Press Releases
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
12.24.09
Whitehouse Statement on Senate Passage of Health Care Bill
Washington, D.C. - "After nearly a year of debate and discussion, the U.S. Senate today passed landmark legislation to reform our broken health care system: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "This historic legislation will make health insurance available to more than 30 million Americans now without coverage, lower costs for individuals who already have coverage and for small businesses, improve the quality of our care, and lower our nation's long term budget deficit. And for Rhod… Continue Reading
12.23.09
Reed, Whitehouse Announce Stimulus Funds to Increase Broadband Internet Access in Rhode Island
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) will receive approximately $1.5 million in federal funding to expand broadband internet services in Rhode Island. The funding is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which Reed and Whitehouse supported. "Expanding broadband services to more Rhode Islanders is a smart investment in our state's infrastructure and t… Continue Reading
12.18.09
Whitehouse Statement on Copenhagen Summit
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding today's developments at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen: "Since taking office in January President Obama has worked quickly to reverse eight years of American neglect of climate change, and his constructive engagement with other world leaders today in Copenhagen moves us further forward. The productive discussions between the U.S. and China give hope that they and other large emit… Continue Reading
12.14.09
Whitehouse Applauds Senate Leadership Commitment to Closing Medicare “Donut Hole”
Washington, D.C. - During the health care debate on the Floor of the United States Senate today, Majority Leader Harry Reid committed to closing the Medicare "donut hole" gap in prescription drug coverage, an announcement welcomed by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Making sure seniors have access to affordable prescription drug coverage has long been a top priority for Senator Whitehouse. "During my travels throughout the state, I have met countless seniors who are frustrated and confused by the P… Continue Reading
12.14.09
Congress Approves Millions for RI that Reed and Whitehouse Secured in 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Senate yesterday approved 57-35, a year-end appropriations bill that U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse said will provide critical federal support for a wide range of projects and programs throughout Rhode Island. The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives 221-202 on December 10 and will now go to the President's desk to be signed into law. "This has been a difficult fiscal year, but I am pleased to have secured these crucial investments to he… Continue Reading
12.10.09
Senators Push for Reduction in the Volume of Excessively Loud Television Commercials
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation that would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the volume of television advertisements. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act of 2009 (S. 2847) co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), would require the volume of television advertisements to be no louder than the volume of the program during which the advertisements appear. "Every day millions of Americans are … Continue Reading
12.09.09
Whitehouse Amendment to Health Care Bill Would Help Families Struggling with Medical Debt
Washington, DC - As the Senate continues to debate landmark health care reform legislation, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has filed an amendment to the legislation to help the many American families burdened by the costs of illness and injury. The amendment, which is modeled after Whitehouse's Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act introduced earlier this year, would make the bankruptcy process less costly and more accessible for people bankrupted by medical bills. "Many families in Rhode Is… Continue Reading
