Press Releases
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
01.22.09
Whitehouse: Lilly Ledbetter Act Guarantees “Justice in the Face of Discrimination”
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General for Rhode Island and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, praised the Senate's passage today of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (S. 181): "This bill guarantees for all women what the Supreme Court denied Lilly Ledbetter: justice in the face of discrimination. I applaud Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ted Kennedy for their efforts to ensure that when a woman is paid less than a m… Continue Reading
01.21.09
Whitehouse Statement on Clinton Confirmation Vote
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement today on the Senate's confirmation of Hillary Clinton to be the next Secretary of State. "Now that she has been confirmed by the Senate as our new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will bring vast experience, formidable intelligence, and wise judgment to the enormous challenges we face and to restoring the world's confidence in our nation. Change has truly come to America, and Secretary Clinton will be… Continue Reading
01.16.09
Whitehouse Cosponsors Plan to Help Seniors Cover Gap in Prescription Drug Coverage
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to introduce a new plan aimed at closing the so-called Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole," the large gap in coverage during which Medicare beneficiaries continue to pay premiums but get no coverage at all. "As I travel around Rhode Island, I meet countless seniors who are frustrated and confused by the Part D program, and don't understand why our government isn't d… Continue Reading
01.15.09
Whitehouse Joins Rhode Island, Massachusetts Lawmakers to Commend Passage of Bill to Protect Taunton River Under the National Park Service's "Wild & Scenic" Program
Washington, DC - Senators Edward M. Kennedy, John F. Kerry, Jack Reed, and Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Barney Frank, James P. McGovern and Patrick J. Kennedy today commended Congress for the passage of legislation by the United States Senate to support the protection and community-based management of Taunton River as part of the Wild & Scenic River system. Senator Kennedy's spokesperson Melissa Wagoner said, "Senator Kennedy is extremely pleased that Taunton River will now be pa… Continue Reading
01.08.09
Whitehouse Calls for Temporary Boost to Social Security
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has asked Senate leaders to consider a temporary increase in Social Security benefits as part of economic stimulus legislation now being developed, to ensure that financial assistance reaches seniors and disabled Americans struggling to make ends meet as the economy worsens. In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA), Whitehouse emphasized that fixed incomes and reliance … Continue Reading
01.07.09
Civil Rights Leaders Join Senators Cardin and Whitehouse in Support of Attorney General Nominee
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D. R.I., and Benjamin Cardin, D. Md., joined the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) in a press conference on Capitol Hill to urge the swift confirmation of Eric Holder for U.S. Attorney General."Eric Holder is an experienced and dedicated public servant who will restore trust and confidence in a Department of Justice that recently ha… Continue Reading
01.06.09
Floor Statement of Sheldon Whitehouse, “A Tribute to U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell”
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr./Madam President, just this morning in this Chamber, we saw bright and promising Senate careers begin, with all that joy and hope. Yesterday, Rhode Island saw the sun set on an era, with the funeral of our friend, Senator Claiborne Pell. Many in this body served with him and knew him well. Rhode Island is grateful to Majority Leader Reid, Majority Whip Durbin, Claiborne Pell's dear friends Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden, and Senators Pat Leahy, Dick Lugar, Orrin Hatch, Chris Do… Continue Reading
