Press Releases
Whitehouse Calls for Guaranteed 3% Annual Social Security COLA
Johnston, RI - Speaking to seniors gathered at the Johnston Senior Center, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today called on Congress to pass legislation that would protect the purchasing power of Social Security benefits. Whitehouse has introduced the Guaranteed 3% COLA For Seniors Act to guarantee every senior a reasonable Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) with an annual floor of no less than 3 percent. "Seniors paid into Social Security over decades of hard work with the exp… Continue Reading
08.06.19
Whitehouse, Cicilline Bill to Improve Bankruptcy Process for Small Businesses Heads to President’s Desk
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) today announced that both houses of Congress have passed the Small Business Reorganization Act, legislation they sponsored along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06) to streamline bankruptcy procedures and provide new tools to improve a small business owners' ability to keep their companies afloat and preserve jobs. The legislation awaits the President's signature. "T… Continue Reading
08.06.19
Test Release
The Senate just passed a $2 trillion dollar stimulus package to help our country cope with the impact of COVID-19. The stimulus bill provides a bridge to help workers get through this, including boosted unemployment benefits, cash payments to families, and loans and loan forgiveness for small businesses. Here are some things that all Rhode Islanders should know about the bill: Q: Will I get a check? A: Rhode Islanders who file taxes in 2018 or 2019 or receive Social Security benefits will quali… Continue Reading
08.05.19
RI Nets $7.5 Million in Security Grants to Improve Emergency Response & Disaster Preparedness
WASHINGTON, DC - Seeking to help Rhode Island's emergency responders, their federal partners, and community organizations prevent and prepare for a range of crises and security challenges - from natural disasters to domestic terrorism - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the state will receive $7,523,831 in federal national preparedness funds. These federal funds, which are awarded by the U.S. Department … Continue Reading
08.02.19
Whitehouse Joins Blumenthal, Colleagues to Introduce Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers
Amidst the busy summer travel season, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) to introduce comprehensive legislation to expand protections for American air travelers. In addition to many other protections, the Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights would require airlines to pay at least $1,350 to passengers denied boarding as a result of an oversold flight, prevent airlines from shrinking their s… Continue Reading
08.02.19
Whitehouse, Coons Call on Wray to Detail FBI Investigation of Kavanaugh
Washington, DC - In a letter, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chris Coons (D-DE) have asked FBI Director Christopher Wray to detail the Bureau's handling of the investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh last fall. In July 23 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which Whitehouse and Coons serve, Wray echoed Republican claims that the FBI conducted the investigation "by the book" while repeating that FBI background inve… Continue Reading
08.01.19
Whitehouse Bill Would Create Efficient Tariff Waiver Process
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has introduced the American Business Tariff Relief Act to address concerns raised by Rhode Island businesses regarding the process for companies to apply for exclusions from increased tariffs. The new legislation would require the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of Commerce to establish a process under which U.S. businesses can request exclusions from increased tariffs prior to the imposition of the new tariffs. "President … Continue Reading
07.31.19
Bill to Name Central Falls Post Office After Elizabeth Buffum Chace Passes U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse helped pass a bill to rename Central Falls' post office after a leader in the Rhode Island abolitionist and suffrage movements. Late last night, the full U.S. Senate approved S. 1272, which Senator Reed and Senator Whitehouse introduced on May 1, to name the United States Post Office at 575 Dexter Street in Central Falls in honor of Elizabeth Buffum Chace, a committed activist and humanitarian who fought for greater equality as a l… Continue Reading
07.31.19
Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Help Americans Save for Retirement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced legislation to help millions of Americans save for a financially secure retirement through an automatic payroll deduction Individual Retirement Account, or Auto-IRA. "We know that automatic savings programs are an effective strategy for building a nest egg, yet tens of millions of Americans don't have that option through their job," said Whitehouse. "This bill would make it easier for employees to save for retirement i… Continue Reading
07.30.19
Whitehouse Helps Pass Out of Committee $287 Billion Infrastructure Bill That Would Send $1.44 Billion to RI
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has helped pass out of the Environment and Public Works Committee a five-year $287 billion highway package that would make a $1.44 billion investment in Rhode Island's infrastructure. The legislation includes provisions to improve road safety, grow the economy, create jobs, and protect the environment. Today's committee vote follows an announcement last week by Rhode Island's congressional delegation that the Ocean State was awarded a $60.3 mi… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Whitehouse-Hawley Bill to Prevent Officer Suicide Signed Into Law
Washington, DC - Last night, the White House announced that President Trump signed into law the bipartisan Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act sponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). The legislation restores grant funding for law enforcement support services and allows grant recipients to use funds to establish suicide-prevention programs and mental health services for police officers. The STOIC Act passed with unanimous support in the Unit… Continue Reading
07.25.19
New Bipartisan, Bicameral Proposal Targets Industrial Emissions for Reduction
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Braun (R-IN), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL), David McKinley (R-WV), Aumua Amata (R-AS-At Large), and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), today introduced the bipartisan Clean Industrial Technology Act (CITA) to unleash innovation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources and make American companies more competitive in the… Continue Reading
07.23.19
New $60.3 Million INFRA Grant Will Help Pave the Way for Improvements to Northbound Providence Viaduct
Providence, RI - In an effort to make travel through Providence safer and more efficient, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today announced a new $60.3 million federal "Infrastructure for Rebuilding America" grant, or INFRA grant, to replace and upgrade the Northbound Providence Viaduct on I-95. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, designed the INFRA Grant Program to meet Rhode Island's need for funding to tackle large-scale infrastructu… Continue Reading
07.18.19
Senate Unanimously Passes Whitehouse, Blumenthal, & Graham Bill to Prevent Cyberattacks on Voting Machines
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today applauded the U.S. Senate's unanimous passage of their bipartisan legislation to improve election security. The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act would make it a federal crime to hack any voting systems used in a federal election. The legislation now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. "Russia and other hostile actors are constantly trying… Continue Reading
07.17.19
Whitehouse Calls for Action to Protect American Economy from Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this evening from the Senate floor called on Congress to protect the American economy from the looming risks of climate change. A recent explosion of urgent warnings from government regulators and financial institutions worldwide illustrates the growing threat climate change poses to the economic wellbeing of families in every corner of the United States. "For a long time people opposed to climate action said that tackling climate chang… Continue Reading
07.17.19
Whitehouse Statement on Passing of Justice Stevens
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on the passing of retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: "Justice Stevens was a giant of the law and a model Supreme Court Justice. His passing is a solemn reminder of the loss to our Supreme Court of Justices who put justice ahead of politics. He possessed a keen legal mind and, every bit as important, deep empathy for the people affected by his wor… Continue Reading
07.15.19
RI Delegation Announces Over $2 Million in Early Head Start Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a $2,031,812 grant to provide Rhode Island child development and family support services to low-income infants, toddlers, pregnant women and their families. The grant will be administered by Children's Friend, a child-serving nonprofit agency with sites in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. Children's Friend's Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership is open to … Continue Reading
07.15.19
Whitehouse, Carper Release GAO Report Detailing Trump Administration Assault on EPA Science Advisory Boards
Washington, DC - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ought to follow its own rules designed to protect the independence and effectiveness of the agency's scientific advisory committees, writes the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a report released today by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Carper (D-DE). By ignoring the agency's own rules, the Trump officials at the EPA installed industry scientists and consultants to help guide the EPA's scientific decision making to fa… Continue Reading
07.12.19
Whitehouse Statement on Acosta Resignation
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement on the resignation of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta: "Alexander Acosta ultimately had no choice but to resign. His sweetheart prosecution deal for a billionaire serial sex offender had failed even to unearth the full extent of the offenses. Mr. Acosta now joins the sprawling parade of President Trump's chosen advisors who have left the administration under clouds of scandal and corruption, leaving rudde… Continue Reading
07.11.19
Whitehouse Calls on Major Investment Funds to Pay Attention to Companies’ Funding of Climate Denier Group
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called the attention of major institutional investors - including BlackRock, State Street, and Legal & General - to a report that telecom and tech giants are funding the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a fossil fuel industry-funded front group that has served as the Trump administration's one-stop shop for climate denial. The companies funding CEI that Whitehouse highlights all have internal corporate policies to reduce carbo… Continue Reading
