Press Releases
Whitehouse Authors Bill to Recoup Billions in Bailed-Out Banks’ Executive Pay
Washington, D.C. - As the Obama Administration unveiled stricter limits on future executive compensation as part of its plan to shore up the nation's shaky financial sector, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation to help taxpayers recoup billions of dollars in deferred compensation already on the books at banks that receive, or have already received, taxpayer assistance under the federal bailout program. The Wall Street Journal estimated that banks receiving bailout funds… Continue Reading
02.12.09
Whitehouse to Lead Judiciary, Environment Oversight Subcommittees
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will chair subcommittees focusing on oversight in both the Judiciary and Environment and Public Works Committees in the 111th Congress. Whitehouse, who played an active role in Congressional inquiries into politicization at the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency under the Bush Administration, expects to leverage his new positions to better understand the damage of the last eight years and help the Obama Adminis… Continue Reading
02.11.09
Whitehouse Meets with Actor and Oceans Advocate Ted Danson
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) met today with Ted Danson, the award-winning film and television actor and member of the Board of Directors of Oceana, to discuss Danson's work with Oceana to limit offshore drilling and support sustainable fishing. "It was good to hear Ted's thoughts on ways we can protect our precious coastlines from the risks that come when oil and gas rigs sprout up offshore," said Whitehouse, a member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Commit… Continue Reading
02.11.09
Whitehouse: Economic Recovery Bill is a Promise Kept to American People
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released this statement today on the announcement that an agreement has been reached on a House-Senate compromise on economic stimulus legislation: "This bill is a promise kept to the American people. I'm glad my colleagues were able to quickly reach an agreement to get this bill to President Obama's desk and help get our economy moving again. "Like the bill the Senate passed, this measure isn't perfect - but it is a start to create job… Continue Reading
02.10.09
Economic Recovery Bill Will Create Jobs and Support Families in Rhode Island, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - Economic recovery legislation passed by the U.S. Senate today will create thousands of Rhode Island jobs, cut taxes for working families, and make critical investments in our state's future, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said today. Whitehouse worked to include provisions to boost Social Security payments to seniors and disabled Americans and invest in health information technology. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will create or save 13,000 Rhode … Continue Reading
02.10.09
Whitehouse: Health IT Investments in Economic Recovery Legislation Will Save Money and Save Lives
Washington, D.C. - Economic recovery legislation passed today by the U.S. Senate will significantly improve the quality and efficiency of health care in America, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said today. As part of the measure, Whitehouse spearheaded an effort to establish resource centers to help doctors implement new health information technology systems. "Supporting doctors who use health IT to improve patient outcomes will create jobs and help us bring down the spiraling health ca… Continue Reading
02.09.09
Whitehouse Applauds Leahy’s Call for “Truth and Reconciliation” Commission
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) praised a proposal today by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to create a "truth and reconciliation" commission to look into certain actions by the Bush Administration: "Chairman Leahy today summed up a belief shared by millions of Americans: that we need to 'get the truth out' about the damage done to this country under the Bush Administration, and what we now must do to repair it. "He understands that the trust … Continue Reading
02.08.09
Whitehouse Asks Rhode Islanders to Share Health Care Stories
Warwick, R.I. - As Congress and the Obama Administration embark on efforts to reform our broken health care system, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today launched a new online communications tool to get Rhode Islanders involved. At a community dinner in Warwick this evening, Whitehouse unveiled his Health Care Storyboard, a new web page featuring personal stories from Rhode Islanders who have struggled to find affordable health insurance for themselves or their families, or who have foun… Continue Reading
02.06.09
By The Numbers: What the Economic Recovery Plan Could Mean for Rhode Island
WASHINGTON, DC -- The White House today released a fact sheet offering state-specific details on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which will create and save jobs in the near future and make important investments in laying the foundation for a strong economic future. Among the many benefits Rhode Island will receive from this economic recovery package: Creating or saving 13,000 jobs over the next two years. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health… Continue Reading
02.06.09
Obama EPA Begins Review of Emissions Limits
Washington, D.C. - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today it would formally begin revisiting the Bush Administration's decision to deny a request by California, Rhode Island and other states to set restrictions on tailpipe pollution from vehicles sold within their borders. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who cosponsored a measure that would have approved the states' request legislatively, commended the move… Continue Reading
02.03.09
Whitehouse Praises Senate Confirmation of Eric Holder as Attorney General
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement applauding the Senate's vote to confirm Eric Holder as the next Attorney General of the United States. Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General for Rhode Island, served in the Clinton Administration with Holder. "With Eric Holder as Attorney General, Americans can at last have faith again in the Department of Justice as our guardian of civil liberties … Continue Reading
02.02.09
Reed and Whitehouse Push for Local Jobs and Investment as Part of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Plan
North Providence, RI - Stressing the urgent need to pass President Obama's economic recovery plan to create jobs, aid Rhode Island's struggling cities and towns, and make critical investments in America's future, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today called for passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which will be debated in the Senate this week. At an event in North Providence with Mayor Charles Lombardi, the Senators pledged to deliver feder… Continue Reading
01.30.09
Whitehouse Takes on Lavish Pay for Bailed-Out Banks’ Executives
Washington, D.C. - In a hard-hitting speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sharply criticized Wall Street firms that retained lavish compensation packages for high-ranking executives and spent huge sums on luxury items while at the same time receiving billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded assistance. This week alone saw reports that Citigroup, one of the recipients of federal money, planned to purchase a $50 million private jet; that executives at Merrill Ly… Continue Reading
01.29.09
Senators Introduce Bill to Improve Global Development Efforts, U.S. Image Abroad
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced legislation today to significantly improve the nation's ability to implement global development assistance programs. Their Increasing America's Global Development Capacity Act authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to triple the number of Foreign Service Officers in an effort to begin rebuilding its capacity to implement long-term developm… Continue Reading
01.29.09
Whitehouse Applauds Passage of Children’s Health Care Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) issued the following statement today on the Senate's passage of legislation to strengthen the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the federal initiative that helps fund RIteCare and other children's health programs across the country. "The crisis in our health care system affects all of us - but it is greatest, and it is most tragic, when it affects our children. I'm proud to join Senator Jack Reed, a tireless advocate in the … Continue Reading
01.28.09
Reed & Whitehouse Announce Selection Process for Federal Judgeships
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In response to inquiries regarding federal judicial appointments, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today outlined the process for ensuring there are highly-qualified applicants to fill vacancies on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court in Providence. All interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Senator Reed's office (1000 Chapel View Boulevard, Suite 290, Cranston, RI 02920) by February 11, 2009. The goal is to id… Continue Reading
01.26.09
Obama’s Order to Revisit Emissions Limits is Welcome News for Rhode Island, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - President Obama's order to revisit a request by California, Rhode Island and other states to set tough restrictions on tailpipe pollution is welcome news for Americans who want to see more fuel-efficient cars and trucks on the road, said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). "For years, the Bush Administration took care of its friends in the oil and gas business instead of pushing for stricter pollution standards that will lead to new cars and trucks that get better fuel ec… Continue Reading
01.23.09
Whitehouse Applauds Confirmation of New EPA Administrator
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today applauded the Senate's confirmation of Lisa Jackson as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "For the past eight years, EPA Administrator Johnson repeatedly made decisions that put President Bush's political allies and their anti-environment agenda before the health and welfare of our people and our planet. "Administrator Johnson set inadequate standards to protect against pollution from ozone, lead, and soot… Continue Reading
01.23.09
Delay in Holder Confirmation Illogical and Unreasonable, Whitehouse Says
Washington, D.C. - 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, today sharply criticized the argument some Republican members of the Committee are making for delaying a vote on the nomination of Attorney General-Designate Eric Holder: "Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have asked Eric Holder to make a commitment, before he is even confirmed, that he will not prosecute any Bush Administra… Continue Reading
01.22.09
Whitehouse Applauds President’s Move to Ban Torture
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of the original sponsors of legislation banning the use of torture by U.S. interrogators, today applauded President Barack Obama's issuance of executive orders to make such a prohibition the law of the land. "Today, President Obama has reaffirmed America's highest ideals, and signaled that America will once again be empowered by those ideals. They are at once our greatest gift and our greatest strength," said Whitehouse, a former U… Continue Reading
