Press Releases
Whitehouse Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Avoid Shutdown, Slams Trump’s Artificial ‘Emergency’
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today applauded Senate passage of a spending bill to avoid another funding lapse for the federal agencies affected by President Donald Trump's recent government shutdown and to secure important investments in bolstering coastal communities for climate change, treating addiction, and infrastructure upgrades. At the same time, Whitehouse slammed President Trump's intention to declare refugees legally seeking safety at the southern border a "natio… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Whitehouse, King Introduce Innovative Bill to Help Consumers Save on Natural Gas
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced a bill today to encourage natural gas utilities and companies to launch demand response programs, a well-established model that rewards consumers for reducing energy use. The legislation would leverage states' success in implementing demand response pilot programs that have proven highly effective. In addition to the potential cost savings, demand response programs can guard against price spikes and reduce the… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Whitehouse Statement on Barr Confirmation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the Senate's confirmation today of William Barr to be U.S. Attorney General: "Vague assurances from a skilled lawyer like Mr. Barr that evaporate under close questioning just don't cut it. He had plenty of chances to commit to upholding the interests of the American people and the Justice Department over the political interests of the president. Instead, he dodge… Continue Reading
02.14.19
Whitehouse Statement on EPA PFAS Action Plan
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement today on the Environmental Protection Agency's Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan, which does not set a drinking water standard for dangerous PFOA and PFOS chemicals: "After a year of hemming and hawing, Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler's EPA is punting on action to tackle a serious public health risk lurking in Americans' … Continue Reading
02.12.19
U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Protect Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed
Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate today voted 92-8 to approve a bipartisan public lands package that includes U.S. Senator Jack Reed's language to designate river segments within the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The legislation, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, would establish Rhode Island's first ever Wild and Scenic river system and provide access to federal funding to protect and maintain the rivers of this watershed for recrea… Continue Reading
02.11.19
Whitehouse, Markey, Welch, Levin Lead Call for Further Action on Key FERC Renewables Rule
Washington, DC - Eighteen Senators, led by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), are calling for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to finalize guidance on a rule to grow a more flexible and resilient grid by allowing Americans to connect their rooftop solar, wind, and energy storage devices to the electrical grid. Reducing energy market barriers for distributed energy resources (DERs) will increase the security and resiliency of the grid and potentially lower costs… Continue Reading
02.08.19
Whitehouse, Cicilline Renew Bipartisan Push for the IMAGINE Act to Develop Innovative Materials to Rebuild American Infrastructure
Washington, DC - Everyone from civil engineers to state and municipal officials to local communities are sounding the alarm about America's outdated infrastructure, and calling on Congress to invest in more resilient roads, bridges, water systems, and other public works. To lay the groundwork for that investment, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) are introducing the Innovative Materials for America's Growth and Infrastructure Newly Expanded (IMAGINE) Act t… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Whitehouse, Raskin Demand Answers from NRA on Alleged Campaign Finance Law Violations
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) are seeking information from the National Rifle Association (NRA) regarding allegations that the NRA violated campaign finance laws by coordinating communications with the Trump Campaign and several campaigns for Republican Senate candidates. Multiple media reports have raised questions about the NRA's relationships with contractors and shell companies that purchased political ads. The NRA is named in four pending… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Whitehouse, Alexander, Collins Renew Push for the IMAGINE Act to Develop Innovative Materials to Rebuild American Infrastructure
Washington, DC - Everyone from civil engineers to state and municipal officials to local communities are sounding the alarm about America's outdated infrastructure, and calling on Congress to invest in more resilient roads, bridges, water systems, and other public works. To lay the groundwork for that investment, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Susan Collins (R-ME) are introducing the Innovative Materials for America's Growth and Infrastructure Newly Expanded (IM… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Whitehouse Continues Carbon Capture Push with Introduction of Bill to Promote Negative Emissions
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and long-time champion of climate action, joined EPW Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) to lead a bipartisan group of Senators today in introducing the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act, to support technological innovations that remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere. The bill continues Whitehouse's legislative work on carbon capt… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Whitehouse Statement on Barr Vote in Judiciary Committee
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has released the following statement on his decision not to support the nomination of William Barr to serve as Attorney General after today's party-line vote on the nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee: "Before the committee, Mr. Barr said plenty of things that sounded reassuring, but the devil is always in the details. I remain concerned that we still don't know if he will hide behind Office of Legal Counsel guidance that prohibits indicting… Continue Reading
02.07.19
Whitehouse Enters U.S. Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Contest
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) thinks he has what it takes to win the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's competition for the "best, most viable ideas for a long-term sustainable funding source for infrastructure": end fossil fuel subsidies and place a price on carbon pollution. Establishing this source of revenue, the senator writes in his submission, would provide a long-term source of revenue for infrastructure while addressing climate change, one of the major threats to the resi… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Whitehouse Statement on State of the Union
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address tonight: "It's hard to listen to a man with such a demonstrated inability to tell the truth - or even keep his word with members of either party - try to sell us on the idea that he's now ready for bipartisanship and unity, that he's poised to bring us together. Trump's fantasies about his wall, his deafening silence on climate change, and his Nixonian atta… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Whitehouse Pans FedSoc Pick Rao for Former Kavanaugh Seat on DC Circuit
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today on the confirmation hearing of Neomi Rao, nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit: "Neomi Rao is another judicial nominee from the Donald Trump/Federalist Society special interest machine. Her ideology was birthed in the petri dish of the Republican corporate donor class that believes it is above government regulation and disdains accountabil… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Whitehouse Statement on Wheeler Committee Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), released the following statement on today's party-line vote in the EPW Committee to advance the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to be Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator: "Andrew Wheeler is a fossil fuel lobbyist nominated to run the agency regulating the fossil fuel industry. It would be comical if it weren't so serious. If confirmed, Wheeler will take every o… Continue Reading
02.05.19
Whitehouse Presses Barr on Mueller Report on Eve of Committee Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a letter today he sent to attorney general nominee William Barr regarding the findings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Whitehouse asks for clarification of written responses to his questions on the use of executive privilege and the release of the full Mueller report to the American people. Whitehouse points to his questions about U.S. Department of Justice Office of Lega… Continue Reading
02.01.19
Senator Responds to Lack of Sunday Show Climate Coverage
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) spoke out today about a media watchdog's report on the downtick in the premier Sunday news shows' climate change coverage in 2018. In the face of major climate-related catastrophes and the release of numerous comprehensive studies showing intensifying threats from climate change, the report by media watchdog Media Matters showed the agenda-setting programs on major networks "devoted fewer segments to significant discussion of climate change in … Continue Reading
01.30.19
Whitehouse, Reed Renew Push to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act & Close Gender Wage Gap
Washington, DC - In an effort to end wage discrimination and close the gender pay gap, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) today joined colleagues in introducing a new version of the Paycheck Fairness Act. The bill would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and help all workers by allowing employees to compare salaries; guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination; and help employers with technical training to ensure accountability and fair pay. The Paycheck … Continue Reading
01.30.19
Whitehouse Files Brief in Landmark California Public Nuisance Case against Oil Companies
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in County of San Mateo v. Chevron, in which Whitehouse challenges claims made by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in its brief filed in support of the oil industry. Whitehouse points out that the Chamber is hardly a voice for "thoughtful governmental policies that will have a meaningful imp… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Whitehouse, Wicker, Jackson Lee, Burgess Introduce Rodchenkov Act
Washington, DC - One week after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) failed to suspend the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) for missing a crucial December 31, 2018, deadline, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Michael Burgess (TX-26) today introduced in the Senate and the House the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act. The legislation, originally introduced in the 115th Congress, would criminalize international doping fraud cons… Continue Reading
