Press Releases
Whitehouse & Blumenthal Demand Independent Investigation of Political Interference at DOJ After Flynn Prosecution Abruptly Dropped
Washington, D.C. - After the Department of Justice dropped charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz calling for an independent inquiry into the unprecedented decision and "the Department's pattern of politicized decision making." Whitehouse and Blumenthal sent a similar letter to Jeffrey Ragsdale, Acting Director of the DOJ's Offi… Continue Reading
05.07.20
Support Grows for Repeal of GOP Tax Scam Slipped into Vital COVID Relief Legislation
Washington, DC - Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced new support for their bill to unwind a Republican giveaway to millionaires slipped into vital coronavirus relief legislation. As Whitehouse formally introduced the bill in the Senate today, a majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus have cosponsored the legislation, while 52 members have joined the bill in the House. A broad array of influential groups have also come out … Continue Reading
05.07.20
Reed & Whitehouse Seek Additional Support for Fishing Communities
WASHINGTON, DC - The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a huge bite out of the fishing industry, with fisherman seeing a slump in demand from restaurants and a shutdown of export markets, leaving many fishing vessels tied up at the docks during prime fishing months. Meanwhile, harbor costs and equipment rental bills are still piling up and it can cost some boats more in fuel alone than they can make selling their catch during such a depressed market. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sh… Continue Reading
05.06.20
Reed & Whitehouse: Don’t Allow COVID-19 to Spread Anti-Asian Hostility & Discrimination
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 12 Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division to take concrete steps to address the surge in discrimination and hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals. The Senators called for the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division to release a detailed plan t… Continue Reading
05.06.20
Rhode Island Congressional Delegation Announces $8 Million for Mental Health Services
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced that Thrive Behavioral Health, Inc. and Newport Mental Health have been awarded $8 million in federal grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services. All four members of Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation advocated for this federal funding earlier this year in a joint letter … Continue Reading
05.05.20
Reed & Whitehouse: Trump’s Meat Packing Plan is a Recipe for COVID-19 Disaster That Skimps on Worker Health & Safety
WASHINGTON, DC - After President Trump issued an order to keep meatpacking plants open and help plant owners at the expense of workers who are charged with keeping our food supply safe, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are calling on the Trump Administration to modify the order to prioritize worker health and safety and help prevent further outbreaks of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Senators joined 16 of their colleagues in sending a letter demanding that Preside… Continue Reading
05.01.20
Reed, Whitehouse Call For Tax Credit Expansion To Help Working Families During Coronavirus Crisis
WASHINGTON, DC - Seeking to help put more money in the pockets of working families in Rhode Island and nationwide as they cope with the ongoing coronavirus crisis, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined a group of 39 senators in sending a letter to Senate Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling for a temporary expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in the next coronavirus relief package. The sena… Continue Reading
04.27.20
Whitehouse, Markey, Merkley, Schatz, Gillibrand Call on DC Circuit to Strike Down Trump EPA’s Do-Nothing Power Plant Rule
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a major challenge to the Trump administration's Clean Power Plan replacement rule. The senators write that the so-called Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule-a toothless replacement for the Obama administration's plan to reduce carbon emissions… Continue Reading
04.24.20
Reed & Whitehouse Call on Trump to Waive Cost-Sharing Requirements for States Battling Coronavirus
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are joining their Democratic colleagues in calling on President Trump to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to waive all cost-share requirements for states responding to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency related to the outbreak, authorizing federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts. Despite continued calls from Congress… Continue Reading
04.24.20
Whitehouse and Doggett Unveil Bill to Repeal GOP Tax Giveaway to Million-Dollar-Plus Earners in Coronavirus Relief Legislation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) unveiled bicameral legislation today to repeal a massive tax giveaway for a small group of wealthy taxpayers that Republicans included in the coronavirus relief bill. The legislation would do away with provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates will reduce government revenue by $160 billion over ten years, and … Continue Reading
04.23.20
RI Delegation Announces Distribution of $5.4 Million in CARES Act Funds to Expand Coronavirus Testing and Tracing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced that $5.4 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has been distributed to the Rhode Island Department of Health to boost the state's COVID-19 testing and contract tracing infrastructure. "This latest installment of federal funds will increase the state's testing capacity and build on other public health effort… Continue Reading
04.21.20
Whitehouse: Additional Funding for Small Businesses, Health Care, Testing in Bipartisan Deal was Worth the Wait
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is applauding a $484-billion bipartisan emergency deal to rescue small businesses, support hospitals, and expand testing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation passed the Senate this evening by unanimous consent and heads to the House of Representatives. Whitehouse released the following statement: "This bipartisan compromise is much better than the bill Leader McConnell tried to jam through on his own earlier this month. In addition… Continue Reading
04.20.20
Reed & Whitehouse Demand Answers About Trump Administration’s Toxic Attacks on Clean Air During Pandemic
PROVIDENCE, RI - As Americans battle a potentially fatal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that attacks people's respiratory system, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse have urged the Trump Administration to cut down on air pollution by strengthening clean air standards to help protect public health. The senators cited a study by Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which analyzed data from 3,080 counties nationwide with confirmed coronavirus deaths and found a statisti… Continue Reading
04.17.20
Whitehouse, Senate Finance Committee Democrats Call for Transparent, Equitable Distribution of Remaining $70 Billion in CARES Act Hospitals Fund
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has joined 11 Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee in calling on the Trump administration to distribute the remaining critical COVID-19 aid to health care providers in an equitable and transparent way. In a letter sent to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, the senators noted the distribution of the first $30 billion dollars failed to deliver funds where they are needed most. Rhode Island providers received $90.5… Continue Reading
04.16.20
RI Gets $2.3 Million CARES Act Grant to Boost Workforce & Help Dislocated Workers
PROVIDENCE, RI - In an effort to provide employment and training services to Rhode Islanders who were laid off because of the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced $2,326,005 in federal funding for Rhode Island through Dislocated Worker Grants (DWG). These awards are funded under the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (C… Continue Reading
04.16.20
Whitehouse Selected for Bipartisan Panel on Safely Reopening American Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that he has accepted President Donald Trump's invitation to serve on a bipartisan panel of members of Congress charged with determining guidelines for safely restarting the American economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitehouse issued the following statement on his appointment to the new committee: "I hope this panel will be a good-faith bipartisan effort informed by science and best practices. Ignoring public health experts … Continue Reading
04.15.20
Amid Increased Reports of Domestic Violence During Pandemic, Reed and Whitehouse Call for Additional Support for Victims and Survivors
Washington, D.C. - Amid increased reports of domestic violence in Rhode Island during the ongoing pandemic, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse have joined a bipartisan group of 38 colleagues requesting that any future legislation to address COVID-19 includes support for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In a letter to Senate leadership and the Senate Appropriations Committee, Reed and Whitehouse expressed concern about reports that abusers are using COV… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Delegation Announces Additional $941K for RI Emergency Response to COVID-19
PROVIDENCE, RI - In an effort to protect public safety, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Rhode Island will receive an additional $941,560 in federal emergency management funding to help combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The federal funds will help the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) work with local first responders to enhance emergency management and response capabilities. "Governor Raim… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Whitehouse, Doggett Release New Analysis Showing GOP Tax Provisions in CARES Act Overwhelmingly Benefit Million-Dollar-Plus Earners
NOTE: Following publication of its analysis, JCT revised its findings on 4/23. The latest version of that analysis is available here. These updates do not affect the distributional table below. Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) released analysis today from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) showing a massive windfall for a small group of wealthy taxpayers from a Republican provision in the coronavirus relief bill. According to the JCT, 43,000 i… Continue Reading
04.11.20
As States Face PPE Shortfall, Reed & Whitehouse Press Trump Administration for Information About Outsourcing the Distribution of Critical Medical Supplies to Private Companies
Washington, D.C. - With Rhode Island and states across the country facing severe challenges to secure lifesaving supplies from the federal government amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse have joined 45 of their Senate colleagues in raising serious concerns about the Trump Administration's reliance on private companies to distribute desperately needed medical supplies. Reed and Whitehouse are directly urging Vice President Mike Pence, who the President charg… Continue Reading
