Press Releases
Whitehouse Statement on End of Combat Mission in Iraq
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the following statement today regarding the withdrawal of our last combat troops from Iraq: "When I ran for the Senate in 2006, our country was mired in a misguided war in Iraq made worse by a strategy that failed to help the Iraqi people stand up on their own. In 2009, President Obama responded to those of us who had long advocated for an end to this war by establishing a clear plan to bring our troops home. "Today's news that our last… Continue Reading
08.12.10
RI to Receive Over $2.26 Million in Federal Funds to Help Repair Route 95 Bridge
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that Rhode Island will receive a $2,266,200 federal appropriation to help repair the Pawtucket River Bridge on I-95. Reed and Whitehouse secured the funding in the Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations bill. They also secured $1.9 million for the bridge in 2009. In 2007, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) found the bridge's steel beams and other supports were deteriorating and put a 22-ton weight limi… Continue Reading
08.11.10
Rhode Island Appropriations Requests
Financial Services and General Government Recipient: Aquidneck Island Planning Commission Project: Advancing Economic Opportunities for Aquidneck Island Location: Newport, Rhode Island Amount: $308,000 Purpose: The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, which helps stakeholders to coordinate economic and infrastructure development, requests funding to facilitate planning among town councils, town managers, planners, tribal leaders, state agencies, and residents in the island's three municipa… Continue Reading
08.05.10
Whitehouse Praises Senate’s Confirmation of Kagan
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement today after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: "I was proud to vote to confirm Elena Kagan to serve on the Supreme Court. As her confirmation hearing made clear, Kagan has deep legal expertise and understands the proper role of a judge in our system of divided government. I look forward to her admirable service for many ye… Continue Reading
08.05.10
Whitehouse Introduces Legislation to Improve Mental Health Care
Washington, DC - Last year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) made an unprecedented investment in our medical infrastructure, providing almost $20 billion in incentive funds for health information technology. This long term investment will enhance the efficiency, cost effectiveness, and quality of health care. However, an important group of health care providers were excluded from these incentives: behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment professionals a… Continue Reading
08.03.10
Whitehouse Introduces Legislation to Help Small Businesses Stay Afloat and Retain Jobs
Washington, DC - With small businesses in Rhode Island and across the country struggling in the wake of the recession, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced legislation to improve their chances of staying open. Whitehouse's Small Business Job Preservation Act of 2010 would ensure that small businesses forced to declare bankruptcy have fair opportunities to reorganize and avoid layoffs. Chapter 11, the process under which big companies reorganize in bankruptcy, is too costly for … Continue Reading
07.27.10
Congress Approves Supplemental Funding for Wars, Veterans, and Flood Recovery
WASHINGTON, DC - With final passage by the U.S. House of Representatives today, Congress gave its stamp of approval to a $58.8 billion emergency war funding and disaster relief bill that will provide critical assistance for Rhode Island and other states hit by natural disasters this year. This legislation will save Rhode Island scarce state and local dollars by giving the state a special waiver from the standard 25% non-federal match requirement for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA… Continue Reading
07.22.10
Whitehouse, Snowe Introduce Landmark Legislation to Protect Oceans and Coasts
Washington, DC - 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. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to create a National Endowment for the Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes in order to protect and preserve these natural resources for future generations. "For too long, we have been tak… Continue Reading
07.21.10
Twelve Senators Outline Principles for Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation to Majority Leader Reid
Washington, DC - A group of twelve Senators today detailed key principles they will work to include in energy and climate legislation expected to be considered in the coming weeks. In a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senators urged him to include these baseline principles in legislation he may bring to the floor. The letter was signed by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ… Continue Reading
07.20.10
Remarks of Sheldon Whitehouse; Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting on the Nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General for Rhode Island, gave the following statement during today's hearing to confirm Solicitor General Elena Kagan as the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. --------------------------------------- Thank you, Chairman Leahy. Thank you particularly for your leadership of this Committee through this confirmation process. I am proud to vote in su… Continue Reading
07.20.10
Whitehouse Praises Critical Senate Vote on Unemployment Extension
Washington, DC - With millions of Americans still struggling to find work in this difficult economy, the U.S. Senate today took action to assist those in need by extending emergency unemployment insurance benefits through November 30. According to the Department of Labor, around 6,000 Rhode Islanders have lost their unemployment benefits since Republicans began blocking the extension in May. Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the cloture vote… Continue Reading
07.15.10
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
