Press Releases
Bob Billington, Head of Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, to Join Whitehouse as Virtual Guest for State of the Union
Washington, DC - Bob Billington, President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, will virtually join U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for President Biden's State of the Union address this evening. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council received a $918,124 grant last year from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, which was created by Democrats' American Rescue Plan. The grant allowed the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council to safely reopen its popular Polar Express Train Ride in downtown … Continue Reading
02.28.22
Whitehouse Calls on SCOTUS to Reject Polluter “Project” to Tear Down Clean Air Act Authority
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on today's oral arguments in West Virginia v. EPA, the Supreme Court case challenging the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. "This trumped-up challenge is one prong of a massive, anonymously-funded influence campaign by the fossil fuel industry. Those industry forces are pushing reverse-engineered legal doctrines to torpedo public health and environmen… Continue Reading
02.28.22
Whitehouse Renews Call for Major Emissions-Reducing Legislation After UN Details Dangers Climate Change Poses to Humanity
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement after the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a sweeping report on the dangerous effects of rising global temperatures and the disasters that lay ahead if nations fail to quickly slash emissions: "The United Nations is blasting out science's alarm to the world, making crystal clear that we have only a narrow window for action to lead the planet to safety. That narrow window requi… Continue Reading
02.28.22
Senators Urge FERC to Stop Utility Companies from Making Captive Ratepayers Foot the Bill for Polluter Lobbying
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to protect ratepayers from footing the bill for utility trade association's political influence activities. Under FERC's current regulatory accounting and financial reporting system, the Uniform System of Accounts (USofA), utility companies can bill ratepayers to cov… Continue Reading
02.25.22
Whitehouse Responds to Ruling Upholding the Harmful Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Maneuver
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, responded to a New Jersey judge's ruling permitting Johnson & Johnson's talc claims subsidiary to continue a bankruptcy process known as the "Texas Two-Step"-a maneuver used by corporations to evade tort liabilities and make it more burdensome for tort plaintiffs to recover. "Today's ruling greenlights a maneuver to help bi… Continue Reading
02.25.22
Whitehouse Statement on Inhofe Retirement
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement upon the announcement of the retirement of Senator James Inhofe (R-OK): "In the strange ways of the Senate, Jim Inhofe was perhaps my worst foe on climate change issues, yet a key ally on my oceans and infrastructure measures. When he's decided to push for something, he's had an astounding ability to get it done. I wish him well in his retirement."… Continue Reading
02.25.22
Whitehouse Welcomes Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, released the following statement on the nomination of D.C. Circuit Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court upon the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer: "Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a thoroughly qualified nominee. She will bring to the Court a wealth of experience, a sharp legal mind, and a … Continue Reading
02.24.22
Whitehouse Statement on the Passing of Former General Treasurer Anthony Solomon
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement on the passing of former General Treasurer Anthony Solomon: "I'm sorry to hear of the passing of my friend, former General Treasurer Anthony Solomon. As a neighborhood pharmacist in Olneyville, and through his many years in state government, Anthony served his community with compassion and skill. He was also one of the great hands-on political campaigners of his time - no one could 'work a room' better than An… Continue Reading
02.24.22
Whitehouse Condemns Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the unprovoked invasion by Russian military forces on the nation of Ukraine: "Dictator Putin has now launched a full-scale invasion of Russia's democratic sovereign neighbor. This unprovoked, bloody assault on a peaceful nation is an attack on the international order created after World War II to promote peace among nations. It is also an attack on democracy itself, and autocrats around the world are watching… Continue Reading
02.23.22
Biden signs Bill to Name Slatersville Post Office After Fallen Soldier Spc. Matthew Turcotte
WASHINGTON, DC - A fallen Rhode Island soldier who was killed in the line of duty is being honored with a U.S. Post Office being renamed after him. President Joe Biden has now signed a bill into law naming the U.S. postal facility located at 42 Main Street in Slatersville, Rhode Island, as the "Specialist Matthew R. Turcotte Post Office." Turcotte, of North Smithfield, was killed in August of 2017 during a live-ammunition training exercise at Fort Carson in Colorado while serving with the 2nd … Continue Reading
02.22.22
Whitehouse Condemns Unprovoked Russian Attack on Ukraine
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the unprovoked attack by Russian military forces on the nation of Ukraine: "Without provocation, Putin has attacked a peaceful, democratic nation to expand his corrupt power. Russia's warrantless aggression demands a swift and forceful response from the NATO alliance, with each member doing their part to hold Putin accountable. It is an enormous test of our resolve - but one I expect we will pass. "I was ple… Continue Reading
02.22.22
Whitehouse Urges Stronger Transparency for Real Estate Transactions
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) submitted a comment to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) calling on the Department to safeguard America's rule-of-law financial system by codifying and strengthening the disclosure requirements in the current Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) for all-cash real estate transactions conducted through shell companies. "The United States is engaged in a 'clash of civilizations' between rule-of-law nations and t… Continue Reading
02.21.22
Joint Statement from Congressional Delegation to Munich Security Conference
Washington, DC - Members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives participating in the bipartisan Congressional Delegation to the Munich Security Conference (MSC) today released this statement. "It now appears increasingly likely that Russian forces will initiate hostilities against a free and peaceful Ukraine. We as a bipartisan delegation will bring home the same unity and resolve we have seen among our Atlantic allies against Russian aggression. We pledge to wor… Continue Reading
02.17.22
Whitehouse Co-Chairs Bipartisan Delegation to 2022 Munich Security Conference
Washington, D.C. - Against a backdrop of rising tensions in Eastern Europe, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this evening set off for Munich, Germany to join hundreds of world leaders and international security decisionmakers at the annual Munich Security Conference. Whitehouse and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are leading a delegation of more than two dozen members of Congress to the world's major global forum for the discussion of security policy. Whitehouse has served as the Democr… Continue Reading
02.17.22
Whitehouse, Grassley, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen the U.S. Criminal Code against Money Laundering
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Combatting Money Laundering, Terrorist Finance and Counterfeiting Act of 2022. Their bipartisan legislation modernizes and strengthens criminal money laundering statutes by giving federal law enforcement the tools it needs to keep pace with emerging techniques that criminals use to conceal and transport dirty money. "Criminal e… Continue Reading
02.16.22
Congressional Delegation Hauls in $371,000 in COVID-19 Relief for RI Seafood Industry
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help Rhode Island fishermen and seafood processors weather economic turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will grant the Ocean State $371,412 through the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program (SPRS). Administered at the local level by the Rhode Island Department of Environmen… Continue Reading
02.16.22
Whitehouse Cheers New Guidance to Support Expansion of Carbon Utilization and Direct Air Capture
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a leading climate champion in the Senate, today applauded new guidance on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) released by the Biden administration's Council on Environmental Quality. The guidelines for developers and operators of CCUS projects and carbon dioxide pipelines were called for in Whitehouse's Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act. "We're on track to overshoot the 1.5-degree Celsi… Continue Reading
02.15.22
Whitehouse Calls on FinCEN to Harden Financial Defenses against Kleptocracy and International Corruption
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has submitted a comment to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) urging the Department to implement a strong regulatory regime to counter the abuse of our financial system by kleptocrats and criminals who hide their ill-gotten gains in the U.S. behind anonymous trusts, shell corporations, and other financial schemes. "Ensuring the integrity of our financial system through a robust anti-money laundering (AML) an… Continue Reading
02.13.22
RI Delegation Delivers $3.38 Million to Boost RI’s Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC - As electric vehicle (EV) sales in the United States continue to accelerate at a rapid pace, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation says it is important for states to keep up with demand and for the federal government to be a reliable partner in strengthening the nation's charging capacity for electric vehicles. Sales of electric vehicles doubled in 2021 compared with 2020 and global automakers are projected to spend $515 billion dollars on electric vehicles and batteries throug… Continue Reading
02.10.22
Reed, Whitehouse Join with New England Delegation in Introducing Resolution Honoring Tom Brady
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse joined with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in introducing a resolution in the U.S. Senate honoring the career of Tom Brady, who announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL) earlier this month. The resolution highlights Tom Brady's record-breaking career, during which he… Continue Reading
