Press Releases
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
08.01.08
Obscene Oil Company Profits Cost Rhode Islanders at the Pump, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - Oil giant ExxonMobil's record-high second-quarter profits amount to a quarterly tax of $47 on every car and truck in the country, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said today. "If you've ever wondered where the $60, $80, or $100 that it costs to fill up your tank goes, take a look at this: as gas prices have risen, oil company profits have soared," Whitehouse said in a speech on the Senate floor. "If Exxon continues to reap profits at this level, in 2008 alone, you will… Continue Reading
08.01.08
Attorney General Asked to Assess Damage Done to Justice Department by Illegal, Politicized Hiring Practices
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of reports that Justice Department officials used political and ideological screening tests to fill career positions, seven Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today asked Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey to assess whether this illegal hiring practice has done long-term damage to the mission of the Department. The letter to Mukasey was signed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edw… Continue Reading
07.31.08
Senate Panel Approves Over $6 Million for Rhode Island in New Energy Technology and Water Conservation Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that the Appropriations Committee has approved legislation including $3.05 million in funding for Rhode Island alternative energy, flood prevention, and water restoration initiatives they requested as part of the 2009 Energy and Water Development spending bill. The bill also includes $3 million that Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, secured for key programs throughout the state. "Reliabl… Continue Reading
07.30.08
Bipartisan Group of Senators Calls for Olympic Truce in Darfur
Washington, D.C. - A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is urging the international community to use the world stage provided by the upcoming Olympic Games to call for an end to the violence in Darfur, Sudan and the wider region. As the world prepares to come together for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China on August 8th, the group of Senators including Russ Feingold (D-WI) Norm Coleman (R-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Olympia Sn… Continue Reading
07.29.08
Senators Call for EPA Administrator's Resignation
Washington, D.C. - Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and committee members Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) called for the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today, charging that Johnson had given misleading testimony before Congress; refused to cooperate with Congressional oversight; and based agency decisionmaking on political considerations rather than scientific … Continue Reading
07.28.08
Latest DOJ Report Shows Bush Administration Was Too Willing to Break the Rules, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former U.S. Attorney who helped lead the Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation into widespread political interference at the Department of Justice, commented today on a report by the Inspector General's office that found that former top official Monica Goodling discriminated against job applicants based on their political affiliation, in violation of federal law and department policy: "The Bush Administration has shown over and o… Continue Reading
07.23.08
Whitehouse Urges Senate to Act to Bring Down Oil Prices
Washington, D.C. - Cracking down on an explosion in speculative trading in energy markets could help lower prices at the pump, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said on the Senate floor today. The Senate is debating legislation that would strengthen the federal government's authority to oversee and investigate energy commodities markets. "Families in Rhode Island and across the country are having to choose between filling their tank and feeding their families; between heating their home a… Continue Reading
07.15.08
Senate Overrides Bush’s Veto of Medicare Bill
Washington, D.C. - Doctors and seniors in Rhode Island and around the country were spared deep cuts in Medicare reimbursements today, when the United States Senate voted to override a presidential veto on legislation blocking the cuts from taking effect. The Senate initially passed the bill last week, as U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) returned for the first time since undergoing surgery for brain cancer to cast a critical vote. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who voted to overri… Continue Reading
07.14.08
Whitehouse Sponsors Bill to Help Relieve Credit Crunch
Providence, R.I. - As the U.S. economy struggles with a deepening credit crisis, Rhode Islanders saddled with high-interest loans are finding it almost impossible to repay their debts. During a visit today to the Urban League of Rhode Island, which counsels people facing credit or repayment problems, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced new legislation aimed at offering consumers some relief from sky-high interest rates. "With working families in Rhode Island and across the country… Continue Reading
