U.S. Senator accuses SEC Chairman of misleading lawmakers during congressional hearing, questioning the significant decline in enforcement actions

According to Decrypt, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee) wrote to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, stating that he may have "deliberately misled" Congress regarding the decline in the number of new enforcement actions by the SEC during a hearing, and pointed out that if there are 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 new enforcement actions last year, of which about 200 were from the previous administration, and approximately 256 were added during 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 there is political favoritism and selective enforcement. The SEC declined to comment on this.