René Marsh is a national correspondent for CNN, based in the network’s Washington bureau, where she focuses on enterprise reporting.

Marsh joined CNN in 2012 and has reported extensively on the federal government, public policy, the officials shaping it, with a focus on how those government decisions impact Americans’ daily lives.

Her recent enterprise reporting has focused on the transformation of the federal government under the Trump administration. At the Environmental Protection Agency, Marsh reported on a shift in the agency’s chemical review process for consumer products, according to sources, revealing concerns among some EPA employees that a more industry friendly approach could weaken safeguards intended to protect human health.

At the Department of the Interior, Marsh has examined the agency’s evolving role in carrying out administration priorities, including the president’s beautification initiatives and efforts to reshape how American history is presented, particularly at the Smithsonian.

Marsh has also reported on the behind the scenes of the Trump administration’s pursuit of an Iran nuclear deal, including the president’s envoys and their strategy and approach to diplomacy. Her reporting has also examined the administration’s effort to redefine the long standing boundaries between church and state and expand the role of religion across the federal government.

Marsh received an Emmy nomination for her investigation into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights operating through airports across the country. Using aviation tracking tools and analyzing months of flight patterns and schedules, Marsh and her team tracked an ICE flight for more than 24 hours, documenting its route and stops as people in ICE custody were picked up and transported across the country. Her reporting provided a rare look into the mechanics of a largely opaque system that can make it difficult for families to determine where loved ones in ICE custody are being taken.

In another major investigation, Marsh exclusively reported on racial disparities in mortgage approval rates at Navy Federal Credit Union, the nation’s largest credit union. CNN’s analysis found that Navy Federal had the widest disparity in approval rates between White and Black mortgage applicants among the nation’s largest lenders.

From 2021 to 2023, Marsh’s reporting included an extensive focus on climate and the environment. Her assignments took her to Greenland, where she reported firsthand on melting ice sheets and their global impact, and to the Nevada desert, where she reported on the push to mine lithium as part of the nation’s transition to clean energy.

Government accountability has been a consistent focus throughout Marsh’s time at CNN. During the first Trump administration, she was the first to report on the unprecedented security apparatus put in place to protect then EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, including his around the clock security detail and biometric security measures installed at the agency. She also broke stories on spending at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has reported broadly on waste, fraud and abuse across federal agencies.

Prior to CNN, Marsh was a general assignment reporter for WSVN in Miami, Florida, covering breaking news, local politics and education. She previously worked as an investigative reporter and weekend anchor at CBS 6 in Albany, New York, and began her career as a reporter and anchor at KTAL in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Marsh is also a children’s book author and pediatric cancer advocate. She has used her publishing and public platforms to raise awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research.

Marsh graduated with honors from Binghamton University and earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.