Press Releases
Whitehouse Fights for RI Shellfish Farmers in Farm Bill
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) to advocate for better insurance options for local shellfish farmers, which would give the aquaculture industry more certainty to expand and create jobs. The senators outlined their request in a letter to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, which is considering the 2018 farm bill ("Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018") today. Unlike many trad… Continue Reading
06.13.18
GAO Starts Study of Social Cost of Carbon
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has begun a study of the social cost of carbon-the measure of long-term damage done by carbon pollution-including a thorough analysis of the Trump administration's decision to drastically reduce the value of the social cost of carbon in the federal government's decisions. Whitehouse welcomed the progress. "Carbon pollution is triggering big changes. It's threatening our homes an… Continue Reading
06.12.18
Whitehouse Statement on North Korea Meeting
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: "A path to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is welcome, but the announcement President Trump and Chairman Kim made leaves many questions unanswered. All of the items listed in the announcement have been echoed by past North Korean leaders. I hope we can progress beyond this list to a meaningful accord that yields lasting peace." … Continue Reading
06.11.18
Reed & Whitehouse Seek to Reverse Trump Administration’s Forced Family Separation Policy at the Border
PROVIDENCE, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are joining with Rhode Islanders in calling on the Trump Administration to end its policy choice of involuntarily separating children from their migrant mothers and fathers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Senators Reed and Whitehouse highlighted that no law requires migrant families be separated at the border, and child welfare experts like pediatricians have argued that President Trump's policy of doing so can have harmful, long-term … Continue Reading
06.08.18
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Refusal to Defend the ACA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement in response to the Trump administration's refusal to defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act: "The President will stop at nothing to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and jeopardize the health care of millions of Americans. These attacks are destabilizing American health insurance markets and unearthing problems that should be long gone-like denying lifesaving coverage due to pre-existing conditions. T… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Senators Ask Inspector General to Investigate EPA Withholding Murray ‘Action Plan’ & Scrubbing Pruitt Calendars
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Carper (D-DE) asked the Inspector General for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate withheld documents and potential misrepresentations to Congress about the influence of coal baron Robert Murray and others. The letter highlights a number of requests by Whitehouse and Carper for documents that shed light on Murray's interactions with the EPA, including an "action plan" Murray has provided multiple Trump officials at … Continue Reading
06.07.18
Whitehouse Statement on Hearing in Trump Foreign Emoluments Case
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a party to the lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump by members of Congress under the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, released the following statement on a hearing in the case today: "So far, Donald Trump's presidency has been a study in self-dealing. As the president sits at the controls of the federal government, his Trump brands and businesses win favors and make money from foreign interests. There's the new Trump six-sta… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Whitehouse, Hatch Introduce Bipartisan Portuguese Visa Bill to Grow Economy, Create Jobs
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have introduced the bipartisan Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success (AMIGOS) Act, which would extend trade and investor visas to Portuguese citizens to increase international business between the United States and Portugal. "The cultural and economic contributions of hardworking Portuguese immigrants are an important part of Rhode Island's rich heritage," said Whitehouse. "The bipartisan AMIGOS Act furthers… Continue Reading
06.06.18
Carbon Utilization Act Introduced Ahead of Farm Bill
Washington, DC - Ahead of introduction of the Senate Farm Bill, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) to introduce the Carbon Utilization Act, to allow emerging carbon utilization technologies, such as carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) and biogas production, to access U.S. Department of Agriculture loan guarantees, research programs, and rural development loans. The bill also would create education programs and encourage interagency collabora… Continue Reading
06.06.18
Big Oil’s Lobbying Belies Talk on Climate, Whitehouse Warns Pope
Washington, DC - As Pope Francis prepares to host executives from major oil companies for a conference on climate change, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote to Pope Francis today to highlight the significant discrepancy between oil companies' stated support for climate action and their lobbying and political efforts that undermine it. "Many of the oil companies with which you will be meeting are fond of saying, in essence, 'we know climate change is real; we know our product causes it; and… Continue Reading
06.04.18
Whitehouse Delivers Eleventh Annual Speech on the Burning of the Gaspee
Washington, DC - As Rhode Islanders ready for the annual Gaspee Days celebration in Pawtuxet Village this weekend, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today delivered his eleventh annual speech on the floor of the Senate to recall the story of the bold colonists who stood up to British rule and burned the HMS Gaspee on Narragansett Bay in 1772. The Gaspee Affair took place more than a year before the Boston Tea Party. "The story of the Gaspee is just one part of a daring Rhode Island resistance, s… Continue Reading
05.31.18
Trump Sabotage of ACA Leads to Higher Insurance Bills for RI Families
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today addressed the Trump administration's sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, a significant factor in the proposed rate increases for 2019 health insurance plans in Rhode Island's marketplace, HealthSource RI. "These proposed premium increases are a result of the Trump administration's deliberate attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act after Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the law last year," said Whitehouse. "While the diligent work… Continue Reading
05.24.18
Whitehouse Encourages Rhode Islanders to Apply for Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has launched a process for federal student loan borrowers to be reconsidered for loan forgiveness under a temporary expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. The $350 million temporary loan forgiveness program was created based on a Whitehouse provision that became law in March. The new law offers an opportunity for student loan relief for eligible Rhode Islanders working … Continue Reading
05.24.18
Senators Ask Rosenstein if Criminal Evidence from Trump-DOJ-FBI Meeting is Being Protected
Washington, DC - In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein today, Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee ask if the Department of Justice and the FBI are complying with longstanding Department policies and properly handling potential evidence of obstruction of justice stemming from Rosenstein and intelligence officials' meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this week. In a tweet last Sunday, Trump demanded the meeting to examine whether "FBI/DOJ infiltrated or su… Continue Reading
05.24.18
Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Durbin Introduce Stop Secret Foreign Interference in Elections Act
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced new legislation today to detect and deter foreign nationals and governments' use of dark money organizations to interfere in American elections. The Stop Secret Foreign Interference in Elections Act would shine a light on foreign money flowing into American political organizations and hold campaigns accountable for keeping foreign funds out of their coffers. The bill's introduction… Continue Reading
05.24.18
Whitehouse Reacts to Extension of Comment Period for Rule Favoring Industry-Backed Science
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) responded to an announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it will extend the comment period and hold a public hearing for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's proposed rule to shrink dramatically the body of scientific knowledge the agency can use in crafting public health and environmental protections. Whitehouse led a group of 20 Senators in requesting the comment period be extended. "An all-out attack on this type of legiti… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Whitehouse, Markey Lead Senators in Urging Action on Key FERC Renewables Rule
Washington, DC - Sixteen Senators, led by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to finish work on a rule to pave the way for Americans to connect their rooftop solar, wind, and energy storage devices to the electrical grid. Allowing these distributed energy resources (DER) better access to America's power distribution system would help to grow a more flexible and resilient grid and lower prices for consumers, the Senato… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Election Spending by Foreign Nationals Using Shell Companies
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Shell Company Abuse Act to impose tough criminal penalties on those who use or help set up shell companies to hide foreign nationals' political activities in the U.S. "Shell companies are a perfect tool for a foreign agent looking to stir trouble in our elections. Not only do they offer total anonymity, they are quick and … Continue Reading
05.23.18
Trump Tax Scam Sends Billions to Oil Companies as Gas Prices Skyrocket
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has joined Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), to release a Senate Finance Committee report outlining the massive Trump tax breaks for Big Oil companies, as gas prices rise across the country. Gas prices in Rhode Island have increased by $.59 per gallon, or 25 percent, over the past year under President Trump. "The GOP tax scam was bill… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Whitehouse Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Support Treatment for Babies Exposed to Opioids
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Rob Portman (R-OH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Dean Heller (D-NV), and Bob Casey (D-PA) to introduce bipartisan legislation to be considered by the Senate Finance Committee that would help newborns suffering from withdrawal recover in the best care setting and provide support for their families. "Earlier this year, I visited Women & Infants Hospital where the… Continue Reading
