U.S. Senators accuse SEC Chair of misleading lawmakers during congressional hearings, questioning a significant decline in enforcement actions

ME News Report, April 18 (UTC+8), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (Senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee) wrote to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, claiming that he may have “deliberately misled” Congress during a hearing regarding the decline in the number of new enforcement actions by the SEC. She pointed out that if there is evidence of significant false statements made to Congress, it could involve criminal liability. The report cites enforcement data disclosed by the SEC for 2025, stating that the SEC added a total of 456 enforcement actions last year, with about 200 from the previous administration and approximately 256 under the current administration, significantly lower than the average of about 765 per year over the past decade. Warren believes that the sharp decline in enforcement actions, staff reductions, and sudden leadership changes may weaken the SEC’s ability to protect investors and maintain market order, and questions whether political bias and selective enforcement are involved. The SEC declined to comment on this. (Source: ChainCatcher)