Press Releases
Whitehouse & Quigley Introduce Bills to Power Clean Energy Future
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) have introduced two bills aimed at improving the nation's power infrastructure and streamlining the regulatory process to help put the country on the path to a sustainable future. The Streamlining Interstate Transmission of Electricity (SITE) Act and the Advanced Energy Technologies and Grid Efficiency Act would create jobs, stimulate the economy, and advance the transition to clean energy. "Th… Continue Reading
08.06.21
Whitehouse Unveils REDUCE Act to Tackle Plastic Pollution
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of both the Senate Finance and Environment and Public Works Committees, has introduced legislation to create a powerful new incentive to recycle plastic, and to help end the flood of plastic waste that is overwhelming vital ecosystems and threatening public health. Whitehouse's Rewarding Efforts to Decrease Unrecycled Contaminants in Ecosystems (REDUCE) Act would impose a 20-cent per pound fee on the sale of new, or "virgin", plastic u… Continue Reading
08.06.21
Whitehouse, Wicker Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Crack Down on State-Sponsored Doping
Washington, DC - Today, Helsinki Commissioner Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) along with Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Ranking Member Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) introduced the Guaranteeing Oversight and Litigation on Doping (GOLD) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral bill would enable a doping fraud violation of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act to also activate charges under the U.S. criminal anti-money laundering… Continue Reading
08.06.21
Whitehouse Joins President Biden for Signing of Executive Order Setting Ambitious Target for Electric Vehicle Transition
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, yesterday afternoon joined President Joe Biden at the White House for the signing of an Executive Order setting an ambitious new target for getting vastly more electric vehicles on the road. The Executive Order aims to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles… Continue Reading
08.05.21
Reed & Whitehouse Outline Funds for RI in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Senate is debating a bipartisan infrastructure bill this week that includes several key provisions championed and supported by U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse to upgrade our transportation network, enhance public transit, invest in clean water and replace aging lead pipes and service lines. Overall, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes over $550 billion in new spending to repair, rebuild, and enhance roads, bridges, highways, w… Continue Reading
08.05.21
Whitehouse, Wyden Bill Ensures Private Equity Moguls Pay Fair Share in Taxes
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-O.R.) today introduced legislation to close the carried interest loophole and ensure hedge fund managers and private equity CEOs pay their fair share in taxes. Unlike other bills, the senators' bill would close the entire carried interest loophole-re-characterization of income from wage-like income to lower-taxed investment income and deferral of tax payments. Previously introduced bills address… Continue Reading
08.03.21
Senate Clears Whitehouse-Cornyn Bill to Fight Substance Use in Jails & Prisons, Support Inmates upon Release
Washington, DC - The Senate has passed the bipartisan Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Act of 2021 by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill will expand access to substance use treatment in jails and prisons around the country, and help those exiting correctional facilities continue their treatment in the community. The bill's passage follows Whitehouse and Cornyn's success in passing federal corrections reforms in 2018. "Senator Cornyn and I are making … Continue Reading
07.29.21
Whitehouse Statement on Vote to Proceed to Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today applauded the Senate's bipartisan vote to proceed to consideration of a major investment in upgrading the nation's infrastructure. "I've long been a champion for upgrading Rhode Island's highways, bridges, and water infrastructure, and creating good jobs and growing our economy in the process. Enough Republicans joined us in support of those priorities tonight… Continue Reading
07.27.21
RI Delegation Announces $1.15 Million Grant for Rhode Island Wind Energy Company
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Arctura Inc. in South Kingstown will be receiving a $1.15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop an innovative wind turbine blade coating to reduce damage caused by lightning. Lightning damage to wind turbines is one of the largest expenses for wind farm operators. An innovative blade coating is being developed in this project to reduce bla… Continue Reading
07.27.21
Whitehouse Supports Creation of New Rebate Program For Electric Home Appliances
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has joined U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) in introducing the Zero-Emission Homes Act to provide rebates for the purchase and installation of electric appliances and equipment in homes across the country, with additional support for low- and moderate- income households. "The economic, health, and environmental benefits of electric home appliances are widely known," said Whitehouse. "Our Zero-Emission Homes Program would help cove… Continue Reading
07.23.21
Drug-Free Communities Programs in Portsmouth, Lincoln, and Warren Get Federal Boost
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that three programs in Rhode Island received a total of $375,000 from the Office of National Drug Control Policy's Drug-Free Communities Support Program. The Portsmouth School Department and the towns of Lincoln and Warren each received $125,000 to fund substance use prevention strategies amid the worsening nationwide drug abuse crisis. "These grants will help preve… Continue Reading
07.22.21
Reed & Whitehouse Announce Selection Process for Judgeship on First Circuit
PROVIDENCE, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today outlined the process for ensuring there are highly-qualified applicants to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (First Circuit) that was created by Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson announcing her plan to take senior status. Judge Thompson will continue hearing cases, but on a more limited basis. As Reed and Whitehouse commence their search for a new judge to sit on the First Circuit, they say the goal… Continue Reading
07.22.21
Whitehouse Introduces the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act to Make Higher Education More Affordable
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act to help students take full advantage of higher education tax credits and Pell Grants to pursue a college education. Currently, our tax code prevents many qualifying students from reaping the full benefits of the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and the Pell Grant program. … Continue Reading
07.22.21
After New Details on Kavanaugh Investigation Surface, Senators Call on FBI for Answers on Handling of ‘Tip Line’
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray last evening requesting additional information on the FBI's 2018 supplemental background investigation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The senators' request follows a letter from the Bureau to Whitehouse and Coons revealing new details on the Kavanaugh background i… Continue Reading
07.21.21
Whitehouse Cheers New White House-DOJ Contacts Policy
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 the Biden administration's new policy safeguarding the Department of Justice from the kind of political interference by the White House that ran rampant during the Trump administration. "I have been a persistent advocate for years of a Department of Justice political firewall from the White House, confronting Attorney General Gonza… Continue Reading
07.21.21
ICYMI: Whitehouse Chairs Hearing on Federal Response to Drug Overdose Epidemic
Washington, DC - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led his first hearing as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control with Co-Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Tuesday. The bipartisan Caucus, which explores international and domestic strategies to fight drug trafficking, is also focused on the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Information about witnesses and prepared testimony can be found here. The Senator's opening r… Continue Reading
07.16.21
Whitehouse, Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Consumers from Predatory, High Cost Lending
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), have introduced legislation that would cap fees and interest on consumer loans at an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 36 percent-the same limit currently in place for loans marketed to military service members and their families. Studies show that while lenders today offer easy credit, these transactions often come with high interest rates, steep lat… Continue Reading
07.15.21
Merkley, Whitehouse Introduce Resolution Designating July as Plastic Pollution Action Month
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today to introduce a resolution designating this month as Plastic Pollution Action Month, citing extreme concern over the plastic pollution crisis that is threatening human health, dumping tens of millions of pieces of plastic in the ocean, and killing hundreds of thousands of animals every year. The resolution details the dangers to human health and environment posed by plastic pollution,… Continue Reading
07.15.21
Whitehouse Commends Judge Thompson as She Announces Transition to Senior Status
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today commended Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson of the First Circuit Court of Appeals for her decades of service to Rhode Islanders. Judge Thompson has announced that she will take senior status at the end of this year. "Judge Thompson is a trailblazer and a giant in Rhode Island's legal community. She has served Rhode Islanders with distinction over decades on the bench," said Whitehouse. "… Continue Reading
07.14.21
Whitehouse to RI Parents: Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Start Landing in Bank Accounts Tomorrow
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, today reminded Rhode Island parents that the expanded Child Tax Credit payments included in the American Rescue Plan will start landing in bank accounts tomorrow. The improved Child Tax Credit is poised to assist hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders. "After a really challenging stretch for Rhode Island families, Democrats have marshalled the full power of the federal … Continue Reading
