Press Releases
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Assassination
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy: "50 years ago today, I remember coming home and watching the news on a small black and white TV, and days later sitting on my father's shoulders to see President Kennedy's caisson roll by - a black horse with boots backwards in the stirrups frisking behind it. President Kennedy's sudden and senseless death was a dark moment in ou… Continue Reading
11.21.13
Bicameral Climate Task Force Co-Chairs Meet With NBA, WNBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, and USOC
WASHINGTON, DC- Today the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change met with representatives from the NBA, WNBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to discuss the effects of climate change on these leagues and the work the organizations are doing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The members also released written responses from the leagues to the Task Force's request for views on actions the federal government could take to address climate change. "Congress can learn a lo… Continue Reading
11.21.13
Sen. Whitehouse Applauds Filibuster Change
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the Senate's decision to modify its rules to break through repeated Republican filibusters of qualified nominees: "The Constitution gives President Obama the responsibility to fill executive and judicial vacancies, and the Senate the responsibility to advise and consent. Senate Republicans recently have used filibusters to seize the Senate's advice and consent function and give it to the minori… Continue Reading
11.20.13
Langevin and Whitehouse Support Good Corporate Governance
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation today that would allow federal employees to make socially responsible investments (SRI) in their retirement plans. The Federal Employees Responsible Investment Act would direct the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to select a "Corporate Responsibility Index" as an option for Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions by federal employees - allowing them to direct their retirement … Continue Reading
11.15.13
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Prison Reform Bill
Washington, DC - As federal prison and detention costs continue to skyrocket, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) are pushing legislation that would help lower costs and reduce recidivism. The Senators recently introduced the Recidivism Reduction & Public Safety Act of 2013 (S. 1675), which would allow inmates to earn sentence-reduction credit for completing programming aimed at helping them re-enter society - potentially saving hundreds of millions of dollars in … Continue Reading
11.14.13
U.S. Senate Passes Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Bill
Washington, DC - This week, the United States Senate unanimously approved the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013. The legislation, which authorizes federal support for graduate medical education (GME) in freestanding children's hospitals, includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that extends the program to children's psychiatric hospitals like Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island. If this bill is signed into law, children's psychiatric hospita… Continue Reading
11.13.13
Bipartisan Coalition of 38 Members of Congress Urges Federal Funding for Fisheries Disaster
WASHINGTON, DC - In a bipartisan, bicameral letter to House and Senate leadership, 38 members of Congress - including all four members of Rhode Island's Congressional delegation - today urged funding for fisheries disaster relief in the final funding package for Fiscal Year 2014. Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce declared a federal fishery failure for the Northeast multispecies fishery for the 2013 season. Led by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the Senate Appropri… Continue Reading
11.07.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Passage of ENDA
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the Senate's vote to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which will protect LGBT workers from discrimination based on their sexual orientation: "No one should fear persecution at work because of who they love. I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting this legislation to provide important workplace protections for LGBT Americans, and I hope the House of Representatives will soon p… Continue Reading
11.05.13
Sen. Whitehouse Named to Water Infrastructure Bill Conference Committee
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today was appointed as a member of the joint House-Senate conference committee convened to merge the versions of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2013 passed by the two chambers. The legislation authorizes and reforms civil works programs and policies for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Senate-passed bill includes an amendment authored by Whitehouse to establish a National Endowment for the Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lak… Continue Reading
11.01.13
Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change Applauds President Obama’s Commitment to Climate Change Resilience Preparation
Washington, DC - The Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change strongly supports the executive order issued by President Obama today to enhance climate preparedness and resilience for the United States. This order firmly grounds Administration policy in the realities of climate science and acknowledges the variety of challenges that our country will face in coming years due to increasing erratic and dangerous weather patterns and events. It will encourage increased information sharing on all level… Continue Reading
11.01.13
Senators Introduce Legislation to Promote Public Awareness of Cyber Security
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Lindsey Graham (D-SC), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today introduced the Cyber Security Public Awareness Act of 2013. The bill would improve public awareness of cyber security threats by instituting new reporting requirements for federal agencies charged with monitoring and responding to cyber threats. In recent years, cyber attacks by criminals, foreign intelligence and military services, and terrorists have increased… Continue Reading
10.30.13
Bicameral Budget Conference Committee Opens Negotiations
Washington, DC - House and Senate negotiators today held the first formal meeting of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Conference Committee, tasked with merging the budget plans passed earlier this year by each chamber. In his opening remarks, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) urged his fellow conferees to support a responsible blueprint that will spur job creation and avoid further damage to the American economy from indiscriminate across-the-board spending cuts. "The sequester was designed to … Continue Reading
10.30.13
Senate Panel Approves Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Bill
Washington, DC - Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee reported out the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013, with bipartisan support. The legislation, which provides freestanding children's hospitals federal support for graduate medical education (GME) teaching programs for pediatric medical residents, includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that extends federal support to teaching programs at children's … Continue Reading
10.28.13
RI Gets $16 Million More in Sandy Recovery Aid
WASHINGTON, DC - A year after Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on many Rhode Island businesses and homes, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that an additional $16 million in federal funding is on its way to help pay rebuilding costs and better protect communities from future storms. This latest round of federal support comes in the form of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants, ad… Continue Reading
10.24.13
Sen. Whitehouse Applauds New Funding for Hurricane Sandy Recovery
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is applauding today's announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior that the state will receive several million dollars in new federal funds for restoration and research projects related to Hurricane Sandy. The announcement comes as we approach the one-year anniversary of that devastating storm, which slammed the East Coast on October 29, 2012. "As we near the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, we must remember the damage wrought by … Continue Reading
10.24.13
Providence Receives $150,000 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant
Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, and other leading state and local law enforcement officials to announce $150,000 in federal funding that is being awarded to the City of Providence from the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program to help reduce gun and gang violence. The federal grant will support an innovative partnership led by the Providence Police Depar… Continue Reading
10.16.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Deal to Open the Government and Avoid Default
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the Senate's passage of legislation to end the government shutdown and avoid a default: "This shutdown and near-default crisis was entirely unnecessary and has harmed our economy and our reputation in the world. I'm glad that the Senate was able to craft a bipartisan plan to move past the crisis, so we can turn to the real issues facing our country: creating jobs, supporting the middle class, a… Continue Reading
10.15.13
Sen. Whitehouse Slams House GOP for Derailing Bipartisan Talks
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the apparent breakdown in discussions to raise the debt limit and end the government shutdown: "I am stunned to hear that Speaker Boehner has derailed bipartisan Senate discussions aimed at ending the government shutdown and averting a debt limit crisis. It is terribly unfair to the bipartisan Senate process, and even more unfair to the American people who will end up paying the price if the Sp… Continue Reading
10.09.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Nomination of Janet Yellen
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding President Obama's nomination of Janet Yellen to serve as the next Chair of the Federal Reserve: "Janet Yellen is highly qualified to serve as our next Fed chair, and I look forward to supporting her nomination in the Senate. At a time when our economy is still struggling, Ms. Yellen will bring the right priorities, and a lifetime of experience, to help us create jobs and provide a fair deal to t… Continue Reading
10.09.13
Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change Applauds Announcement of Climate Change Risk Assessment Project
WASHINGTON, DC- Today the co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Sen. Edward J. Markey, sent a letter to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Tom Steyer to commend their Risky Business initiative, which will assess the potential impacts of climate change on each region and sector of the U.S. economy and provide information about how to… Continue Reading
