Senator Elizabeth Warren released 10 years of her tax returns online on Wednesday, one day after she called for comprehensive anti-corruption laws in Washington. The Massachusetts Democrat included federal and state returns—from 2008 to 2017, a move that further fueled speculation that Warren was planning to run for president in 2020. "Every year she's been in public service, Sen. Warren has been required to disclose her income and assets annually," the website for her 2018 Senate re-election bid said. "She's gone a step further and released her tax returns covering her time in public service to date." According to the 2017 tax statements, Warren and her husband, Bruce Mann, reported an adjusted gross income of $913,000. Together, they paid $302,000 in taxes that year and are eligible for nearly $34,000 in refunds. That same year, Warren reportedly attributed $174,000 of her earnings to her U.S. senator salary, and $430,370 to the income she earned from writing books. The couple also donated $82,000 to charity. Warren has written and co-written several books over the past decade. Last year, she released This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class, detailing why the U.S. middle class is under siege and how the fight can be won. In 2016, Warren and Mann reported a total adjusted gross income of $717,000, about $224,000 of which was attributed to Warren earnings from "consulting, lecturing, writing, investing." According to CNN, Warren's net worth was estimated to be between $3.7 million and $10 million in 2015. Reports have spurred rumors that Warren is seeking the presidential nomination in 2020. The former Harvard Law School professor has denied those claims, saying she is focusing on her Senate re-election bid this year. The tax returns came a day after Warren called for Washington to implement extensive anti-corruption laws. On Tuesday, Warren unveiled her Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act. If passed, the sweeping legislation would require the IRS to release the last two years of tax returns for all congressional candidates, in addition to each year they are in office. The bill would also bar presidents, members of Congress and other elected officials from ever working as lobbyists. Warren, who has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump for refusing to release his tax returns, said the bill would "eliminate the influence of money in federal government."<doc-sep>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sat down with CNBC's John Harwood to discuss an array of issues, from President Donald Trump to the economy. Here, she talks about wanting to roll back the GOP tax cuts. Q: If Democrats take the Congress, if you're in the White House, or both, would you like to see these corporate tax cuts repealed? A: Yeah, I really want to see them rolled back. Q: Back to 35 percent? A: Well, it's not about the number. Here's how I look at budgets and taxes are at the heart of this. A lot of people think they're just numbers; they're not. They are the expression of our values. The values of the Republican Party that passed those tax cuts are to give $1.5 trillion away to the richest Americans and the biggest corporations, and let everybody else pick up the crumbs. I think the right way to think about this is that we need a budget, we need a tax bill that works for all of us. So what I'd like to see is I'd like to see us strengthen America's middle class. Q: What's too high for the top personal rate? A: It's not about a number. That's what negotiations are all about. Q: Is 50 percent obviously too high? A: That's why you sit down and you negotiate over the numbers. Q: When George W. Bush was president, his team articulated the view that it was a matter of right and wrong that you shouldn't have more than a third of your income taken. Do you feel similarly that it's wrong for more than half of somebody's marginal income to be taken? A: Look, there was a time in a very prosperous America — an America that was growing a middle class, an America in which working families were doing better generation after generation after generation — where the top marginal rate was well above 50 percent. Q: Ninety percent. A: That's exactly right. But for me, the heart of the question is that you've got to ask, "What constitutes a fair share in this economy?" It depends in part on what the economy is. Q: It doesn't strike you as obviously, "no, 90 percent, that's ridiculous. Can't be that"? A: Ninety percent, yes; 90 percent sounds pretty shockingly high. But what I’m trying to get at is this is not about negotiating over specific numbers. It's not about negotiating before you go into the negotiations. The Republicans wrote this tax bill behind closed doors. They didn't want any Democrats in the room. They sat down with their donors and with the lobbyists, and they decided on the rates by themselves.<doc-sep>Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced a new plan to crack down on corruption and corporate influence in the government. The plan includes proposed changes to lobbying rules, the ability of government officials to trade stock, corporate influence on regulations, and public information on judges. While the current makeup of Congress will likely block the bill, the plan could bolster Warren's populist image ahead of a possible presidential run in 2020. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday rolled out an ambitious plan to change rules around lobbying, government transparency, and corporate influence in government. The bill, called the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, would make a series of changes to lobbying, financial interests of government officials, and corporations' ability to influence policymaking. The changes would be substantial and affect every branch of government. In a speech Tuesday, Warren argued that the restrictions are necessary to restore public trust in government and limit corporate influence over regulators and lawmakers. "Our national crisis of faith in government boils down to this simple fact: people don't trust their government to do the right thing because they think government works for the rich, the powerful and the well-connected and not for the American people," Warren said. The plan has a few major points. Among the key changes would be: Barring high-level government officials from trading stocks: This appears to come in reaction to a series of questionable investments from current and former Trump administration officials as well as members of Congress. Most notably, GOP Rep. Chris Collins was charged with insider trading in connection with his family's investment in an Australian biotech company. The bill would also force the president and vice president to place their investments in a blind trust. Severely limiting lobbying for former government officials: The bill would prohibit presidents, vice presidents, members of Congress, federal judges, and Cabinet secretaries from lobbying after they left their posts. Other government employees would not be allowed to lobby their former employer for the rest of the current administration or two years — whichever is longer. Forcing presidential and vice presidential candidates to release eight years of tax returns: Members of Congress would also be required to release their tax returns every year. Barring American lobbyists from taking money from foreign groups: US-based lobbying groups would not be allowed to take cash from "foreign governments, foreign individuals, and foreign companies." Increasing transparency around corporate influence on regulations and legislation: The bill would force authors of studies used in the rulemaking process to disclose funding sources. It would also attempt to limit the amount of time and access given to businesses in an industry to weigh in on regulations that impact their industry. Increase transparency regarding judges: It would bar single stock ownership by federal judges, require the disclosure of a judge's financial records and public speeches, and require audio live streams of federal appellate courts. Warren has long advocated for less corporate influence in politics and more transparency in the rulemaking process. In addition, the senator's longstanding desire to stop or at least slow the revolving door between lobbying and lawmaking sits at the center of the bill. "Washington corruption is not a small problem, and it will not be rooted out with small solutions," Warren said in her speech. "In addition to the big changes I talked about today, my legislation contains dozens more ideas to promote clean government, from giant reforms to small tweaks and everything in between." The rules also appear to be taking aim at the Trump administration, with provisions such as the requirement that presidential candidates must release their tax returns. Given the current composition of the Senate, with the GOP holding a small majority, it is unlikely the plan gets passed into law anytime soon. But it could serve to further Warren's political aspirations as rumors swirl about a possible 2020 run for the Democratic presidential nomination.<doc-sep>
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has posted 10 years of her tax returns online. The decision to release the federal and state returns on Wednesday came a day after the Massachusetts Democrat called for sweeping anti-corruption laws in Washington. It's also another possible signal that Warren may be laying the groundwork for a run for president in 2020. A bill crafted by Warren would require the IRS to release tax returns for congressional candidates from the previous two years and during each year in office. It also would create a lifetime ban on presidents, members of Congress and other officeholders from working as lobbyists. Warren's 2017 federal returns show the former Harvard University law professor and her husband Bruce Mann, who still works as a Harvard Law School professor, reported an adjusted gross income of $913,000. The returns listed their total tax as $268,484 and their total payments as $302,227. The couple was eligible for a refund of almost $34,000. Although she's frequently mentioned as a possible White House contender, Warren has said she's focused on her Senate re-election campaign this year. She first won election in 2012 by defeating then incumbent Republican Sen. Scott Brown. Warren has burnished her credentials among the liberal wing of the Democratic party by frequently sparring with Republican President Donald Trump, who has refused to release his tax returns. In addition to her salary as a senator, Warren reported $430,370 in income from her writing in 2017. Warren has written or co-written several books, most focused on financial issues. Her latest "This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class" was published last year. The salary for a U.S. senator is $174,000. The returns from 2017 show that the couple also reported contributing nearly $82,000 to charity. The couple's income has fluctuated from year to year, in part linked to Warren's outside pay. In 2016 the couple reported an adjusted gross income of $717,000. During that year, Warren reported income of $224,000 from "consulting, lecturing, writing, investing." In 2014, Warren and her husband reported a far higher adjusted gross income of more than $1.5 million. That year, Warren reported a net profit of more than $1 million from consulting, lecturing, writing and investing. That was the same year Warren published the book "A Fighting Chance" which in part detailed her decision to run for the Senate at age 62. Their lowest reported adjusted gross income in the 10-year period was $409,000 in 2012. The couple has lost considerable amounts on investments: $217,217 in 2008 when they sold holdings in Sentinel Investments and $91,270 the next year on the sale of Dreyfus Third Century fund. However, their tax returns list very little wealth overall in stocks, with IBM dividends growing to $3,621 by 2012 but divested by 2013. An aide to Warren said she and her husband had an investment that they lost money on and disposed of around the financial crisis. The aide said Warren also owned one stock and sold it after she was elected to the Senate in 2012. Warren is unopposed in the Democratic primary in Massachusetts. Three Republicans are competing in the Sept. 4 contest for the chance to challenge Warren in November.