Press Releases
Senate Increases Funding for Energy Assistance, College Costs
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate voted today to increase funding for programs that help working families heat their homes in winter, conserve energy, and pay for college as part of major legislation that will keep the federal government running through next March. The "continuing resolution," formally titled the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, includes funds for government operations and defense and homeland security spending, as well as $22.9 bi… Continue Reading
09.26.08
Whitehouse Cosponsors “Independence at Home” Act
Washington, D.C. - Working to improve the health outcomes and care options for chronically ill patients on Medicare, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the "Independence at Home Act" today. The bill will create incentives for providing patients with care options that offer greater independence and quality of life and will set up demonstration projects in 26 states. The bill has attracted widespread support in both the House and Senate, includ… Continue Reading
09.26.08
Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Legislation Passes Senate
WASHINGTON (Friday, September 26, 2008) - The Senate today unanimously passed legislation designed to address intellectual property rights enforcement concerns and to protect American innovation and advancement. The legislation was introduced in July by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). The Judiciary Committee reported the measure earlier this month. After constant negotiations in the Senate, and with the House of Representativ… Continue Reading
09.25.08
Senate Passes Bill to Grow America’s Green Economy, and Require Equality in Mental Health Care
Washington, D.C. - To support American families and businesses working to conserve energy and grow our green economy, the U.S. Senate has passed legislation renewing tax credits that will help America become more energy efficient and encourage development of solar power, wind power, fuel cells, and other renewable energy sources. The bill also contains a measure, championed by Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), which would require health care coverage for mental health services to be equal to … Continue Reading
09.25.08
Whitehouse Reacts to President’s Speech on the Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) commented on President Bush's address to the nation last night on the Administration's plan to address the turmoil gripping U.S. financial markets: "For worried Rhode Island families looking to Washington for answers amidst a serious economic crisis, President Bush last night offered little to help them, and no acknowledgement that these are problems of his own making. "I am committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate to cra… Continue Reading
09.24.08
Whitehouse Presses for Assistance to Struggling Families in Financial Markets Bailout
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has urged Senate leaders to provide assistance to homeowners as they craft legislation to rescue the nation's ailing financial markets in the wake of last week's turmoil on Wall Street. In a letter Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Whitehouse raised concerns about a Bush Administration proposal giving Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson broad and unchecked power… Continue Reading
09.24.08
Whitehouse Chairs Senate Aging Committee Hearing on End-of-Life Decisions
WASHINGTON - Questions surrounding patient care at the end of life are among the most difficult families face. State laws on the subject vary widely, health care providers are sometimes uncertain about their responsibilities, and all too often, people simply don't know the choices available to them. To identify barriers to end-of-life decision-making, and raise awareness about the need for solutions, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) chaired a hearing today before the Senate Special Commi… Continue Reading
09.18.08
Senate Passes Whitehouse-Backed Amendment Supporting Investigations of Wartime Fraud in Iraq, Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate has passed legislation extending the window of time in which prosecutions can be brought against contractors who defraud the government during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The amendment, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), was included in a bill authorizing $612.5 billion in funding for the military for fiscal year 2009. "Defrauding American taxpayers is unacceptable in all cases and outrageous when it comes to our troops in harm's way… Continue Reading
09.17.08
Reed, Whitehouse Announce an Additional $1.9 Million in Emergency LIHEAP Funding for RI Families
WASHINGTON, DC -- In response to a request led by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the President today directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to release the remaining $120.7 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund - just days before the end of the fiscal year when the fund was due to lapse. Rhode Island will receive $1,925,448 of this federal funding to help families struggling with high energy bills heat their homes this coming wint… Continue Reading
09.17.08
As Economy Struggles and Unemployment Rates Rise, Senators Seek to Extend Unemployment Insurance to Those Hit Hardest by the Bush Economy
WASHINGTON, DC - With the Bush economy driving unemployment rates to a five-year high of 6.1% and the number of unemployed Americans now reaching 9.4 million, several leading U.S. senators today joined together in introducing legislation to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits so people can pay their bills while they look for work. In 1991 and 2002, Congress worked with the White House to enact similar legislation to extend UI benefits when unemployment rates were high. The measure, auth… Continue Reading
09.16.08
Whitehouse Asks Justice Department to Prevent Disenfranchisement of Voters Losing Their Homes
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the author of legislation to combat the voter-suppression practice known as "vote caging," today joined 13 other senators in asking the Department of Justice to take action in the wake of reports suggesting the Republican Party plans to use this tactic to challenge voters whose homes have been foreclosed. Last week, the Michigan Messenger quoted James Carabelli, the Republican Party chairman in Macomb County, Michigan as saying that "[w… Continue Reading
09.15.08
Whitehouse: Market Turmoil a New Low for the Bush Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) commented today on the steep drop in the stock market sparked by the failure of Lehman Brothers and investors' worries over the health of the financial sector: "The collapse of Lehman Brothers and the stock markets' ensuing free fall today are deeply troubling to Rhode Island families worrying about their financial future. This is a new low for the Bush economy - and another sign that the last thing America needs is four more years of t… Continue Reading
09.11.08
Senators Propose Adding Ban on Secret Detentions to Defense Bill
Washington, D.C. - Four U.S. Senators have offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Authorization bill (S. 3001) that would provide the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to detainees in custody of all U.S. intelligence agencies. The bipartisan amendment would effectively end the Bush Administration's practice of secret detentions, which runs counter to the practice of our Armed Forces, our fundamental values, and international law. This measure has also been ap… Continue Reading
09.11.08
Judiciary Committee Reports Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Legislation
WASHINGTON (Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008) - The Senate Judiciary Committee today reported legislation to address intellectual property rights enforcement and protect American innovation. The Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act was approved by the Committee in a 14-4 vote. The legislation was introduced in July by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and is cosponsored by Judiciary Committee members Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), … Continue Reading
08.26.08
Senators Call on Administration to Withdraw Proposed Changes to Endangered Species Act Rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, Sens. John Kerry (D - Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D - Calif.), along with Sens. Chris Dodd (D - Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D - R.I.), Hillary Clinton (D - N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I - Vt.), and Frank Lautenberg (D - N.J.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, urging him to withdraw the recent proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations. "The proposed changes are inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the ESA, … Continue Reading
08.20.08
Senators Raise Concerns Over Attorney General Guidelines For FBI Investigations
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) raised concerns over new rules regarding FBI investigations. In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the Senators who are all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged the Attorney General not to finalize the new Attorney General Guidelines that govern FBI investigations until members of congress, experts and others have had the chance to provide … Continue Reading
08.12.08
Bush Administration Proposal Guts Endangered Species Act, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - A Bush Administration proposal to allow individual government agencies, rather than scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to decide whether vulnerable wildlife would be harmed by new construction projects badly undermines the Endangered Species Act, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said today. "This is a blatant and unjustifiable attempt to gut a landmark environmental law that has protected our treasured American wildlife for more than three decades - a l… Continue Reading
08.04.08
U.S. Senate Designates August as National Truancy Prevention Month
Washington, D.C. - As Rhode Island students prepare to head back to school this fall, federal lawmakers are urging families, schools, and law enforcement officials to work together to keep kids in the classroom and on the right track. Last Friday, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution, authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), designating August 2008 as National Truancy Prevention Month and recognizing that chronic truancy causes serious harm to young people in America. Th… Continue Reading
08.04.08
Whitehouse, Feinstein, Others Introduce Legislation to End CIA Coercive Interrogations and Secret Detentions
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced legislation requiring the CIA to follow the Army Field Manual's rules when conducting interrogations. The manual specifically prohibits the use of waterboarding and seven other coercive techniques. The Restoring America's Integrity Act would: Require the CIA and all other U.S. intelligence … Continue Reading
08.01.08
Feingold, Whitehouse Introduce Bill to Help Curb "Secret Law"
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have introduced legislation to prohibit the President from relying on one form of "secret law." The Feingold-Whitehouse bill would require public notice when the President modifies, revokes, waives, or suspends a published executive order or similar Presidential directive that carries the force of law and binds the Executive Branch. The legislation responds to a legal opinion of the Department of Justice's Offi… Continue Reading
