Press Releases
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Tax Extenders Vote
Washington, DC - Last night the U.S. Senate passed legislation to extend a number of expired tax provisions. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined eight Democrats and eight Republicans in opposing the package. "The so-called 'tax extenders' package includes the one-year extension of a hodgepodge of over four dozen tax provisions. This extension is not for the year ahead of us, as one might reasonably expect, but rather for the year that's mostly past us. In other words, we will be extendi… Continue Reading
12.16.14
Senate Oceans Caucus Co-Chairs Urge Fishing Community to Submit Comments on New Pirate Fishing Regulations
Washington, D.C. - Today, President Obama's Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud announced new recommendations to combat practices that harm American fishermen. The recommendations include strengthening enforcement tools to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, and creating a tracking program to ensure that illegal seafood products are kept out of the U.S. supply chain. With the Task Force now seeking public comments on its recommendatio… Continue Reading
12.14.14
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Government Funding Vote
Washington, DC - Last night the U.S. Senate passed legislation to continue funding the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the vote: "This legislation accomplishes the bare minimum needed to avert a government shutdown, but it also includes provisions to further degrade our campaign finance laws, to allow government bailouts for banks engaged in risky trading, and to cut retirement benefits for ove… Continue Reading
12.12.14
Congress Passes Whitehouse Bill to Protect Servicemembers from Foreclosure
Washington, DC - The House and Senate have both unanimously approved legislation by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to protect servicemembers from foreclosure. The measure will extend until January 2016 a provision that ensures troops who serve active duty are protected against losing their home for one year following the completion of their service in the field. The protection was set to expire at the end of this year. "After fighting for our country overseas, our troops shouldn't ha… Continue Reading
12.12.14
Whitehouse Statement on Passage of Defense Authorization
Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Senate passed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse requiring the Department of Defense to plan for its cyber security education needs, which will help prepare our military for success in the cyber domain. It also contains several provisions that will directly benefit Rhode Island: it establishes a unit of the National Park System within the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Va… Continue Reading
12.12.14
Senate Approves Bipartisan Bill to Protect Consumers from Steroids
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved legislation to end a loophole that allows designer anabolic steroids to easily be found online, in gyms, and even in retail stores. The Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), will help protect consumers from these harmful products by properly classifying them as controlled substances and impose civil penalties for importing, manufacturing, or distributing them… Continue Reading
12.11.14
Sens. Grassley & Whitehouse Introduce Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act
Washington, D.C. - Today U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2014 (JJDPA), which updates and strengthens protections for young people in our criminal justice system and reauthorizes funding for key juvenile justice programs. The JJDPA has not been reauthorized since 2002 despite several attempts in recent Congresses. The Senators' bill maintains protections and programs established i… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Van Hollen to Serve as New Co-Chair of Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change
Washington, DC - Last year, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) founded the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, and have served as the group's lead co-chairs - organizing policy discussions, holding public events, and releasing white papers outlining policy options for the Executive Branch. Now, with Rep. Waxman retiring at the end of this Congress, he and Sen. Whitehouse today announced that Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) will be joining the Task Force as its new l… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Senate Panel Examines Role of Law Enforcement in Campus Sexual Assault Cases
Washington, DC - With some estimates indicating that nearly one in five women experience some form of sexual assault in college but that the vast majority go unreported, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism today held a hearing about the role of law enforcement in campus sexual assault cases. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) chaired the hearing, which examined whether victims of sexual assaults should be encouraged to report their experiences to the police; why victims feel… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Declassified Torture Report
Washington, DC - Today the executive summary of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee's study of the Bush-era CIA Detention and Interrogation Program was declassified and made available to the public. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former member of the Intelligence Committee who was involved in the preparation of the report and who has advocated for its declassification, released the statement below: "After years of effort and millions of documents reviewed, the Senate report at la… Continue Reading
12.04.14
Whitehouse, Blumenthal & Eshoo Renew Push Against Misleading Practices by Outlet Stores
Washington, D.C. - With the holiday shopping season upon us, three Members of Congress are renewing their call for action against misleading marketing practices by outlet stores across the United States. In a letter sent today to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) expressed their "continued concern regarding the use of deceptive reference pricing practices at both online and… Continue Reading
12.02.14
Senators Host Bipartisan Forum on “Collateral Consequences” of Addiction
Washington, DC - Today a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators co-hosted a forum in the U.S. Capitol entitled "Addiction: Understanding the Science and Addressing Collateral Consequences." U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) convened the forum, which featured panel discussions on the science of addiction and the ways in which current laws can create "collateral consequences" for individuals in recovery by establishing barriers t… Continue Reading
12.02.14
RI Arts & Humanities Groups Receive $176,000 in Federal Grants
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced over $176,000 in federal funding for Rhode Island organizations from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). $136,000 in NEA funding will go to five recipients in Rhode Island for theatre productions, research, and instruction and mentorships programming for young people. $40,322 in competitive grants from the… Continue Reading
12.01.14
Sen. Whitehouse to EPA: The Public is With You
Washington, DC - In June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, which are scheduled to be finalized after public comment and subsequent review. With the public comment period closing today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is submitting formal comments urging EPA to strengthen its proposal and to ensure that fear mongering from opponents doesn't derail its efforts. "You have the moral, economic, s… Continue Reading
11.20.14
GAO Report: Inaction on Climate Change could Increase Costs to Taxpayers
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressional inaction on climate change is likely to increase costs to taxpayers for the federal flood and crop insurance programs according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requested by a group of lawmakers including Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The report concluded that, if left unchecked, climate change and related increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather will likely greatly increase insured and uninsured finan… Continue Reading
11.20.14
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on President’s Immigration Order
Washington, DC - Tonight President Obama announced a plan to use his executive authority to help address our nation's broken immigration system. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the President's action: "I worked for weeks in the Judiciary Committee to craft a strong bipartisan immigration bill supported by everyone from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to major labor unions, which passed the Committee and the Senate in bipartisan fashion last year. For… Continue Reading
11.19.14
Sens. Whitehouse and Schatz Introduce Carbon Fee Legislation
Washington, DC - As President Obama and Senate Democrats continue to make clear that they are not backing off in the fight against climate change following the election, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today unveiled legislation that would reduce carbon pollution and generate as much as $2 trillion dollar over ten years - all of which would be returned to the American people. Whitehouse's American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act, which is cosponsored by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), would correct a m… Continue Reading
11.18.14
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Keystone Vote
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding today's vote in the Senate on legislation to force the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which failed by a vote of 59-41. 60 votes were required. "The Keystone pipeline isn't any normal pipeline. It would transport Canadian tar sands oil, which is one of the dirtiest fuels on earth. It would only create about 35 permanent jobs - all while contributing to the harm carbon pollution is doing to o… Continue Reading
11.18.14
RI Delegation Lauds Approval of Block Island Wind Farm Transmission Line
Washington, DC - Yesterday the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has offered a right-of-way (ROW) grant to Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission System, LLC (Deepwater Wind) for the Block Island Transmission System (BITS). The announcement paves the way for the installation of a transmission line to carry energy from the Block Island Wind Farm to the Rhode Island mainland, and to give island residents access to the mainland electric g… Continue Reading
11.11.14
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on New Climate Commitments from U.S. and China
Providence, RI - Tonight President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping together announced new commitments to address climate change. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding their announcement: "The US and China's joint announcement of carbon pollution reduction plans sends an important message: the world's top two emitters are committed to working together to avert the worst effects of climate change. President Obama's commitment to reduce US carbon po… Continue Reading
