Press Releases
Durbin and Whitehouse React to Report on Torture Authorizations
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today reacted to the release of a report on the Office of Professional Responsibility's (OPR) investigation of Justice Department attorneys who provided legal advice regarding waterboarding and other abusive interrogation techniques for the Bush Administration. Whitehouse and Durbin first requested the investigation in a February 12, 2008 letter to OPR and the Office of Inspector General during the previous Administ… Continue Reading
02.17.10
$22.3 Million TIGER Grant Will Help Fuel Clean Energy Jobs in RI
North Kingstown, RI - Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today announced that the Quonset Development Corporation will receive over $22.3 million in federal Recovery Act funding to help create green jobs, develop alternative energy sources, and alleviate highway congestion. The Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant will be used to make infrastructure upgrades at the Quonset Business Park, including road, pier, and freight improvements which will increase por… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Rhode Island Quality Institute to Receive Over $11 Million for Health Information Technology
Washington, D.C. - Rhode Island's congressional delegation today announced that the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) will receive $11.28 million from two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants for health information technology (HIT). This federal funding will be used to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders by making our health care delivery system more efficient and responsive. "This is a smart investment that will help create jobs and allow hospitals and providers throughou… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Whitehouse Highlights Rhode Island Contributions to Haiti Relief Effort
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took to the floor of the United States Senate yesterday evening to highlight some of the ways in which Rhode Islanders are helping victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He pointed out many examples of individuals, schools, and military personnel throughout the state who are working to provide support and financial assistance to those struck by this terrible tragedy. Selected excerpts from the speech: "Madam President, bad things can brin… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Whitehouse Statement on Kennedy’s Decision Not to Seek Re-Election
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the following statement this morning regarding news that Congressman Patrick Kennedy will not seek re-election in 2010: "For two decades, Congressman Patrick Kennedy has been a tireless advocate for Rhode Islanders in need. As a member of the state legislature and then the U.S. House of Representatives he delivered time and again for our Ocean State and for his constituents in the first district. He leaves behind him a lasting legacy a… Continue Reading
02.04.10
Whitehouse Pushes Geithner on Bankruptcy Reform to Limit Foreclosures
Washington, DC - As millions of American homeowners continue to struggle against the tide of home foreclosures, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today continued to push for bankruptcy reform to help people stay in their homes. During a Senate Budget Committee hearing with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Whitehouse shared stories from Rhode Islanders who have struggled to avoid foreclosure and urged the Secretary to support bankruptcy reforms that would allow mortgage modifications. … Continue Reading
02.02.10
Reed, Whitehouse, Kennedy Announce $5.2 Million for East Providence Fire Department
WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to enhance Rhode Island's emergency response preparedness, create construction jobs, and boost the local economy, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy today announced that the East Providence Fire Department will receive $5,297,222 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. This Recovery Act grant will support the renovation of the Department's Station #1, located at 913 Broadway Street, and Station #… Continue Reading
02.01.10
Whitehouse: President’s Budget Will Help Put America Back to Work
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today on President Obama's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011: "Rhode Islanders and families across the country are hurting right now, and they need to know their leaders in Washington are doing everything possible to put the unemployed back to work. The budget proposed today by President Obama sends a clear message that his administration is focused on doing just … Continue Reading
01.29.10
Whitehouse Criticizes Supreme Court Decision on Campaign Finance
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse delivered a speech this morning on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the dangers of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opens the door to unlimited corporate spending on political advertising. The full text of Whitehouse's speech is below: ------------------------------------------Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise this morning to join Chairman Leahy's eloquent and inspiring remarks of yester… Continue Reading
01.28.10
RI to receive $1.2 Million for Track & Platform Upgrades at Kingston Station
WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island's congressional delegation today announced that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will receive $1.2 million to begin preliminary work on track upgrades and to build a second station platform at Kingston, RI, which will improve service reliability. The project will help allow Amtrak's high-speed rail service to run alongside intercity rail and potentially expanded commuter rail service to Kingston. "This funding will help realize the vision of tr… Continue Reading
01.27.10
Whitehouse Statement on President’s State of the Union Address
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement following President Obama's State of the Union address: "Tonight, President Obama laid out a firm and positive agenda to address our nation's many serious challenges in the year ahead: a struggling economy, two wars, rising health insurance costs, and so much more. "I've heard from so many Rhode Islanders who are still struggling to make ends meet. Tonight, I hope families in our Ocean State will take some … Continue Reading
01.26.10
RI Contractor Using Stimulus Funds to Create Jobs Will Join Whitehouse at President’s State of the Union Address
Washington, DC - A local contractor whose company has been putting Rhode Islanders to work on projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will attend President Obama's State of the Union Address Wednesday evening as the guest of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Enrico DiGregorio and his company DiGregorio Corporation have signed contracts for three construction projects funded by ARRA, which have so far created 35 jobs. Whitehouse recently met DiGregorio at the … Continue Reading
01.21.10
Whitehouse Reacts to Supreme Court Decision on Campaign Finance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) reacted today to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision opening the door to unlimited corporate spending on political campaigns: "The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld reasonable limits on corporate campaign spending. Today, the Court, in a striking display of judicial activism, departed from that long tradition in the Citizens United case. Ruling broadly and ignoring settled precedent, five conservative justices have now rewritten the Co… Continue Reading
01.21.10
Reed and Whitehouse Applaud Senate Judiciary Committee’s Vote to Approve Thompson Nomination
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee's vote to approve without opposition the nomination of Rhode Island Superior Court Justice O. Rogeriee Thompson to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Last year, following an open and in-depth selection process which included extensive interviews and careful deliberation, Reed and Whitehouse recommended Justice Thompson to the President, who then formal… Continue Reading
01.21.10
Reed, Whitehouse, and Kennedy Announce $575K for Blackstone River Bikeway
Washington, DC - Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy announced today that Rhode Island is receiving $575,000 in federal funding for the Blackstone River Bikeway. The funds will go to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to support work on the Blackstone River Bikeway which passes through Lincoln, North Smithfield and Woonsocket. The work will occur on the section of the bikeway from Manville Hill Road in Lincoln to the Woonsocket Wat… Continue Reading
01.21.10
Whitehouse Praises Administration Decision to Release $4 million in Home Heating Aid for Rhode Island
Washington, D.C. - President Obama has directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release $490 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) contingency fund. The release follows a request from 48 Senators led by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and will give Rhode Island $4,083,587 in federal funding to help families struggling with high energy prices heat their homes and pay their bills. "In these tough economic times this is welcome news for Rhode I… Continue Reading
01.15.10
Whitehouse Statement on Earthquake in Haiti
"My thoughts and prayers today are with the people of Haiti as they struggle to overcome this devastation, and with the many Rhode Islanders who have friends and family there. The United States is taking swift action to provide relief on the ground, and we will continue to do all we can to save lives and to help Haiti rebuild in the wake of this devastating tragedy." ###… Continue Reading
01.13.10
Whitehouse Visits Clean Water Project Funded by Economic Recovery Bill
Providence, RI - As Rhode Island and the nation struggle to create local jobs and maintain a clean water infrastructure, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today visited a Providence facility preparing to begin construction to dramatically expand its capacity to reduce pollution in Narragansett Bay. Whitehouse was at the Narragansett Bay Commission's Field Point facility in Providence to learn about their efforts to reduce nitrogen discharges into the Bay in order to prevent algae blooms th… Continue Reading
01.12.10
Reed and Whitehouse Visit Recovery Act Construction Site, See Economic Revitalization at Work in Johnston
Johnston, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today visited a local construction site where funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is being used to help improve local infrastructure, create jobs, and bring businesses back to a once blighted stretch of Hartford Avenue. The investment of $3.5 million in Recovery Act dollars to upgrade the roadway and install fiber optics and new traffic lights will help improve road safety, ease traffic flow, and allow the … Continue Reading
01.06.10
RI Delegation Announces $3.7 Million Recovery Act Funding to Promote Green Job Growth
WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to help create green jobs and boost Rhode Island's construction and manufacturing industries, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today announced that the Providence Plan's Building Futures program will receive $3.72 million in Recovery Act funding to launch an Energy Training Partnership. This grant will enable Building Futures to prepare approximately 1,600 hundred Rhode Islanders for careers in energy efficient-construction and renewable-power industries ove… Continue Reading
