Press Releases
Whitehouse Applauds Passage of Wall Street Reform Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement regarding the Senate's approval of Wall Street reform legislation: "Today's passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation is a significant step that will make Rhode Island families safer from the dangerous and reckless Wall Street speculation that drove our economy into recession. The passage of this landmark bill marks the official end of a foolhardy period of financial deregulation that left too … Continue Reading
07.15.10
Sheldon Discusses Recess Appointment of Dr. Berwick
Mr. President, I heard that some of my colleagues on the other side were here earlier engaged in a colloquy of condemnation of the appointment of Dr. Berwick to run CMS. I wanted to come back and respond because I think this body is making a mistake and is taking a very wrong path by attacking and criticizing this particular nominee. To provide just a moment of context to his appointment, when I was here yesterday I had a graph that showed that in 1955, the year that I was born, we spent about … Continue Reading
07.14.10
Congressional Delegation Announces Over $1.5 Million in Federal Funding to Support Local Law Enforcement Efforts
Washington, DC - Rhode Island's congressional delegation today announced that more than $1.5 million in federal funding has been awarded to Rhode Island's law enforcement community to enhance compensation programs for crime victims, improve the juvenile justice system, and support efforts to crack down on internet crimes against children. "This much-needed funding will help ensure that victims of crimes receive meaningful compensation, that our young Rhode Islanders are protected from the dange… Continue Reading
07.13.10
Whitehouse Applauds Administration’s Rule on Meaningful Use for Health Information Technology
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement regarding today's announcement by the Obama Administration of a new rule guiding the "meaningful use" of health information technology (HIT): "In last year's Recovery Act, President Obama and this Congress made a historic investment in health information technology. This investment will save lives, improve quality of care, and reap significant savings by increasing efficiency. The rule unveiled today by… Continue Reading
07.08.10
Whitehouse Announces Landmark Legislation to Protect Oceans and Coastal Areas
Providence, RI - Over the last few months the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has demonstrated the fragility of the world's oceans and the extent to which America's economy relies on their continued well-being. Today U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joined Rhode Island environmental leaders at Save The Bay headquarters in Providence to announce new legislation that would establish a "National Endowment for the Oceans." Much like the National Endowments for the Arts, which was established by Rhode … Continue Reading
07.02.10
Cyber Task Force Completes Threat Assessment
Washington, DC - Last December the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence established a Cyber Task Force to evaluate cyber threats to the United States and report its findings to the full Committee. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) chaired the bipartisan task force, and Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) joined him as Task Force members. The task force completed its work on schedule and yesterday delivered a classified Final Report to the Intelligence Committe… Continue Reading
06.30.10
EPW Committee Approves Re-Authorization of Estuary Program Introduced by Senator Whitehouse
Washington, DC - The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today approved Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's legislation to re-authorize the National Estuary Program, which was first established in 1987 by Senator John Chafee to protect and restore estuarine habitats threatened by pollution and overdevelopment. Authorization for this important program expired last year, compromising the protection programs in place for estuaries of national significance, including the Narragansett Bay. The le… Continue Reading
06.30.10
Hearing Held on Whitehouse Affordable Green Housing Proposal
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) testified at a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee's Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development about legislation he introduced to promote home energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency in Housing Act of 2009 (EEHA), cosponsored by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Udall (D-CO), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), would help consumers save money on home e… Continue Reading
06.29.10
New England Tech to Receive Nearly $3 Million in Federal Funding for Health Information Technology
Washington, DC - The Rhode Island congressional delegation today announced that the New England Institute of Technology in Warwick, RI will receive a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for a workforce training program that will enhance the state's effort to implement electronic health records. The funds, part of U.S. DOL's Community-Based Job Training Grant Program, will help develop a 36-month electronic medical records training program aimed at upgrading the technical skills … Continue Reading
06.29.10
Reed and Whitehouse Join America’s Cup Team in Meeting with President Obama
Washington, DC - Today, following a meeting at the White House with President Obama and the America's Cup winning BMW Oracle team, which U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse helped facilitate, the Senators released the following statement: "Rhode Island has a rich history with the America's Cup. It was a special honor today to join President Obama in congratulating Larry Ellison and his team on their victory, and help remind them of that history. We are pleased the oldest active tro… Continue Reading
06.28.10
Whitehouse Statement on Passing of Senator Byrd
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement today regarding the passing of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV): "Over his 57 years in Congress Senator Byrd became a towering figure in his native West Virginia and the Senate itself. He will be missed, but his mark will be indelible." ###… Continue Reading
06.25.10
Sens. Lautenberg, Snowe, Whitehouse, Cantwell Introduce Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced the Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010, a bill to establish a grant program within the Department of Commerce to enhance employment opportunities for coastal communities by increasing support for cooperative research and fishery observer programs, revitalization of coastal infrastructure, and stewardship of coastal and marine resources. The bill w… Continue Reading
06.23.10
Whitehouse Urges Senate to Extend Unemployment Benefits
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday joined several Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to call for an extension of Unemployment Insurance for the millions of Americans still struggling to find work. The Senator shared stories he has heard from Rhode Islanders who lost their jobs during the recession and have yet to recover, and called on Republicans to stop blocking the extension of this important benefit. "We have 71,000 people unemployed in my little State of Rho… Continue Reading
06.17.10
Whitehouse Slams Corporate Influence at MMS, Proposes Legislation to Defend Integrity of Government
Washington, D.C. - Citing lax oversight and the inappropriate influence of corporate interests over the Minerals Management Service (MMS), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) spoke on the Senate floor today to propose a path to restore the integrity of "captured" government agencies. "We can no longer wait for more catastrophes to root out improper corporate influence in our government, we have to at long last address the problem of insidious regulatory capture," Whitehouse said. The Senator… Continue Reading
06.15.10
Whitehouse Statement on Selection of New MMS Head
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement regarding President Obama's selection of Michael Bromwich to take over as the new head of the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the agency which oversees offshore oil drilling: "As we continue to watch the daily flow of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, our nation has also been exposed to the sad fact that the Minerals Management Service has, over the years, become subservient to the in… Continue Reading
06.14.10
Whitehouse Highlights Medicare “Doughnut Hole” Fix in Visit with Pawtucket Seniors
Pawtucket, RI - Since the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan went into effect in January 2006, seniors and people with disabilities in Rhode Island have too often been victimized by the "doughnut hole," a gap in Part D coverage which exposes patients to the full cost of prescription drugs. Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse brought good news to seniors at Pawtucket's Leon Mathieu Senior Center: the health care reform legislation passed this year will completely close the doughnut hole by… Continue Reading
06.14.10
RI Delegation Applauds CRMC Executive Director, Grover Fugate, on NOAA’s Susan Snow-Cotter Award
Washington, D.C. - Rhode Island's congressional delegation today applauded Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) Executive Director Grover J. Fugate, who was honored last week with The Susan Snow-Cotter Award for Excellence in Ocean and Coastal Resource Management from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Open to those working on state coastal management programs, national estuarine research reserves, and national marine sanctuaries, the award is presen… Continue Reading
06.10.10
Whitehouse: Doughnut Hole Payments a Relief for RI Seniors
Washington, D.C. - Starting today, senior citizens affected by the coverage gap or "doughnut hole" in the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan will begin receiving $250 payments as the first step in the eventual phase out of this coverage gap. These payments will help offset the burdensome cost of uncovered prescriptions. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who has been a leader in the fight to eliminate the doughnut hole, today released the following statement: "Since I ran for the Senat… Continue Reading
06.09.10
Commerce Committee Approves Whitehouse Legislation to Reduce Volume of Excessively Loud TV Commercials
Washington, DC - The Senate Commerce Committee today voted to approve legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the volume of television advertisements. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act of 2009 (S. 2847), co-sponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), would require the volume of television advertisements to be no louder than the volume of the pro… Continue Reading
06.08.10
Whitehouse: Oil Companies Should Pay for Mistakes
Washington, DC - This morning, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse co-chaired a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee titled "The Risky Business of Big Oil: Have Recent Court Decisions and Liability Caps Encouraged Irresponsible Corporate Behavior?" The hearing featured testimony from a family member of one of the workers killed in the April 20th explosion on Deepwater Horizon. In his opening statement, Whitehouse said "I believe that Congress must do whatever it can to prevent another family f… Continue Reading
