Press Releases
Whitehouse Bill, a Step to Repair Politicization at Justice Department, Overwhelmingly Passes Senate Committee
Washington, D.C. - In a bipartisan, 13-2 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee today approved legislation authored by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) aimed at restoring a critical safeguard against political interference at the Department of Justice, a step Whitehouse said would help "restore Americans' confidence" in the Department in the wake of the controversial tenure of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The bill, S. 1845, deals with the rules governing communications between the W… Continue Reading
09.20.07
RI Veterans Cemetery Receives $5.7 Million Upgrade
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to provide our veterans with a fitting final resting place, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that the state of Rhode Island will receive $5,732,027 to improve the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. This grant, which is awarded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will provide for upgrades such as the design of a master plan for future expansion, a new administration building, and a new front entrance … Continue Reading
09.19.07
Whitehouse Joins Cranston Family in Fight to Cure Genetic Disease
Washington, D.C. - In an effort to combat the leading genetic cause of death in children under the age of two, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has cosponsored legislation to accelerate research into spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a disease that affects the Calise family of Cranston and thousands of others across the country. The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Treatment Acceleration Act (S. 2042) would rapidly advance treatments for SMA, a hereditary disorder that destroys nerves controlling vo… Continue Reading
09.18.07
Whitehouse Congratulates Newporter on Prestigious Arts Award
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator and National Council on the Arts member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) delivered the keynote address today at a ceremony honoring Nicholas Benson of Newport, the first Rhode Islander to receive a prestigious national award for folk and traditional arts. Benson, a third-generation stone letter carver and calligrapher, was recognized this morning along with eleven other recipients of the 2007 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)'s National Heritage Fellowship. "On be… Continue Reading
09.10.07
Whitehouse on Petraeus Iraq Report: Time for Troops to Come Home
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) commented today on the long-awaited report by General David Petraeus on the Bush administration's "surge" strategy in Iraq: "It's time to send a clear signal to Iraq and the rest of the world that we are bringing our troops home. We're facing a simple question: is it in our country's best interests for our troops to remain in Iraq? From everything I've seen and heard, the answer is no - and for that reason, it's time to begin a rapid, … Continue Reading
09.07.07
Whitehouse Votes To Increase Funding for Pell Grants
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) voted today to pass legislation raising Pell Grant awards, the federal student aid program that makes it easier for students from low-income families to afford a college education. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R.2669) also reduces interest rates for student borrowers and provides incentives for students to pursue employment in the public sector. "No student who wants to learn should be prevented from attending college b… Continue Reading
08.30.07
Woonsocket, Warwick Mentoring Programs Awarded Federal Grant
Providence, R.I. - An initiative that connects at-risk children in Warwick and Woonsocket with adult mentors who can make a positive difference in their lives is getting an infusion of federal funds, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) announced today. The Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership will receive $185,537 from the U.S. Department of Education for mentoring programs for Warwick and Woonsocket students in grades 4-8. "When I was Attorney General, I saw first-hand the enormous change … Continue Reading
08.29.07
On Second Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Whitehouse Calls for Commitment to Rebuilding
Providence, R.I. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) issued the following statement today, on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina: "When I traveled to New Orleans earlier this year, and flew over the Lower 9th Ward, I witnessed block after block of demolished and vacant houses, as far as the eye could see. Two years after Hurricane Katrina struck, the Bush administration still has not kept its promise to rebuild this great American city - and that's disgraceful. "We must rebuild… Continue Reading
08.27.07
Sheldon Whitehouse Statement on Resignation of Attorney General Gonzales
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a former United States attorney and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement on the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:"It's been clear for months that Alberto Gonzales's resignation is in the best interest of the country. This is also good news for the Department of Justice, but a great deal of work remains to be done to restore Americans' confidence in this great Departm… Continue Reading
08.13.07
Sheldon Whitehouse Statement on Karl Rove's Resignation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) released the following statement today on the resignation of Karl Rove: "Karl Rove leaves behind an administration whose relentless pursuit of partisan political gain, at the expense of the principles of justice, our nation's security, and the rule of law, have seriously damaged our credibility at home and around the world. Americans still have significant questions about Mr. Rove's role in the firing of several U.S. attorneys and deci… Continue Reading
08.10.07
R.I. Senators Praise Denial of LNG Facility Permit
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) praised today's decision by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to deny a dredging permit to Weaver's Cove Energy, LLC. The agency said the company's application to dredge 230,000 cubic yards of sediment from the federal navigational channel in Mount Hope Bay was "incomplete and insufficient.""This news is a positive development for opponents of this proposal, and I hope the … Continue Reading
08.02.07
Whitehouse Applauds Passage of Ethics Reform Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) released the following statement on the Senate's passage today of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. "Americans changed the Senate so we would change Washington - and today we've done just that, passing sweeping legislation to reform ethics and lobbying rules that represents the most far-reaching such change in a generation. "Rhode Islanders, and all Americans, deserve to know that they - not the special … Continue Reading
07.31.07
Anti-Global Warming Measure Passes Senate Committee
Washington, D.C. - The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has approved legislation pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow states to set strict limits on pollution from cars, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) announced. Whitehouse, a committee member, is a cosponsor of the bill, designated S. 1785. "Rhode Islanders are committed to taking common-sense, concrete steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions - but years of stonewalling and delay by the Bush admi… Continue Reading
07.26.07
Senators Schumer, Feinstein, Feingold, Whitehouse Call On Solicitor General to Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Potential Perjury by Attorney General
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Russell Feingold (D-WI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate possible wrongdoing by the Attorney General, originating with his statements regarding the removal and replacement of several United States Attorneys, in addition to his testimony before Congress regarding the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP.) In a letter to Paul D. Clement, Solicitor General … Continue Reading
07.25.07
Reed, Whitehouse Seek to Protect Wetlands in Rhode Island and Nationwide
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to protect Rhode Island's wetlands and rivers and strengthen our nation's environmental laws, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined with Russ Feingold (D-WI) and several Senate colleagues in introducing the Clean Water Restoration Act. This bill will help protect wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems, which play an important role in absorbing flood-waters, preventing pollution from reaching our rivers and streams, and providing cr… Continue Reading
07.20.07
Whitehouse Joins National Arts Council
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has been appointed to serve as an ex-officio member of the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). He was named to the Council by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "I'm honored to represent the Ocean State on this distinguished panel," Whitehouse said. "The NEA supports Rhode Island artists, performances, and educational opportunities that make our communities richer, our … Continue Reading
07.18.07
Freshman Senators Call For Commission To Investigate Wartime Contracting
Washington, DC - Senate Democratic freshmen today introduced a bill to establish an independent, bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting to investigate U.S. wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission would significantly increase transparency and accountability and generate important solutions for systematic contracting problems, potentially saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The Commission will study and investigate the impact of the government's growing reli… Continue Reading
07.18.07
Homeland Security Announces Funding For Rhode Island
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation today announced the state will be receiving approximately $19.5 million in Homeland Security funding for Fiscal Year 2008. Included in this amount is approximately $5.15 million designated under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program. In January, Providence qualified for UASI for the first time. UASI targets funding in high-threat, high-density urban areas. Eligibility is based on a number of factors, including c… Continue Reading
07.05.07
Whitehouse Statement on Cape Verde Independence Day
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has released the following statement: "I'd like to wish a happy Independence Day to the Cape Verdeans of Rhode Island. Whether expressed in the sounds of traditional Morna music or in a bowl of delicious cachupa, the vibrant culture of Rhode Island's Cape Verdean community is one of our great treasures." ###… Continue Reading
07.02.07
Whitehouse Statement on Libby Prison Sentence Commutation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement in response to President Bush's decision to commute the prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney: "President Bush's decision to commute Scooter Libby's prison sentence is shocking and highly inappropriate. From a secret program that eavesdropped on Americans without a warrant to efforts to expose a C… Continue Reading
