Press Releases
RI Delegation Announces $450k in American Rescue Plan Funds for Local Arts Organizations
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that six Rhode Island arts organizations have been awarded a total of $450,000 in competitive grant funding from the American Rescue Plan to help cover payroll costs and pandemic-related expenses. The grants were awarded through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). "These American Rescue Plan grants will support local artists, create jobs, and help our arts and … Continue Reading
01.26.22
Whitehouse Statement on Breyer Retirement
Newport, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, released the following statement on the planned retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer: "I thank Justice Breyer for his dedication to the law and service to the American people, and wish him well in his retirement. Throughout his distinguished career on the Court, Justice Breyer applied his remarkable intellect to safeguard j… Continue Reading
01.24.22
Whitehouse, Sanders, Blumenthal, Warren Call Out ‘Reek of Politics’ in Right-Wing SCOTUS Challenge to Vital EPA Climate Authority
READ THE SENATORS' BRIEF HERE Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) submitted an amicus curiae brief in West Virginia v. EPA, the Supreme Court case challenging the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. Counsel of record for the senators is University of California, Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. The senators point out tha… Continue Reading
01.24.22
Whitehouse, Blunt Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing ‘National Mentoring Month’
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing January 2022 as "National Mentoring Month" to celebrate the many ways that mentors uplift and empower young people to reach their full potential. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA) introduced the resolution in the House. "A committed mentor makes a profound difference in the life of a young person. Mentors can provide sta… Continue Reading
01.21.22
Whitehouse Calls for Social Security Benefit Increase
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) - cofounder of the Defend Social Security Caucus, later the Expand Social Security Caucus - has signed on as a cosponsor of Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust, legislation to increase Social Security benefits and strengthen the program. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). "Seniors have earned the dignity of Social Security benefits in their golden years by paying into the system over a lifetime of … Continue Reading
01.20.22
Whitehouse Reflects on Successes of Biden Administration’s First Year
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement on the first anniversary of President Joe Biden's inauguration: "Our nation opened a new, hopeful chapter one year ago. With President Biden at the helm, Democrats quickly passed our American Rescue Plan, sending a lifeline to Rhode Island families and small businesses that had been knocked around by the pandemic. Today, lifesaving vaccines are free and plentiful, and the nation has added 6.4 million … Continue Reading
01.19.22
Whitehouse Issues Statement on Republican Blockade of Voting Rights & Democracy Protection Legislation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on Senate Republicans' refusal today to advance the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act-bills to protect Americans' right to vote and safeguard our democracy from special-interest influence, including by ridding elections of dark money. "We must all recognize the courage, suffering, and sacrifice - the love, energy, and passion - that so many of our fellow Americans have devoted … Continue Reading
01.19.22
Whitehouse: Rhode Islanders Can Now Sign Up for Delivery of Free At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits
Washington, D.C. - With pressure continuing to build on local hospitals, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today invited Rhode Islanders to sign up for delivery of free at-home COVID-19 test kits at COVIDtests.gov. The new home testing initiative was officially launched by the Biden administration today. "Ordering COVID-19 tests to your doorstep takes less than a minute thanks to a new initiative from the Biden administration," said Whitehouse. "I hope all Rhode Islanders will use this free progr… Continue Reading
01.18.22
Whitehouse Statement on Congressman Langevin’s Retirement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement regarding Congressman Jim Langevin's decision not to seek another term in the U.S. House of Representatives: "Jim's courage and decency make him a personal hero of mine, so I have very mixed feelings about his retirement, but I'm sure he's made the right decision in his own life. Jim was well ahead of the curve, warning the nation about the need to shore up our cyber defenses long before that threat was wide… Continue Reading
01.14.22
Whitehouse & Cornyn Applaud New Bureau of Prisons Rule Adopting Their Input on First Step Act Anti-recidivism Measure
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) applauded the federal Bureau of Prisons' final rule implementing the prison reform measures of the senators' landmark criminal justice reform bill, the First Step Act. Whitehouse and Cornyn authored First Step provisions establishing recidivism reduction programs to allow qualifying inmates to receive reductions to their sentences through time credits. After the Bureau's initial draft rule failed to carry out those provis… Continue Reading
01.14.22
New $47.1M Federal Investment Will Upgrade & Strengthen RI Bridges
PROVIDENCE, RI -- As the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) plans out their 2022 construction season, the Ocean State is getting a $47.1 million federal boost for bridge projects this week, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that an additional $47.1 million in federal funds is being wired to the state as a result of the bipartisan infra… Continue Reading
01.10.22
Amidst Worldwide Energy Price Spike & Record Demand, RI Gets $52.7M in Federal LIHEAP Aid to Help Pay Home Energy Bills
WAHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that Rhode Island has received a total of $52.7 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) available this fiscal year, which runs through September 2022. In addition to an annual appropriation of $21.9 million for Rhode Island, the Ocean State received an additional $30.8 million in federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2… Continue Reading
01.07.22
RI Delegation Urges Biden Administration to Protect Consumers from Unfairly High Heating and Energy Prices This Winter
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) have joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in sending a bicameral letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Richard Glick urging the agency to use its authority to protect consumers from unfairly high energy costs. "We write to express our concer… Continue Reading
01.06.22
Whitehouse Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol: "One year ago today, I watched from the window in my Capitol office as insurrectionists sent by the former President launched an assault to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Today, I'm thinking of the United States Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police, and all of the law enforce… Continue Reading
01.05.22
Whitehouse Statement on Attorney General Garland’s Speech on January 6th Investigation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney, released the following statement on Attorney General Merrick Garland's remarks today on the status of the Justice Department's investigation of the January 6th attack: "Sweeping up low-level players while ignoring the kingpins upstream isn't a full investigation. "The Attorney General committed today to a fearless investigation that 'follows the money' and those res… Continue Reading
01.05.22
Woonsocket Police Department Receives $819k Grant for New Program to Curb Opioid Crisis and Save Lives
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance has awarded the Woonsocket Police Department a three-year $819,109 grant to create a new diversion program aimed at connecting people who are struggling with opioid addiction to treatment rather than sending them to jail. Woonsocket's Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection, Engagement, and Retention (LEADER) in Treatment p… Continue Reading
12.22.21
Whitehouse, Cicilline Introduce Bill to Hold Police Departments Accountable for Officers’ Constitutional Violations
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Rhode Island Attorney General and U.S. Attorney, and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) have introduced the Constitutional Accountability Act to hold police departments accountable for unconstitutional conduct by their officers. The legislation would extend liability for constitutional violations to the departments responsible for officer hiring, training, supervision, discipline, a… Continue Reading
12.21.21
RI Delegation Secures $599,966 to Expand Quality, Trauma-Informed Services for Survivors of Sexual Assault
RHODE ISLAND -- U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Rhode Island Hospital will be receiving $599,966 from the Department of Justice's Office of Victims of Crime to establish Rhode Island's first SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner) program. This federal funding will enable Rhode Island to provide equitable access to quality, trauma-informed medical and forensic care for survivors of sexual assault, and support co… Continue Reading
12.21.21
Whitehouse, Warren, & Schatz Call on Tech Giants to Follow Through on Pledges to Stop Facilitating Climate Denial
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) are calling on the leaders of two of the nation's largest tech companies to follow through on the public commitments they've made to rein in the widespread climate denial misleading users of their influential platforms. In a letter sent today to the CEOs of Facebook and Google, the Senators urge the platforms to stop profiting from the spread of climate disinformation that is worsening climate c… Continue Reading
12.17.21
New $1.5 Million Federal Grant Will Outfit Hundreds of RI Police with Body-Worn Cameras
WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island's Congressional delegation has teamed up with local law enforcement, communities, and the U.S. Department of Justice to help provide frontline patrol officers across the state with body-worn cameras. These cameras help enhance transparency and strengthen community trust and can be an effective tool for increasing police accountability, de-escalating confrontational situations, and improving evidence documentation. Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehou… Continue Reading
