American voters also showed support for Democratic economic policies, for example, approving ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage in Alaska and to guarantee paid sick leave in Missouri.\n\nBut good economic policies do not erase painful underlying truths about our country. For my entire career, I\u2019ve studied how the system is rigged against working-class families. On paper, the U.S. economy is the strongest in the world. But working families are struggling with big expenses like the cost of housing, health care, and childcare. Giant corporations get tax breaks and favorable rules while workers are gouged by higher prices. Billionaires pay paltry taxes on their wealth while families can\u2019t afford to buy their first homes.\n\nAmericans do not want a country where political parties each field their own team of billionaires who then squabble over how to divvy up the spoils of government. Vice President Harris deserves credit for running an inspiring campaign under unprecedented circumstances. But if Democrats want to earn back the trust of working people and govern again, we need to convince voters we can\u2014and will\u2014unrig the economy.\n\nWhat comes next? Trump won the election, but more than 67 million people voted for Democrats and they don\u2019t expect us to roll over and play dead. We will have a peaceful transition of power, followed by a vigorous challenge from the party out of power, because that\u2019s how democracy works. Here\u2019s a path forward.\n\nFirst, fight every fight in Congress.\n\nWe won\u2019t always win, but we can slow or sometimes limit Trump\u2019s destruction. With every fight, we can build political power to put more checks on his administration and build the foundation for future wins. Remember that during the first Trump term, mass mobilization\u2014including some of the largest peaceful protests in world history\u2014was the battery that charged the resistance. There is power in solidarity, and we can\u2019t win if we don\u2019t get in the fight.\n\nDuring the Trump years, Congress stepped up its oversight of his unprecedented corruption and abuses of power. In the Senate, Democrats gave no quarter to radical Trump nominees; we asked tough questions and held the Senate floor for hours to slow down confirmation and expose Republican extremism. These tactics doomed some nominations entirely, laid the groundwork for other cabinet officials to later resign in disgrace, and brought scrutiny that somewhat constrained Trump\u2019s efforts.\n\nWhen all this work came together, we won some of the toughest fights. Remember Republicans\u2019 attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Democrats did not have the votes to stop the repeal. Nevertheless, we fought on. Patients kept up a relentless rotation of meetings in Congress, activists in wheelchairs performed civil disobedience, and lawmakers used every tactic possible\u2014late night speeches, forums highlighting patient stories, committee reports, and procedural tactics\u2014to draw attention to the Republican repeal effort. This sustained resistance ultimately shifted the politics of health care repeal. The final vote was a squeaker, but Republicans lost and the ACA survived.\n\nDemocrats should also acknowledge that seeking a middle ground with a man who calls immigrants \u201canimals\u201d and says he will \u201cprotect\u201d women \u201cwhether the women like it or not\u201d is unlikely to land in a good place. Uniting against Trump\u2019s legislative agenda is good politics because it is good policy. It was Democratic opposition to Trump\u2019s tax bill that drove Trump\u2019s approval ratings to what was then the lowest levels of his administration, forcing Republicans to scrap all mention of the law ahead of the 2018 midterm election and helping spark one of the largest blue waves in recent history.\n\nSecond, fight Trump in the courts.\n\nYes, extremist courts, including a Supreme Court stocked with MAGA loyalists, are poised to rubber-stamp Trump\u2019s lawlessness. But litigation can slow Trump down, give us time to prepare and help the vulnerable, and deliver some victories.\n\nThird, focus on what each of us can do.\n\nI understand my assignment in the Senate, but we all have a part to play. During the first Trump administration, Democrats vigorously contested every special election and laid the groundwork to take back the House in the 2018 midterms, creating a powerful check on Trump and breaking the Republican trifecta. Whether it\u2019s stepping up to run for office, supporting a neighbor\u2019s campaign, or getting involved in an organization taking action, we all have to continue to make investments in our democracy\u2014including in states that are passed over as \u201ctoo red.\u201d The political position we\u2019re in is not permanent, and we have the power to make change if we fight for it.\n\nFinally, Democrats currently in office must work with urgency.\n\nWhile still in charge of the Senate and the White House, we must do all we can to safeguard our democracy. To resist Trump\u2019s threats to abuse state power against what he calls \u201cthe enemy within,\u201d Pentagon leaders should issue a directive now reiterating that the military\u2019s oath is to the Constitution. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators\u2014none of whom can be removed by the next President.\n\nTo those feeling despair: I understand. But remember, every step toward progress in American history came after the darkness of defeat. Abolitionists, suffragettes, Dreamers, and marchers for civil rights and marriage equality all faced impossible odds, but they persisted. Now it is our turn to pull up our socks and get back in the fight.\n\nElizabeth Warren is a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:12Z"], ["https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases/congressman-moulton-host-10th-annual-vets-town-hall-veterans-day-marblehead", "Congressman Moulton to Host 10th Annual Vets Town Hall on Veterans Day in Marblehead", "2024-11-07", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Seth Moulton", "M001196", "moulton.house.gov", "moulton", "https://moulton.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "MARBLEHEAD, MA \u2013 Congressman Seth Moulton will host his 10th annual Vets Town Hall at 1pm on Monday, November 11th, in Marblehead.\n\nCongressman Moulton hosted the first Veterans Town Hall in Marblehead in 2015. The idea, conceived by author Sebastian Junger, was simple but powerful: to provide a forum for veterans to share the pride, grief, or quiet appreciation of life that war bestowed upon them and for non-veterans to listen and to learn. Since then, Vets Town Halls have become a growing nationwide movement.\n\nA Vets Town Hall is a platform for veterans to share their stories of service and sacrifice with their communities. At this event, veterans of any era, who served in any capacity, are invited to stand before their neighbors and friends to share a story or experience from during or after their service.\n\nNon-veterans are encouraged to attend the event, to listen, and to connect with the veterans in their community.\n\nCongressman Moulton will give remarks and share a story from his service as a Marine. A number of other guest speakers from the community will share their stories at the event, and there will be an opportunity for veterans in the audience to do the same.\n\nDETAILS:\n\nWHAT: Veterans Town Hall hosted by Congressman Seth Moulton\n\nWHERE: Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St, Marblehead, MA 01945\n\nWHEN: 1pm on Monday, November 11th, 2024\n\nCongressman Moulton is also available for interviews about the Vets Town Hall ahead of event and on-site on Monday. Please contact Sydney Simon (sydney.simon@mail.house.gov) with any questions.\n\n####", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3375", "Trahan Statement on the 2024 Election", "2024-11-06", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "LOWELL, MA \u2013 Today, House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair Lori Trahan (MA-03) issued the following statement regarding the results of the 2024 election:\n\n\u201cThe results of last night\u2019s election were certainly not what we hoped for. As votes continue to be counted, our commitment to our Democracy must remain unbreakable. As Democrats, we respect the voices of the American people, even when the results are difficult, and we are committed to upholding the integrity of our elections.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs we await the final vote counts in several key battleground House races, the stakes remain high. Control of the House of Representatives hinges on these races, and every vote is critical in shaping the direction of our country for the next two years. We are committed to ensuring that every vote is counted, and we will be watching closely as these races are decided.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo matter the outcome in Washington, the work we\u2019ve done here in Massachusetts remains essential. We must continue to protect the progress we\u2019ve fought for \u2013 on health care, education, women\u2019s rights, and more \u2013 and uphold the values that make our Commonwealth a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many. This fight is far too important and, despite this setback, far from finished.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:43Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-hickenlooper-call-on-fed-to-deliver-bigger-rate-cut-to-protect-the-economy-and-provide-relief-for-american-families", "Warren, Hickenlooper Call on Fed to Deliver Bigger Rate Cut to Protect the Economy and Provide Relief for American Families", "2024-11-04", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Hickenlooper Call on Fed to Deliver Bigger Rate Cut to Protect the Economy and Provide Relief for American Families\n\nWith new inflation data showing inflation nearly at Fed\u2019s target, Senators call for .5% cut\n\n\u201cIf the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of the Federal Reserve\u2019s (Fed; the Board) November Federal Open Market Committee meeting, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) urged Fed to deliver a 50 basis point (.50%; each basis point is one hundredth of a percent) cut to the federal funds rate.\n\nAfter months of calling on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, the Board finally lowered it by 50 basis points in September, the first cut since 2020. The Fed explained: \u201c[t]he Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance.\u201d\n\nRecent economic data shows that inflation has fallen to 2.1 percent, the lowest since February of 2021. There is no need for restrictive interest rates given this inflation data.\n\nEven as the economy remains strong, the demand for workers may be waning due to the Fed\u2019s restrictive monetary policy. New statistics from the Department of Labor indicate that unemployment claims fell while the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose, suggesting unemployed people are having a more difficult time landing jobs.\n\nThe Senators noted that borrowing costs, and in turn housing costs, are still too high. Lowering interest rates is key to unlocking more supply: rate cuts will lower the cost of capital, which would help tackle inflation by spurring more housing construction and consequently lowering housing prices. However, the Fed\u2019s high interest rates have suppressed housing construction for years.\n\n\u201cIf the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\nSenator Warren has been ringing the alarm bells about the serious dangers of Chair Powell\u2019s failure to lower interest rates:\n\nIn September 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, currently at a two decade-high of 5.3 percent, by 75 basis points at the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell, cut to interest rates at the Fed\u2019s July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, in light of economic data showing that inflation was decreasing and very close to the Fed\u2019s target.\n\nIn June 2024, Senators Warren, Rosen (D-Nev.), and Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) wrote to the Federal Reserve (the Fed), urging Chair Jerome Powell to cut the federal funds interest rates from the two-decade-high of 5.5 percent.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sent a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concerns about the damaging impact of the Fed\u2019s extreme 2022 and 2023 interest rate hikes, which have halted deployment of clean energy technologies and have undermined the Inflation Reduction Act\u2019s climate and consumer benefits. The senators called on the Fed to cut interest rates to allow for continued progress on clean energy projects and the climate and economic benefits they provide.\n\nIn January 2024, Senators Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Whitehouse sent a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to reverse its troubling interest rate hikes that have driven mortgage rates to 20-year highs and have put affordable housing out of reach for too many Americans.\n\nIn July 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Chair Powell, raising concerns about the disproportionate impact of the Fed\u2019s monetary policy amid rising unemployment for Black workers.\n\nIn May 2023, Senator Warren led lawmakers in a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to pause interest rate hikes and respect its dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability, particularly in the wake of recent turmoil in the banking system following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank. The lawmakers expressed serious concerns that the Fed\u2019s monetary policy strategy of more rate hikes could trigger a recession, throw millions out of work, and crush small businesses.\n\nIn March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren questioned Chair Powell on the Fed\u2019s monetary policy plan and its projection that the unemployment rate will rise sharply to 4.6% by the end of the year if the Fed continues to raise interest rates. Senator Warren highlighted that the Fed\u2019s projections suggest that nearly 2 million people will lose their jobs, and that history shows that the Fed has a poor track record of containing moderate increases in unemployment.\n\nIn November 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concern and seeking answers about the Fed\u2019s most recent economic projections, its intentions to continue to raise interest rates at a rapid pace, and its disturbing warning to American families that they should expect \u201cpain\u201d in the coming months.\n\nIn July 2022, Senator Warren published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning that the Fed\u2019s decision to aggressively raise interest rates risks triggering a devastating recession.\n\nIn June 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren called out Chair Powell for the Fed\u2019s announced interest rate increases that wouldn\u2019t address the key drivers of inflation. Chair Powell confirmed that the Fed\u2019s interest rate increases will not bring down gas and food prices, two of the biggest drivers of inflation.\n\n###\n\nNext Article Previous Article", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:12Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-schiff-lawmakers-call-for-probe-of-albertsons-and-other-giant-grocery-chains-for-false-advertising", "Warren, Schiff, Lawmakers Call for Probe of Albertsons and Other Giant Grocery Chains for False Advertising", "2024-11-04", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Schiff, Lawmakers Call for Probe of Albertsons and Other Giant Grocery Chains for False Advertising\n\nGrocery giants ripped off customers with inaccurate labels, charged higher prices than advertised.\n\n\u201cAll U.S. customers should be protected from predatory pricing,\u201d write lawmakers\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led their colleagues in writing to Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Lina Khan, and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, urging them to investigate Albertsons and other major grocery chains for predatory practices that could have violated federal laws.\n\nIn October 2024, California District Attorneys reached a nearly $4 million settlement with grocery chain Albertsons and its subsidiaries Safeway and Vons to resolve allegations that the companies engaged in \u201cfalse advertising and unfair competition.\u201d Specifically, the grocers \u201cunlawfully charged customers prices higher than their lowest advertised or posted price\u201d and overcharged customers by placing \u201cinaccurate weights on the labels of their products.\u201d For example, while their products were supposed to be sold based on an item\u2019s net weight, they would wrongfully overcharge customers by including the weight of the packaging in the cost.\n\n\u201cAlbertsons is one of the largest food retailers in the United States, boasting over 2,200 stores across the country. This settlement covers the 589 Albertsons stores in California, but all U.S. customers should be protected from predatory pricing,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cTo ensure that no Albertsons stores are overcharging customers for essential groceries, we urge the FTC and U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate whether any other Albertsons stores or other major grocery chains have committed similar wrongdoing and, if necessary, hold the responsible parties accountable.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers request comes as large grocery companies have doubled down on using their significant market power to hike prices for essential goods and take advantage of customers.\n\nFor example, Stop & Shop charged higher prices at a largely minority, working-class, urban location in Boston, Massachusetts than it did at a suburban store location, placing a significant burden on already-struggling consumers. Grocery giant Kroger Company (Kroger) has adopted digital price tags in its stores, which may allow the company to surge grocery prices and exploit consumers. And the proposed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons is poised to further drive up grocery prices and harm grocery store workers and consumers.\n\nAs a champion for American consumers and a secure and healthy economy, Senator Warren has engaged in oversight of corporations that unfairly exploit consumers. She has also been calling for more competition and stronger enforcement of antitrust laws to bring down prices for families:\n\nIn October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bob Casey, and Ron Wyden slammed McDonald\u2019s for squeezing customers with excessive price increases.\n\nIn October 2024, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Hank Johnson, Matt Cartwright, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rosa DeLauro, Maxwell Frost, Pramila Jayapal, Darren Soto, Mark Takano, Paul Tonko, and Frederica Wilson wrote to Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, on reports of widespread price gouging in states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and on the need for a federal price gouging ban to complement state-level efforts.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Madeleine Dean wrote to the CEOs of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and General Mills, pressing their executives on the companies\u2019 pattern of profiteering off consumers, both through \u201cshrinkflation\u201d and dodging taxes on the profits they made from that price gouging.\n\nIn September 2024, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Representative Seth Moulton demanded answers from 13 corporate landlords operating in Massachusetts as to whether they are using RealPage\u2019s algorithm to raise rents for families.\n\nIn August 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey sent a letter to Rodney McMullen, chairman and CEO of Kroger, raising concerns about Kroger\u2019s use of Electronic Shelving Labels (ESLs) to potentially surge grocery prices and exploit consumers.\n\nIn May 2024, while chairing a Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy hearing, Senator Warren called out giant corporations for hiking up food prices while raking in record profits, and urged action to promote competition and bring down costs.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and Rep. Jim McGovern led a group of lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging the Biden administration to use its executive authority to take action to lower food prices.\n\nIn May 2024, during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs, Senator Warren called out food industry price gouging and urged action to combat unfair pricing practices.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Warren, Bob Casey, and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n wrote to DoorDash and UberEats, the two largest delivery platforms, calling out their use of hidden junk fees.\n\nIn March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Mary Gay Scanlon led a group of 14 lawmakers in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the agency to revive enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a critical tool to promote fair competition in the food industry.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren joined Senator Bob Casey in introducing the Shrinkflation Prevention Act to crack down on corporations that deceive consumers by selling smaller sizes of their products without lowering prices.\n\nIn February 2024, Senators Warren, Baldwin, Casey, and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky reintroduced the Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2024, which would protect consumers and prohibit corporate price gouging by authorizing the FTC and state attorneys general to enforce a federal ban against grossly excessive price increases.\n\nIn February 2022, at a hearing, Senator Warren called out corporations for abusing their market power to raise consumer prices and boost profits.\n\nAt a January 2022 hearing, Senator Warren pressed Fed Chair Jerome Powell on the role of corporate concentration in driving up prices for consumers during his renomination hearing to be Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.\n\nIn a New York Times op-ed published in April 2020, Senator Warren urged Congress to focus on cracking down on price gouging in its ongoing effort to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:12Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-senators-blast-mohela-for-abusing-borrowers-with-potentially-illegal-exploitative-terms-of-use", "Warren, Senators Blast MOHELA for Abusing Borrowers with Potentially Illegal, Exploitative Terms of Use", "2024-11-04", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Senators Blast MOHELA for Abusing Borrowers with Potentially Illegal, Exploitative Terms of Use\n\nMOHELA Forces Borrowers to Accept Terms to Use Website, Depriving Them of Their Rights\n\nLetter follows U.S. Department of Education\u2019s recent notice to MOHELA about servicing failures and potential contract violations\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote to the Executive Director and CEO of Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), laying into the company for locking over eight million student loan borrowers into an abusive \u201cterms of use\u201d agreement that attempts to restrict their legal rights and absolves MOHELA of liability for outrageous misbehavior.\n\n\u201cUnder its website\u2019s Terms of Use, MOHELA disclaims its responsibility to provide borrowers with accurate information on their student loans, forces borrowers to waive their right to hold MOHELA accountable for harm created by MOHELA\u2019s errors, and imposes troubling restrictions on borrowers\u2019 ability to share basic information about their student loans,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\nMOHELA requires all borrowers that sign up for account access through their website to acknowledge that they agree with the Terms of Use. But these terms state that MOHELA \u201cmakes no warranty or guaranty that the website or the content of [the] website\u2026will be accurate or reliable,\u201d directly undermining MOHELA\u2019s core responsibility as a federal student loan servicer to provide accurate information to borrowers about their student loans. Other provisions attempt to deprive borrowers of the means to hold MOHELA legally accountable for its failures, no matter what harms borrowers actually experience, and even prohibit borrowers from sharing website content \u2013 something borrowers often must do to get advice on their student loans.\n\n\u201cThe exploitative nature of MOHELA\u2019s Terms of Use is particularly insidious because borrowers do not have the choice to simply opt out,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cDeclining the website\u2019s Terms of Use would deprive a MOHELA borrower of critical financial information on their own loans.\u201d\n\nIn addition to their predatory nature, MOHELA\u2019s Terms of Use may be unlawful under the the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and other consumer financial laws prohibiting financial firms from requiring consumers to waive rights guaranteed under federal law.\n\n\u201cWe are alarmed by the exploitative nature of these new Terms of Use \u2014 particularly given MOHELA\u2019s poor record supporting borrowers \u2014 and are concerned that they could potentially violate federal law,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\nMOHELA has consistently fallen short in providing basic servicing functions to borrowers. MOHELA has failed to send timely billing statements or sent the wrong bills to millions of borrowers during the return to repayment and is currently the subject of two separate lawsuits about its repeated failures to properly service borrowers. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education issued a contract violation notice to MOHELA, demanded a corrective action plan within 10 days, and stopped the assignment of new borrower accounts to MOHELA in response to the servicer\u2019s failures.\n\nThe senators requested responses to their questions about MOHELA\u2019s website\u2019s Terms of Use by Sunday, November 17.\n\nSenator Warren has led the fight to reform our higher education system, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable:\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) commending the agencies on their progress in helping borrowers who are struggling financially to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy and asking them to continue expanding awareness of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new policy.\n\nIn October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated new federal student debt relief, bringing the total number of Americans who have had their debt canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program during the Biden-Harris Administration to a historic 1 million people and counting.\n\nIn September 2024, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new report examining the impact of the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s new Higher Education Act rule, finding that low- and middle-income borrowers, seniors, women, and Black borrowers will receive enormous benefits from the new rule.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren joined Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to launch an investigation into the reported mishandling of student loan transfers by MOHELA, Nelnet and credit reporting agencies.\n\nIn August 2024, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led over 30 lawmakers in a letter urging student loan servicer Navient to reform its flawed process to cancel the private student loans of borrowers who attended fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, cautioning the Department of Education on Federal Student Aid\u2019s transition to the Unified Servicing and Data Solution system.\n\nIn July 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, and Sanders released a joint statement on the American Federation of Teachers\u2019 lawsuit against MOHELA for allegedly overcharging and misleading student loan borrowers.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren and King led their colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging them to provide guidance and communication to borrowers as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program transfers from MOHELA to the Department of Education.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren led a growing coalition of senators in urging the Department of Education to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures.\n\nIn May 2024, Senator Warren and 24 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, encouraging them to provide $2.7 billion in funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in fiscal year (FY) 2025.\n\nIn May 2024, Senators Warren, Carper, Kaine, and Representative Don Davis (D-N.C.) called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to release data on the Postsecondary Education Complaint System (PECS), a centralized database to track complaints against schools who participate in the Tuition Assistance (TA) and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA) program.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Warren led eight of her colleagues in sending a letter to David L. Yowan, President and Chief Executive Officer of student loan servicer Navient, urging the servicer to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges.\n\nIn April 2024, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, Markey, and Van Hollen released a new report: Servicing Scandals: Student Loan Servicers\u2019 Failures During Return to Repayment, which reveals a decades-long pattern of student loan servicer incompetence and misconduct that has affected millions of borrowers nationwide.\n\nIn April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a hearing on student loan servicer Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) and its failures during borrowers\u2019 return to repayment, including MOHELA\u2019s mismanagement of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.\n\nIn March 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and John Larson (D-Conn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the U.S. Department of Education to end the practice of offsetting Social Security benefits to pay off defaulted student loans.\n\nIn February 2024, Senator Warren, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement calling for an investigation into student loan mismanagement by MOHELA.\n\nIn January 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to host a fourth session of the student debt negotiated rulemaking to consider relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship.\n\nIn December 2023, U.S. Senators Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Ed Markey,, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent follow-up letters to student loan servicers \u2013 MOHELA, EdFinancial, Nelnet, and Maximus \u2013 raising concerns about borrowers\u2019 problems with return to repayment, requesting information about the borrower experience, and pushing back on the servicers\u2019 claim that budget shortfalls limit their ability provide quality customer service to millions of borrowers.\n\nIn December 2023, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging him to leverage his existing and full authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.\n\nIn August 2023, Senator Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Alex Padilla and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jim Clyburn, and Frederica Wilson led 79 other lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to swiftly deliver on his promise to deliver student debt cancellation to working and middle class families by early 2024.\n\nIn October 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) visited communities across Massachusetts to celebrate the Biden administration\u2019s student debt cancellation plan and help residents sign up for student loan relief.\n\nIn March 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Brown and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), urged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to swiftly discharge the loans of borrowers defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities, including those operated by Corinthian College.\n\nIn January 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Jayapal, Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) led more than 80 colleagues in a bicameral letter to the Department of Education calling for it to release the memo outlining the Biden administration\u2019s legal authority to cancel federal student loan debt and immediately cancel up to $50,000 of debt for Federal student loan borrowers.\n\nIn April 2021, Senators Warren and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led a group of colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education to take swift action to automatically remove all federally-held student loan borrowers from default.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:12Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/11/01/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4077/", "Neal Statement on October 2024 Jobs Report", "2024-11-01", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Springfield, MA\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) October 2024 jobs report:\n\n\u201cIn the past month, with a dispute at the ports, several labor strikes, and hurricanes hitting our communities, the resiliency of our economy was tested and proven. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the ports reopened, help is making it to those impacted, and our economy remains the envy of the world. There is work to be done, but a low-unemployment, low-inflation economy is what happens when you have the backs of working people.\n\n\u201cDemocrats are investing in the middle class and creating an economy that weathers the challenges of the moment. By implementing policies over the last four years that uplifted working people, Democrats ensured that even in times of volatility, the floor will not fall out from underneath middle-class families. People-centered policies are the only way forward. Lowering costs, rewarding work over wealth, holding corporations responsible for price-gouging, and expanding opportunity through paid family and medical leave is our blueprint, and it comes straight from the mouths of the people.\n\n\u201cThe American people are strong and refuse to be slowed down. They deserve leadership that will build on our progress through a new way forward and abandon the failed agenda of chaos, conspiracies, and cuts. That\u2019s what Democrats have delivered, and what we are ready to do again.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/11/01/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4079/", "Neal Statement on Butch Lewis Receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal", "2024-11-01", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Springfield, MA\n\nWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after President Biden posthumously awarded Butch Lewis with a Presidential Citizens Medal:\n\n\u201cToday, President Biden rightfully recognized changemakers, Rita and Butch Lewis, for their exemplary service and advocacy to their fellow pensioners and the nation. The high honor of the Presidential Citizens Medal is reserved for those who have fought the odds against some of life\u2019s most persistent problems for the good of their neighbors and community. The middle class built America, and our unions built the middle class, and folks like Rita and Butch made sure that wasn\u2019t forgotten. I\u2019ll never forget the first time they both stepped into my office, and put a face to a crisis known by too many of our workers. They were tenacious partners in getting the legislative solution, aptly named after Butch, into law, and now, 1.2 million pensioners sleep easier knowing their life\u2019s work has been protected.\n\n\u201cRita and Butch, we are a grateful nation for your service.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:07:06Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3374", "Trahan Applauds Release of $145 Million in Federal Home Heating Assistance for Massachusetts Families", "2024-11-01", "2024", "2024-11", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "LOWELL, MA \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) applauded the release of $144,809,942 in federal home heating assistance funding for Massachusetts households through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Yesterday\u2019s release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) follows Trahan\u2019s advocacy this week urging the immediate release of LIHEAP funds to help families across the country as temperatures drop.\n\n\u201cMore than 100,000 familiesacross the Commonwealth depend on LIHEAP funding to keep their homes warm during the winter. This timely disbursement of federal home heating assistance from the Biden-Harris administration will be welcome news for those worried about being forced to choose between paying their utility bill and putting food on the table. I look forward to working with our community advocacy agencies to make sure eligible families get the assistance they need,\u201d said Congresswoman Trahan.\n\nMassachusetts was awarded a total of $144,809,942, a $1 million increase from last year, to assist low-income families ahead of the winter season. This includes:\n\n$135,117,490 from the regular LIHEAP block grant funding\n\n$9,692,452 in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\n\nBoth homeowners and renters are eligible for home heating assistance funds, which are distributed using state specific income thresholds. In Massachusetts, LIHEAP eligibility is determined by 60 percent of the estimated state median income, and household estimates for this year include:\n\nOne-person household: $49,196\n\nTwo-person household: $64,333\n\nThree-person household: $79,470\n\nFour-person household: $94,608\n\nTo assist households seeking to determine their eligibility for LIHEAP funding, HHS offers a tool in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese.\n\nWhile federal investments in LIHEAP were increased by passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program continues to be underfunded, with just one in five eligible households currently receiving assistance. Last year, Trahan and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-03) led 114 of their colleagues in requesting increased LIHEAP funding totaling $1.6 billion to meet the true need for aid.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:43Z"], ["https://neal.house.gov/2024/10/31/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-4050/", "Neal, Koziol Highlight Rail Investments Following Latest Federal Funding Announcement", "2024-10-31", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Springfield, MA\n\nToday, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) West-East Rail Director Andy Koziol to highlight the substantial federal and state investments made in Compass Rail, including West-East Rail, following the latest $36.8 million CRISI grant awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).\n\nThis announcement comes one year after Congressman Neal joined Governor Healey to announce a $108 million CRISI grant to support West-East Rail, the third largest award in the nation for FY2022. This funding will facilitate two additional daily round trips between Springfield and Boston and support infrastructure improvements that will increase train speeds, allowing one trip to be completed in under two hours. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which was drafted in the House Ways and Means Committee under Congressman Neal\u2019s chairmanship, marked the nation\u2019s largest investment in infrastructure in more than six decades and more than tripled the funding for the CRISI program.\n\n\u201cThroughout my career, I was steadfast in my belief that Springfield Union Station would not meet the wrecking ball. Since its reopening, the investments that have been made in passenger rail have been extraordinary. Today, we celebrate another one of those investments, one that brings us one step closer to making West-East Rail a reality,\u201d said Congressman Neal. \u201cI take great satisfaction knowing that Massachusetts continues to be a great benefactor of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, much of which was drafted in the House Ways and Means Committee under my chairmanship. With the substantial progress that has been made with West-East Rail, the Commonwealth is well positioned to pursue additional funding for years to come.\u201d\n\nPromising to rehabilitate and reopen Springfield Union Station during his campaign for City Council in 1977, Congressman Neal secured more than $75 million to support the $103 million redevelopment of Springfield Union Station. The station officially reopened on June 24, 2017, a milestone that reestablished Springfield as the crossroads of New England and positioned the Commonwealth to begin ramping up investments to improve and expand passenger rail. Since then, more than $200 million has been allocated towards West-East Rail, including:\n\n$11 million from MassDOT for Platform C at Springfield Union Station\n\n$1.75 million from the FRA CRISI program for the Springfield Track Reconfiguration Project, with a $1.75 million match from MassDOT\n\n$108 million from the FRA CRISI program for the Inland Route, with an $18 million match from MassDOT\n\n$4 million from MassDOT for Palmer Station Planning and Design\n\n$8 million from MassDOT for Pittsfield Track Capacity\n\n$36.8 million from the FRA CRISI program for the Springfield Track Reconfiguration Project, with a $9.2 million match from MassDOT\n\nThis does not include the $75.7 million awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program in 2010 to restore the Vermonter. This funding, coupled with $20 million for the West Springfield flyover anticipated in the state\u2019s Capital Investment Plan, along with the state of good repair work that has been completed along the Knowledge Corridor, brings the total investment in Compass Rail to nearly $300 million.\n\n\u201cWe are grateful to Congressman Neal, other members of our congressional delegation, legislators, and local officials for helping us expand and enhance passenger rail service in Massachusetts,\u201d said West-East Director Andy Koziol. \u201cThe Healey-Driscoll administration has been and will continue to be persistent in pursuing federal grant opportunities to support capital projects which will create a state transportation system which is equitable, resilient, and meets the needs of all communities.\u201d\n\nOne of 122 projects funded by the FRA, the latest award from the CRISI program totals $36.8 million. Funding will support the Springfield Track Reconfiguration Project, which is designed to increase capacity to accommodate both freight and increased passenger rail service. The project will include building new crossovers and layover tracks, upgrading platforms around Springfield Union Station, and modernizing track and signal systems. The project is being advanced by MassDOT in coordination with the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, Amtrak, CSX, and other railroads that operate in Springfield.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to celebrate our continued progress in advancing West-East Rail,\u201d said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. \u201cThe Healey-Driscoll administration pulling out every stop to bring home more federal funding so we can continue to achieve our transit goals. Thank you to the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Buttigieg, and to our outstanding Congressional delegation for making today\u2019s award possible.\u201d\n\nSpringfield Union Station saw more than 2 million visitors come through its doors during FY2023, much of which can be attributed to an increase in rail passengers. Amtrak witnessed a 24% increase in ridership nationwide during FY2023, with a 29% uptick in the northeast alone. Amtrak\u2019s New Haven-Springfield route, which includes the Valley Flyer, saw 442,028 riders, a 36% increase from FY2022, while the Vermonter saw nearly 100,000 riders, a 14.5% increase.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"], ["https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3373", "Trahan Leads 15 House Members Urging Immediate Release of Federal Home Heating Assistance", "2024-10-31", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Lori Trahan", "T000482", "trahan.house.gov", "trahan", "https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "LOWELL, MA \u2013 Yesterday, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) led 15 House members in writing to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting the immediate release of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help families heat their homes in the coming weeks.\n\n\u201cAs you well know, LIHEAP helps households unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter and cool their homes in the summer, providing assistance to at-risk seniors and families. In Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), more than five million households across the country relied on critical heating assistance from the LIHEAP program,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cFor LIHEAP recipients, this funding is a lifeline, helping prevent them from having to make an impossible choice between staying warm and putting food on the table or affording their medications.\u201d\n\nIn Fiscal Year 2024, the LIHEAP program distributed a total of more than $4 billion in home heating and energy assistance to millions of families across the United States, including $143,775,713 in funding for Massachusetts households. Both homeowners and renters are eligible for home heating assistance funds, which are distributed using state specific income thresholds, usually less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline or less than 60 percent of their state\u2019s median income.\n\n\u201cWith the winter months rapidly approaching, releasing the highest amount of funding from the recent government funding package is critically needed to address the growing number of households unable to pay their energy bills,\u201d the lawmakers continued.\n\nTo assist households seeking to determine their eligibility for LIHEAP funding, HHS offers a tool in English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese for households to quickly check their eligibility. In Massachusetts, LIHEAP eligibility is determined by 60 percent of the estimated state median income, and household estimates for this year include:\n\nOne-person household: $49,196\n\nTwo-person household: $64,333\n\nThree-person household: $79,470\n\nFour-person household: $94,608\n\nWhile federal investments in LIHEAP were increased by passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program continues to be underfunded, with just one in five eligible households currently receiving assistance. Last year, Trahan and Congressman James P. McGovern led 114 of their colleagues in requesting increased LIHEAP funding totaling $1.6 billion to meet the true need for aid.\n\nA copy of the letter sent yesterday can be accessed HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-06T14:24:52Z", "2026-04-06T15:55:42Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/11/25/2024/warren-drops-new-report-on-how-biden-harris-admin-and-congressional-democrats-saved-over-12-million-teamsters-and-other-union-pensions", "Warren Drops New Report on How Biden-Harris Admin and Congressional Democrats Saved Over 1.2 Million Teamsters\u2019 and Other Union Pensions", "2024-10-31", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Drops New Report on How Biden-Harris Admin and Congressional Democrats Saved Over 1.2 Million Teamsters\u2019 and Other Union Pensions\n\nNew data from White House reveals that in Massachusetts alone, 35,000 union workers' pensions were saved.\n\n\u201cDemocrats will continue to fight to ensure all Americans can count on a secure retirement, including the benefits they have earned, from pensions to Social Security.\u201d\n\nReport - Promises Made, Promises Kept: How Congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration Saved Over 1.2 Million Workers\u2019 Pensions from Cuts (PDF)\n\nBoston, MA \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a report detailing how the Biden-Harris administration, along with Congressional Democrats, saved the pensions of over 1.2 million Teamsters and other union members.\n\nIn Massachusetts alone, 35,000 workers and retirees have benefited from the pension protections championed by Senator Warren and included in ARPA.\n\nIn 2017, it became clear that union multiemployer pension plans (MPPs) for over a million workers were at risk of becoming insolvent due to problems stemming from the 2008 financial crisis and later exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, pension benefits could have been slashed by up to 98%.\n\nThe Trump administration, with a Republican Congress, took no action to save the pensions. Instead, Senators Warren and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act to save these pension funds without cutting benefits.\n\nIn 2021, the Biden-Harris administration and Congressional Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), a relief package created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the Butch Lewis Act, securing the retirement benefits of union workers and retirees in MPP funds for 30 years without cutting the earned benefits of participants and beneficiaries\n\nARPA provided a $68 billion investment to save the pensions of over 1.2 million union workers and retirees across America through 2051, with no cuts to earned benefits. Following the enactment of ARPA, severe pension cuts were reversed for over 80,000 union workers and retirees across 18 multiemployer plans.\n\n\u201cAfter giant hedge funds and big banks took down our economy and put pension funds at risk, Democrats stepped up to protect our union workers, \u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI fought hard alongside the Biden-Harris administration to ensure Massachusetts Teamsters and other union workers could continue to count on the retirement funds they earned.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-ma-lawmakers-defend-restored-chandra-funding-and-request-information-on-the-potential-scientific-damage-caused-by-future-funding-cuts-for-the-sole-us-x-ray-telescope", "Warren, MA Lawmakers Defend Restored Chandra Funding and Request Information on the Potential Scientific Damage Caused by Future Funding Cuts for the Sole U.S. X-Ray Telescope", "2024-10-31", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, MA Lawmakers Defend Restored Chandra Funding and Request Information on the Potential Scientific Damage Caused by Future Funding Cuts for the Sole U.S. X-Ray Telescope\n\nFollowing concerns by MA lawmakers, NASA restored funding for the telescope\n\nFuture funding cuts could cede telescope leadership to Europe, Japan, or China\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) wrote to the Chandra X-Ray Center (Chandra), funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with concerns over the telescope\u2019s long-term funding plans.\n\nNASA\u2019s FY 2025 budget proposal slashed funding for the Chandra telescope project by tens of millions of dollars, effectively shutting the project down and leaving the U.S. without an X-ray telescope. Following concerns raised by Senators Warren, Markey, and Whitehouse, as well as Representatives Moulton, McGovern, Trahan, Lynch, DelBene, and Auchincloss, NASA restored funding for the program.\n\nThe Chandra telescope was launched in 1999 and continues to provide essential, rare data that helps maintain the United States\u2019 lead in astronomy and astrophysics. Chandra provides insight into the universe that would not be possible with Earth-based telescopes. The program supports around 200 jobs, including 130 telescope staff and 60 support staff, postdocs, and students with X-ray-specific skills.\n\nIn a conference survey, 60 percent of the U.S. X-ray experts report they would leave the United States if Chandra was eliminated, which could risk ceding U.S. leadership in X-ray astronomy to Europe, Japan, or China.\n\nIn the last few months, NASA officials assured Congress and Chandra staff that the agency would restore Chandra\u2019s fiscal year 2025 funding, keeping the telescope fully operational for an additional year. However, NASA has not released plans to keep Chandra funded until a replacement is ready.\n\n\u201cWe are glad NASA looked at the evidence we presented and decided to restore Chandra\u2019s funding for another year, but Congress and NASA need to continue their support for X-ray astronomy,\u201d wrote the Massachusetts lawmakers.\n\nThe lawmakers asked Chandra to explain the full impact of the potential loss of the telescope and evaluate the justification NASA provided to cut the project by November 15, 2024.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 795, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"state\" = :p0 and \"year\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "MA", "p1": "2024"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 795, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024&party=Democrat", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 442, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024&chamber=House", "selected": false}, {"value": "Senate", "label": "Senate", "count": 353, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024&chamber=Senate", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "MA", "label": "MA", "count": 795, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?year=2024", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024", "results": [{"value": "2024", "label": "2024", "count": 795, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MA", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2024-10-31,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewarren~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fwarren-ma-lawmakers-defend-restored-chandra-funding-and-request-information-on-the-potential-scientific-damage-caused-by-future-funding-cuts-for-the-sole-us-x-ray-telescope", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MA&year=2024&_next=2024-10-31%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewarren~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fwarren-ma-lawmakers-defend-restored-chandra-funding-and-request-information-on-the-potential-scientific-damage-caused-by-future-funding-cuts-for-the-sole-us-x-ray-telescope&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 360.7459207996726, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}