Press Releases
Whitehouse and Murkowski Direct China Package Conferees to Support Fisheries, Invest in Blue Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, released the following statements after their legislation, the Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, or the BLUE GLOBE Act, advanced one step closer to becoming law. This week the Senate passed by voice vote Senators Whitehouse and Murkowski's motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 4521, the United … Continue Reading
05.06.22
Whitehouse Releases Previously Undisclosed Correspondence with SCOTUS, Lower Courts on Poor Ethics and Transparency Standards in the Federal Judiciary
Washington, DC - During a Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee hearing on transparency and accountability in the federal courts, Subcommittee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) entered portions of his extensive correspondence with the Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and other judiciary officers into the official subcommittee record. The correspondence reveals new details about the lack of ethics and transparency rules for Supreme Court Justices and lower court judges - a… Continue Reading
05.05.22
ICYMI: Whitehouse Chairs Tax Subcommittee Hearing on the Political Activities of Tax-Exempt Entities
Washington, DC - On Wednesday, Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led a Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation & IRS Oversight hearing entitled, "Laws and Enforcement Governing the Political Activities of Tax-Exempt Entities." The hearing examined the ways in which special interests exploit weak and outdated IRS regulations to funnel massive amounts of unaccountable dark money into our elections through 501(c)(4) organizations. So-called "social welfare" groups are exempt from taxation und… Continue Reading
05.04.22
ICYMI: Whitehouse Leads Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee Hearing on Judicial Ethics, Transparency & Accountability
Washington, DC - On Tuesday, Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights in a hearing entitled, "An Ethical Judiciary: Transparency and Accountability for 21st Century Courts." The hearing explored the lack of transparency and accountability in the federal judiciary and potential legislative solutions - including a strong code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, strengthened recusal standards for judge… Continue Reading
05.02.22
Whitehouse Statement on Reported Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement on reports of a draft Supreme Court majority ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade and strike down a woman's constitutional right to abortion: "If the majority Republican justices stay the course, this decision will go down as one of the most supremely political acts in Supreme Court history. Roe v. Wade has stood firm in the law for decades, guaranteeing w… Continue Reading
04.28.22
Whitehouse Welcomes Biden Plan to Seize Oligarch Assets to Supply Aid to Ukraine, Pledges to Lead Congressional Efforts to Pass Necessary Authority
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) hailed President Biden's proposal released today to boost the federal government's authority to hold Vladimir Putin, the Russian government, and Russian oligarchs accountable for the unprovoked war against Ukraine, which includes as a central component Whitehouse's proposal to seize oligarch assets and use the proceeds of their sale for aid to Ukraine. Whitehouse introduced his bipartisan Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act in March wi… Continue Reading
04.27.22
Reed & Whitehouse Applaud President’s Nomination of Lara Montecalvo to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
PROVIDENCE, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today applauded President Biden for nominating Lara E. Montecalvo, who currently leads the office of the Rhode Island Public Defender, to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The announcement comes after Senator Reed and Senator Whitehouse undertook an open and in-depth selection process that included extensive interviews and careful deliberation before they jointly made their recommendations to the President. … Continue Reading
04.27.22
Whitehouse & Cornyn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Local Communities Fight Drug Overdoses
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), a Caucus member, introduced today the Overdose Review Team Act to help local communities save lives by improving their response to the overdose epidemic. The legislation would create a grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support local governments in establishing panels of health officials, social service organizati… Continue Reading
04.22.22
Drug Caucus Chairman Whitehouse Applauds Comprehensive National Drug Control Strategy
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, issued the following statement on the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) inaugural National Drug Control Strategy. "Illicit drugs cause immeasurable pain and loss in our communities. As the Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I've pressed for an updated federal plan to tackle them. I've been clear that the plan must include… Continue Reading
04.21.22
Senate Drug Caucus Chairs Call on International Panel to Push for Scheduling of Dangerous Methamphetamine Precursor Chemical
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, in a letter yesterday urged the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to recommend the scheduling of methylamine-a precursor to methamphetamine. On the INCB's recommendation, the most recent session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted unanimously to control three fentanyl precursor chemicals, but did not… Continue Reading
04.20.22
Whitehouse Secures $450K to Connect Electronic Health Records and Improve Patient Care in RI
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that he has secured $450,000 to help the Rhode Island Quality Institute launch a new program aimed at improving patient care by expanding the availability of data from electronic health records in more health care settings. The Congressionally Directed Spending request was included in the omnibus bill that President Biden signed into law last month. "Everyone wins when electronic health records are easily accessible to different p… Continue Reading
04.20.22
Whitehouse, Markey Push NIH on Slow Pace of Research into Long COVID
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) are pressing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about the slow pace of research into "Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection" or "long COVID." In a letter, the senators asked the NIH about the status of research into the long-term health effects of COVID-19, as requested by Congress over two years ago. "Given that COVID-19 is a novel virus, research on long COVID is still in its infancy. There are currentl… Continue Reading
04.15.22
Reed & Whitehouse Statement on Biden Appointing Eric Scherer as Head of the Farm Service Agency in RI
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement after the Biden Administration announced the appointment of Eric Scherer as Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director for Rhode Island: "We commend President Biden for tapping Eric Scherer for this key post, which is critical to assisting local farmers, administering agricultural loan programs, and connecting Rhode Island's growers and producers with federal resources. Eric brings a wea… Continue Reading
04.08.22
Whitehouse, Grassley, Durbin, Cornyn Pass Key Reforms to Help American Businesses & Families Weather Financial Hardship
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and John Cornyn (R-TX) cheered passage of their new bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate last evening. "The pandemic and supply chain disruptions have left lots of Americans and small businesses in financial trouble. This legislation extends our improvements to the bankruptcy process for small business… Continue Reading
04.08.22
Whitehouse, Reed, Warren, Sanders, Merkley Introduce Bill to Shield Americans from Sky-High Credit Card Rates
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have introduced legislation to protect Americans from sky-high interest rates for credit cards and other consumer loans. The Empowering States' Rights to Protect Consumers Act would restore states' ability to limit consumer loan interest rates for their residents and help address the over $850 billion that Americans hold in credit card debt. "Rhode … Continue Reading
04.08.22
Whitehouse, Cassidy, Warren, Wicker Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Clamp Down on Hidden Oligarch Assets
Washington, DC - As Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs orchestrate an invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the bipartisan Kleptocrat Liability for Excessive Property Transactions and Ownership (KLEPTO) Act. The bill arms law enforcement with the information required to track down kleptocrats' luxury assets in the U.S. financial system. "Putin and his corrupt oligarchs pilla… Continue Reading
04.08.22
Whitehouse Helps Secure Largest Pell Grant Increase Since 2009 and Pushes for Doubling of Maximum Grant Award
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that he helped secure the largest Pell Grant increase since 2009, and reupped his push to double the size of the maximum Pell Grant and bring college within reach for more Americans. Whitehouse advocated for the $400 increase in the discretionary portion of a Pell Grant, which was successfully included in the omnibus funding bill passed last month. With the increase, the maximum Pell Grant will be $6,895 for the coming academic … Continue Reading
04.07.22
Whitehouse Cheers Confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement today on the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court: "Today, I proudly cast my vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She will bring tremendous experience and skill to the Court, and will serve with distinction, as she has throughout her career in public service. An… Continue Reading
04.06.22
NOAA Announces Marine Debris Foundation Board Members
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), and Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) today welcomed an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the twelve appointees to the inaugural Board of Directors of the new Marine Debris Foundation. The charitable and nonprofit foundation was established by Sullivan, Whitehouse, and Menendez's Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, the most comprehensive legislation ever passed by Congress to address… Continue Reading
04.06.22
Whitehouse, Portman Urge DEA and HHS to Extend Americans’ Access to Telehealth Once the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is Terminated
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) sent a letter to Administrator Anne Milgram of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Secretary Xavier Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging the agencies to use their authority under the Ryan Haight Act to ensure Americans can continue to access important medication, such as Medication Assisted Therapies (MAT) for substance use disorder and other necessary drugs, via teleheal… Continue Reading
