Press Releases
Waxman & Whitehouse Question U.S. Trade Representative’s Position on Tar Sands
Washington, D.C. - As the Obama Administration continues its process of determining whether to approve the development of the Keystone XL pipeline, a group of 21 U.S. Senators and Representatives are raising concerns about reports that U.S. trade negotiators are advocating for weaker international regulations on the tar sands crude oil that the pipeline would transport. In a letter led by Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the lawmakers ask whether the U.S. Trade Representative (… Continue Reading
12.19.13
Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change Releases Recommendations for Department of the Interior
Washington, DC - Following recent reports that John Podesta may be primed to push for "aggressive executive action on climate change" in his new role as White House counselor, the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change today released a white paper recommending concrete steps the Department of the Interior (DOI) should take in carrying out the President's Climate Action Plan. DOI manages roughly one-fifth of the land in the U.S. and plays a key role in policies regarding energy production and c… Continue Reading
12.18.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Passage of Budget
Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Senate voted 64 to 36 to pass a bipartisan budget agreement. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Budget Committee, released the following statement: "I supported the agreement because it provides budget certainty for two years, protects Social Security and Medicare benefits, and will help to prevent another government shutdown. While it doesn't go as far as I would have liked, the budget also provides for significant relief from the senseles… Continue Reading
12.17.13
Defense Authorization Bill Includes Bipartisan Asset Tracking Provision
Washington, D.C. - This week the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that will authorize funding for defense programs in the year ahead. The final bill, which was unveiled last week, includes a bipartisan provision authored by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to strengthen the military's "asset tracking" efforts. These efforts can save taxpayer dollars and help prevent counterfeit military items from enteri… Continue Reading
12.17.13
Rhode Island Seniors Continue Benefitting from Health Care Law
Washington, DC - As the holiday season nears, thousands of Rhode Island seniors will have a little extra money thanks to prescription drug savings made possible by the Affordable Care Act. Through October of this year 10,600 Medicare recipients in Rhode Island saved over $7 million on prescription drugs, for an average savings of $677 per person. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, thousands of Rhode Island seniors fell into the so-called Medicare "doughnut hole" and were forced t… Continue Reading
12.16.13
Whitehouse Hosts Meeting with National Coalition to Highlight Rhode Island Leadership on Advanced Illness Care
Providence, RI - This morning, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse hosted a panel discussion with Bill Novelli, co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), to discuss the organization's work to improve advanced illness care. Advanced illness occurs when chronic conditions, such as end-stage cancer and heart disease, progress to the point that general functioning declines and medical treatment begins to lose its effect. During the meeting, Senator Whitehouse and Rhode Island health… Continue Reading
12.10.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Budget Deal
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Budget conference committee, released the statement below regarding the budget agreement announced today by Chairmen Patty Murray (D-WA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI): "I commend Chairman Murray for completing the difficult task of coming to a budget agreement with House Republicans. To be sure, this is not the deal any of us had hoped for. Republicans refused to end a single special tax deal or to maintain extended unemployment b… Continue Reading
12.10.13
Obamacare Will Help 172,000 Rhode Islanders Gain Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits
Washington, DC - According to data released today by the White House, 172,000 Rhode Islanders will gain access to expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a strong advocate for mental health parity, applauded the announcement as the latest example of the ACA improving care for Rhode Islanders. "For too long, Americans suffering from mental health conditions have been… Continue Reading
12.10.13
Sen. Whitehouse: SCOTUS Should Uphold Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the oral argument at the Supreme Court today on whether to uphold the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR): "For too long, virtually uncontrolled coal-fired power plants have used tall smoke stacks to export dirty air to downwind states like Rhode Island - polluting our skies and endangering our health. In 2011, EPA established the Cross-State Air Pollution Ru… Continue Reading
12.10.13
RI Congressional Delegation Announces $123,000 in Federal Funding for Rhode Island Art Organizations
Washington, DC - Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today announced $123,000 in National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant funding for Rhode Island arts organizations and programs. These competitive grants were awarded to organizations that contribute to the cultural and economic development of the state through the arts. This is NEA's first round of FY2014 competitive grant awards. "This federal funding will help support local artists and bolster economic development and education through… Continue Reading
12.02.13
Whitehouse & RI Health Care Stakeholders Highlight how Health Reforms are Improving Quality of Care and Lowering Spending
Providence, RI - This morning, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts met with leaders of Rhode Island's health care industry to discuss how key reforms, some of which are part of the Affordable Care Act, are improving health care quality and lowering health spending in the state. During the roundtable, Representatives from Coastal Medical, Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Quality Institute, Care New England, and the Chronic Care Sustainab… Continue Reading
11.26.13
Sen. Whitehouse Applauds Administration’s Effort to Crack Down on “Dark Money” Activities
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the Obama Administration's newly proposed guidance to limit political activity by 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations: "Since the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to big money in elections in its disgraceful Citizens United decision, political groups posing as 'social welfare' organizations have abused their nonprofit status. They run ads targeting candidates for office and raise millions of d… Continue Reading
11.24.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Nuclear Deal with Iran
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the statement below regarding the agreement on Iran's nuclear program announced last night by President Obama: "This agreement has the potential to change the trajectory of events in the Middle East. It is only an opening step, as two sides begin to emerge from decades of enmity. Ultimately the Iranian nuclear weapons program must be fully shut down, and blind trust on our part would not be wise. With proper follow-up, however, this co… Continue Reading
11.22.13
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
