Press Releases
Whitehouse Invites RI Organizations to Apply for Grants from National Coastal Resilience Fund, Which Received Big Boost in Infrastructure Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today invited Rhode Island organizations to submit grant applications to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund. Whitehouse created the National Coastal Resilience Fund to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities, while safeguarding wildlife habitats. "Thanks to our infrastructure bill, this round of funding for the National Coastal Resilience Fund I created… Continue Reading
03.25.22
As Oil Companies Rake In Cash, Economists and Environmental Groups Endorse Whitehouse’s Windfall Profits Tax
Washington, D.C. - Economists and environmental groups are expressing support for the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) earlier this month to curb profiteering by oil companies and provide Americans guaranteed relief from soaring prices at the gas pump. New reports have emerged that Big Oil companies are planning on using windfall profits to pay large dividends to shareholders and buy back billions of dollars of their own shares, … Continue Reading
03.24.22
Whitehouse Praises Ketanji Brown Jackson on Exemplary Performance in Confirmation Hearings
Washington, DC - At the close of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson today, senior Senate Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement: "I am proud to have taken part in considering Judge Jackson's historic nomination. Judge Jackson set a new bar for patience, courtesy, and dignity from a Supreme Court nominee coming before the Judiciary Committee. Rhode Islander and Reagan First Circuit appointee Judge Bruce Selya was rig… Continue Reading
03.23.22
Whitehouse Calls out GOP Colleagues’ Empty Concern with “Judicial Philosophy” of Supreme Court Nominees
Washington, DC - Today, during the Supreme Court nomination hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took on Republicans' repeated concerns with Supreme Court nominees' "judicial philosophy." As Whitehouse pointed out, Republicans and their judicial nominees have adopted so-called judicial philosophies - like the doctrine of "originalism" - to advance the rights of corporations and powerful special interests at the expense of the American people. And then they fl… Continue Reading
03.21.22
Whitehouse: Long-Awaited Draft SEC Climate Rule Does Not Go Far Enough in Requiring Disclosure of Material Information
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today released the following statement after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a draft rule that would require companies to disclose some climate-related risks: "While it is good to see the Securities and Exchange Commission finally move forward with this proposal after years of delay across multiple administrations, today's proposal is disappointing in its omissions. "Without question, climate change poses serious fin… Continue Reading
03.21.22
Whitehouse Delivers Opening Statement for SCOTUS Hearing
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, delivered his opening statement for the nomination hearing of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Video of Whitehouse's remarks is available here; the hearing is livestreamed here. Full text of Whitehouse's as-delivered statement is below. ### Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Opening Statement ***AS-DELIVERED*** Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing March 21, 2022 Thank y… Continue Reading
03.17.22
Whitehouse, Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address E-Waste National Security Threat, Grow Domestic Recycling Industry
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to stop the flow of electronic waste to China and other countries that counterfeit American technology. The Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) would ensure that electronic waste, or e-waste, does not become the source of counterfeit products that reenter military and civilian electronics in the United States. The legislation would also help grow the domestic re… Continue Reading
03.17.22
Whitehouse, Padilla Introduce Bill to Grant Student Loan Forgiveness to Frontline Health Workers
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Student Debt Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act to forgive the student loan debt of frontline health professionals. The legislation honors the sacrifice of health care workers and the enormous burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We owe so much to our health care workers - something we grew to appreciate even more during the COVID-19 crisis," said Whitehouse. "This legislation honors the contributi… Continue Reading
03.16.22
Ahead of Expected SEC Climate Rule, Whitehouse Calls for Increased Climate Lobbying Disclosure Requirements
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ed Markey (D-MA) today called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to include a disclosure requirement for lobbying activities related to climate change in the agency's anticipated new climate rule so that investors can accurately gauge their risk exposure. The Senators' letter to t… Continue Reading
03.16.22
Whitehouse Cheers Launch of Multinational Task Force to Help Seize Assets from Putin and Oligarchs
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a Senate leader in the fight against kleptocracy and corruption abroad, applauded the launch today of the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) multilateral task force to coordinate several rule-of-law nations' efforts to seize Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs' assets. The senator also cheered the Treasury Department's launch of the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program, which offers reward payments for informatio… Continue Reading
03.16.22
Whitehouse Introduces Bills to Grant Student Loan Forgiveness to Frontline Health Workers and Teachers
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has introduced a pair of bills to forgive the student loan debt of frontline health care workers and teachers. "We owe so much to our health care workers and teachers - something we grew to appreciate even more during the COVID-19 crisis," said Whitehouse. "This legislation honors the contributions of these public servants by helping them to wipe the slate clean of student loan debt." The Teacher Loan… Continue Reading
03.15.22
Senate Passes Whitehouse’s Bipartisan Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Washington, D.C. - Two days into Daylight Saving Time, the U.S. Senate has passed Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) legislation to make it permanent nationwide. Whitehouse joined fellow cosponsors of the Sunshine Protection Act on the Senate floor this afternoon to move the bill's passage. The Senate then passed the legislation by unanimous consent, sending it to the House of Representatives. "Resetting the clocks may soon be a thing of the past," said Whitehouse. "This is a bipartisan bill … Continue Reading
03.15.22
Whitehouse, Graham, Blumenthal, Wicker Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Seize Russian Oligarchs’ Assets to Aid Ukraine
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) will introduce the new bipartisan Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act, to enable the seizure and sale of Russian oligarchs' assets to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. This bill is the updated Senate version of a bipartisan House bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). "Putin and his oligarchs stow their dirty mone… Continue Reading
03.14.22
$1.2 Million Federal Grant Heading to Providence, Cranston School Districts for Clean Energy School Buses
RHODE ISLAND - In an effort to help local schools cut fuel and maintenance costs, reduce emissions, and lower engine noise, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that First Student Inc. - through their contract with the Providence School District - is receiving $1.2 million to replace four aging, diesel buses with new, zero-emission electric school buses. The delegation secured federal funding for this initiative in the Am… Continue Reading
03.14.22
Whitehouse and Portman Cheer $946 Million for CARA Programs to Bolster Opioid Epidemic Fight
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) - authors of the groundbreaking Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and CARA 2.0 laws - applaud the $946 million for CARA grants included in the FY 2022 government appropriations measure, a 21 percent increase over FY 2021. The record funding will strengthen the federal government's response to the addiction crisis and deepen CARA's reach into communities where the crisis rages. "The addiction epidemic has ta… Continue Reading
03.14.22
Whitehouse and Cornyn Secure Funding Boost to Fight Substance Use in Jails & Prisons
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) applauded the $40 million appropriated to fund the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program in the FY 2022 government funding bill. This $6 million funding increase from FY 2021 will strengthen a key program which aims to break the cycle of substance use for those in state, local, and tribal correctional facilities. "Those who are walking the long and noble path to recovery deserve our ful… Continue Reading
03.12.22
As Americans Prepare to Spring Ahead, Whitehouse Renews Call to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Washington, D.C. - As Americans prepare to set their clocks forward an hour, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is urging Congress to pass his bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. Whitehouse is the lead Democrat on the bipartisan bill, which is also sponsored by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). "Many people spend months looking forward to this weekend, when clocks will jump ahead an hour and winter starts to fade," said Whitehouse. "I… Continue Reading
03.11.22
Whitehouse Delivers $68.2 Million Investment in Rhode Island Communities Via Omnibus Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that more than $68.2 million will soon be on its way to Rhode Island to support 56 projects that will stimulate the local economy and create jobs. Whitehouse successfully included the Congressionally Directed Spending requests in the 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which funds the federal government for the rest of this fiscal year. The Senate approved the Omnibus last night, sending it to the President's desk to be signed into… Continue Reading
03.10.22
With Gasoline Prices Sky High, Whitehouse Leads Democrats in Introducing Curb on Big Oil Companies Engaged in Profiteering to Provide Relief at the Pump
Washington, D.C. - With gas prices skyrocketing in recent days against a backdrop of continued Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax to curb profiteering by oil companies and provide Americans relief at the gas pump. The Senate legislation is cosponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack R… Continue Reading
03.09.22
Whitehouse Cheers Funding Measure’s Asset Recovery Initiative Team & Boost for Sanctions Enforcement against Putin and His Oligarchs
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) applauded new emergency supplemental appropriations legislation included in the omnibus spending bill released early this morning, which includes provisions championed by Whitehouse to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs accountable for their attack on a peaceful Ukraine. "This legislation will make sure Putin and his oligarchs pay an enormous price for their assault against the people of Ukraine," said Whitehouse. "The bill… Continue Reading
