News Coverage
Reuters: Democratic senator urges Trump Commerce nominee to take hard line on China
A senior Democratic senator on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security to take a tough line on China, citing Chinese startup DeepSeek's artificial intelligence technology. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, told nominee Jeffrey Kessler in a letter seen by Reuters that the Trump administration should strengthen AI chips rules adopted by then-President Joe Biden's … Continue Reading
February 26, 2025
NOTUS: Top Democrats Want To Know More About Scott Turner’s Interest in Privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Senate Democrats are trying to get Housing Secretary Scott Turner to explain his support for reprivatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — and how such a change would impact homebuyers. In a letter obtained by NOTUS, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Elizabeth Warren and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked Turner to clarify what role the Department of Housing and Urban Development would play in the process — the Federal Housing Finance Agency is the … Continue Reading
February 25, 2025
USA TODAY: Thousands of consumer complaints unanswered after Trump CFPB purge, Dems say
Thousands of complaints submitted by Americans to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleging fraud or scams from private companies are going unanswered following President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle the agency, Senate Democrats argue in a new report. Their conclusion is based on publicly available data detailed in an analysis released Tuesday by Democrats on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs led by ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The … Continue Reading
February 25, 2025
Punchbowl News: The Vault: Warren preps grilling for Trump CFPB nom
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will ask the Trump administration nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau whether he’d refuse “any unlawful directives” from the White House and if the agency could operate with only 100 employees, according to a letter reviewed by Punchbowl News. Jonathan McKernan appears before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday as the White House’s pick to lead the CFPB full-time. With much of the agency’s operations still suspended, we expect McKernan … Continue Reading
February 24, 2025
Politico Pro: Warren questions Pulte on future of Fannie, Freddie
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has questions for Federal Housing Finance Agency Director nominee Bill Pulte. Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, on Monday sent Pulte a 23-page letter with 62 multi-part questions for him to review “and be prepared to answer” at his confirmation hearing before the panel on Thursday. Pulte has been nominated to run the agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage giants standing behind roughly half … Continue Reading
February 24, 2025
Forbes: Senator Warren Is Investigating Trump-Musk Attacks On American Consumers
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affair Committee's top Democrat is convening a forum today to investigate the President Donald Trump-Elon Musk attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It is thanks to Senator Warren that this important financial regulator even exists. She was instrumental in having the CFPB created as part of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Since then, this independent agency has returned over $21 billion … Continue Reading
February 24, 2025
New York Times: Warren raises concerns about DOGE’s ability to access sensitive commerce data.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sent a letter to Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, expressing concern that members of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency could gain access to a trove of sensitive data held by the Commerce Department. "The department is perhaps the largest repository of trade secrets and other forms of sensitive and confidential data on Mr. Musk's competitors and business partners," Ms. Warren wrote in the letter, which was published on … Continue Reading
February 24, 2025
Financial Times: Democrats demand Donald Trump nominee commit to Fed’s independence
Democrats are demanding that Donald Trump’s nominee to be a top US economic adviser commit to the independence of the Federal Reserve, as Congress scrutinises the president’s efforts to gain more control over the central bank. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee, has sent a letter to the White House asking Stephen Miran, Trump’s nominee to chair the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), whether he would “commit to supporting the Fed’s independence from political … Continue Reading
February 24, 2025
HuffPost: Trump's Education Secretary Pick 'Wholeheartedly Supports' His Plan To Dissolve It
Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Education, appears to be fully on board with destroying the agency she’s set to run. In a series of questions asked by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) after McMahon’s confirmation hearing before the Senate education panel earlier this month, the nominee said she “wholeheartedly supports” Trump’s plan to abolish the department. “President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
CNBC: Sen. Elizabeth Warren: DOGE’s FDIC firings put banking system at risk
In response to a request from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will review President Donald Trump’s recent move to lay off more workers at the watchdog agency. Backed by the Trump administration, Elon Musk and his advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, reduced the FDIC staff by around 1,000 employees so far this year through buyout offers and the layoffs of probationary employees, according to reports. The additional firings were part of a larger … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Variety: Disney-Fubo Deal Raises Antitrust Concerns, Senator Says
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has urged the Justice Department to carefully scrutinize Disney‘s deal to acquire a controlling stake in Fubo, saying the consolidation presents antitrust concerns. Disney announced in January that it would merge its Hulu + Live TV service with Fubo and take 70% ownership of the combined company. A few days later, Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery dropped their plans to launch Venu Sports, a combined streaming service. In a letter to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Punchbowl News: Can Senate Republicans pull off permanent tax cuts?
President Donald Trump dealt Senate Republicans a blow Wednesday in the seemingly never-ending struggle over how to move his agenda on Capitol Hill. Trump sided with the House GOP’s reconciliation roadmap right as the Senate began floor consideration of its own plan. However Congress decides to package top GOP priorities — one bill, two bills — Senate Republicans are gearing up for an arguably more consequential fight on the substance of the legislation. Senate GOP leaders have drawn a red … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Bloomberg: DOGE Staffers at CFPB Raise Ethics Concerns, Warren Says
A pair of Senate Democrats demanded Department of Government Efficiency staffers associated with Elon Musk vacate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, saying their presence undermines an agency responsible for regulating the billionaire's yet-to-be-released payments venture. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff said Musk is "not only neutralizing the pro-consumer agency that will supervise X's digital wallet - he is also potentially gaining access to confidential corporate data that … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Boston Globe: As Cerberus CEO faces Senate confirmation for Trump post, Warren seeks answers on Steward
The chief executive of the private equity group that yielded a roughly $800 million profit from its investment in Steward Health Care is set to face the US Senate soon in his bid to serve as a top official at the Pentagon, and his company’s involvement in the now-troubled hospital chain is drawing scrutiny. The extent of Cerberus Capital Management chief executive Stephen Feinberg’s involvement with Steward were among the questions Senator Elizabeth Warren posed in a letter sent Monday night … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Washington Post: The ‘big, beautiful bill’
Democrats say they're starting to find their footing to push back against Trump's massive tax, immigration and defense bill. And their line of attack is simple: This bill won’t lower prices. "You promised the American people that you would immediately lower costs, 'starting on Day One.’ However, weeks into your presidency, congressional Republicans are moving forward with legislative plans to increase the cost of living for hardworking Americans," 32 Senate Democrats wrote Tuesday morning in … Continue Reading
February 17, 2025
CBS News: Elon Musk's DOGE presence at the IRS raises concerns about taxpayer data security, refund delays
The presence of Elon Musk's cost-cutting task force, the Department of Government Efficiency, at the IRS is sparking fresh concerns from Democratic lawmakers about the safety of taxpayer information, and whether the group's work could cause delays in taxpayers receiving their refunds. In a Feb. 17 letter to the IRS, Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats, cited reports that DOGE is "pressuring the IRS to agree to a memorandum of understanding ("the MOU") which would give … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
THE TAX ADMIN SURGE
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are introducing legislation early next week that would simplify math error notices that the IRS sends to taxpayers. The corrections made by the IRS frequently reduce taxpayers' refunds. But Warren, Cassidy, the national taxpayer advocate and other lawmakers from both parties also believe the math error notices don't supply enough information to recipients, and that the IRS should be forced to tell taxpayers that they have 60 days to … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
Axios: Scoop: Senate Dems target Trump and DOGE on counterterrorism
Top Senate Democrats are demanding the Trump administration reveal whether its federal hiring freeze has impacted national security operations, Axios has learned. Why it matters:Democrats on Capitol Hill are still trying to wrap their arms around the extent of President Trump's cuts into federal agencies in the opening weeks of his second term. A trio of Senate Democrats wants to know whether the Treasury Department has frozen hiring or eliminated positions in its Office of Terrorism and … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
ABC News: Democratic senators want more details on costs and impact of border mission
After senior U.S. military officials told Congress they do not know yet how much the surge of active-duty military forces to the southern border with Mexico and the buildup of infrastructure to house thousands of migrants at Guantanamo might end up costing, two Democratic senators on Friday requested more details from the Pentagon. Following a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday with the commanders of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command, Sens. Mazie Hirono, … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
Politico Pro: Watchdogs probe DOGE's access to Treasury payments system, Musk's fraud allegations
Two government watchdogs have opened inquiries related to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to allow associates of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team to access the federal government’s systems that control trillions of dollars of payments. Loren Sciurba, Treasury’s acting inspector general, said in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday that the watchdog had started an audit of the "adequacy of controls" over sensitive payment systems over the past several months. The … Continue Reading