Press Releases
Whitehouse Encourages Rhode Islanders to Apply for New Coastal Resilience Funding
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today encouraged local governments and organizations to apply for funding from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, a significant new source of federal investment to restore, increase, and strengthen natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities, while improving wildlife habitats. Whitehouse wrote the legislation creating the fund, which was originally authorized as the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. "Senator Kennedy and I designed… Continue Reading
06.30.18
Farm Bill Passes Senate with Whitehouse Provision to Support Aquaculture
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has voted in support of the 2018 farm bill ("Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018"), which includes a key provision advocated for by Whitehouse to support the aquaculture industry's growth. The farm bill passed the Senate in an 86 to 11 vote yesterday evening. "Rhode Island shellfish farmers produce some of the best oysters in the country," said Whitehouse. "I'm proud that the Senate has adopted our suggestions to give this sustainable … Continue Reading
06.29.18
U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Name Bristol Post Office for Local Fallen Hero Andrew McKenna
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse announced that the U.S. Senate voted to honor the late Army First Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna, a Green Beret who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, by passing legislation last night to name a U.S. Post Office in Bristol as the "First Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna Jr. Post Office." Sergeant McKenna was 35 years old when he was killed in action during an insurgent attack on August 7, 2015 in Afghanistan while fighting to… Continue Reading
06.28.18
Carbon Utilization & Biogas Legislation Clears Senate
Washington, DC - Important provisions of carbon utilization and biogas legislation introduced by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) passed the Senate today as part of the farm bill. The provisions are based on parts of Bennet and Whitehouse's Carbon Utilization Act. The legislation would allow emerging carbon utilization technologies, such as carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) and biogas production, to access U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) re… Continue Reading
06.28.18
Senators Call for Action on DISCLOSE Act
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) to call for a hearing on the DISCLOSE Act, legislation to shine a light on unlimited secret spending in American elections. Whitehouse has led all Senate Democrats in introducing the legislation while similar legislation was introduced in the House. Despite strong support for the legislation and n… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Whitehouse Statement on Justice Kennedy Retirement
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the announcement of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy: "On the heels of another Supreme Court term defined by a Republican 5-4 majority delivering big wins for right-wing and corporate interests, Justice Kennedy's retirement should be a wake-up call to anyone who cares about equality and justice for all. With decisions like we've seen … Continue Reading
06.27.18
Democrats Introduce the DISCLOSE Act of 2018
Washington, DC - Today, as a growing share of Americans believe special interests have undue influence in government, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) led all Senate Democrats and 145 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives in introducing legislation to shine a light on the unlimited, secret spending flooding American elections. Whitehouse and Cicilline's updated DISCLOSE Act would require organizations spending money in federal elections to di… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Whitehouse Statement on SCOTUS Janus Decision
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senator Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. AFSCME today: "We appear to have reached a point where litigants appearing before the Supreme Court in certain matters can anticipate victory or defeat because of the identity of the parties, not the merits of the case. The solicitation of this case by one of the right-wing Justices, the special-interest-funded 'faux litig… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Time to Wake Up: Pruitt the Great Deregulator
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, as I rise for my 209th ``Time to Wake Up'' climate change speech, I return to a familiar subject: disgraced Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. Not that long ago, I was here discussing the baker's dozen of ethical scandals swirling around Pruitt. From his $43,000 ``cone of silence'' phone booth to the millions he spent on a 20-person security detail, to his lights-and-sirens escapades, to fancy DC restaurant Le Diplomate, Pruitt has come to… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Whitehouse Statement on SCOTUS Decision on Trump Muslim Ban
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision today to uphold President Donald Trump's ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries: "I am sorry to see yet another 5-4 partisan decision by the Republican appointees on the Court, this time accepting President Trump's political narrative about a travel ban designed to be a 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the Uni… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Whitehouse Notches Bipartisan Energy Wins in Energy-Water Minibus
Washington, DC - The Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to fund federal energy and water programs that includes legislation by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to pave the way for investment in promising new renewable energy and advanced nuclear energy technologies. The Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, or "minibus", passed the Senate by a vote of 86-5. Whitehouse applauded its passage. "From carbon capture and utilization, to energy efficiency, to energy storage, … Continue Reading
06.25.18
Whitehouse Unveils New Bill to Help RI Manufacturers Address Workforce Challenges, Support Innovation
Pawtucket, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined Congressman David Cicilline and leaders in Rhode Island's manufacturing industry to unveil new legislation to help manufacturers temporarily retain retiring employees to train a replacement and transfer their institutional knowledge. Whitehouse made the announcement at Cooley Group, a fabric manufacturer in Pawtucket. "Local manufacturers are facing new challenges recruiting and training skilled workers as more Baby Boomers get ready… Continue Reading
06.21.18
Forty Senators Push Senate Appropriations Leaders to Reject Dangerous Environmental Riders
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) led 40 Senators in urging the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee to keep destructive anti-environmental provisions - or "riders" - out of this year's appropriations bills. Republicans have frequently attempted to slip environmental riders into spending bills in recent years, leading to gridlock in the annual appropriations process and risking the health and safety o… Continue Reading
06.21.18
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Child Separation Executive Order
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's immigration executive order altering his administration's practice of separating children from their families but continuing to detain them indefinitely under its "zero tolerance" policy: "The crisis President Trump manufactured by indiscriminately separating innocent kids from their families is not over. These families endured long journeys to flee danger and build better lives. We… Continue Reading
06.20.18
Nuclear Fuel Recycling Pilot Program Approved By Senate
WASHINGTON - Nuclear research conducted at the country's national energy laboratories will benefit from a $15 million pilot program secured by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) to recycle spent naval fuel for use in advanced nuclear reactors. The amendment by the senators was adopted today by the full Senate on a 87-9 vote. The Senate is currently debating the Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The demonstration project would blend h… Continue Reading
06.20.18
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Executive Order Revoking the National Ocean Policy
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus and author of legislation that created a new fund for ocean and coastal resiliency, released the following statement on the Trump administration's revocation of the 2010 National Oceans Policy: "President Trump seems hell-bent on undoing his predecessor's work, no matter for good or ill. Our federal ocean policy ought not be silent on the disastrous effects of climate change. Sea level rise and… Continue Reading
06.19.18
Whitehouse, Harris Press Pruitt on EPA Political Appointees Steering No-Bid Contract to GOP Firm
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt to explain why political appointees apparently initiated a no-bid, federal contract with Definers Public Affairs, a company that shares leadership, staff, and an address with America Rising, a political action committee that funded a campaign to confirm Pruitt as EPA Administrator. The Senators point to EPA documents and Senate investigators' interviews with… Continue Reading
06.19.18
Whitehouse Demands Answers from DHS About Forced Family Separation at the Border
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this morning demanded answers from a top Department of Homeland Security official about the Trump administration's new policy of separating children from their parents as families arrive at the Mexican border seeking refuge in the United States. Emphasizing the importance of prosecutorial discretion, Whitehouse questioned United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Francis Cissna about the policy during a hearing of the Sen… Continue Reading
06.19.18
Delegation Announces $12.5 Million in Opioid Funding Available to Rhode Island
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and David Cicilline (D-RI) announced a substantial increase in federal funding made available for Rhode Island's fight against opioid addiction. Rhode Island's share from a grant program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will rise from $2.1 million last year to $12.55 million as a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, also k… Continue Reading
06.14.18
Whitehouse Statement on DOJ Inspector General Report
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, released the following statement on the Department of Justice's Inspector General report released today: "Not once, but twice, Director Comey violated the Justice Department chain of command and longstanding department rules barring the disclosure of derogatory information about an uncharged target of an investigation. That's something all prosecutors know is inappropriate. As a resu… Continue Reading
