Press Releases
Reed & Whitehouse Join Menendez in Introducing Legislation to Ban Offshore Drilling, Protect Coastal Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to introduce the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act to permanently ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean and protect recovering coastal economies decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean would open up the eastern seaboard to considerable risk, and we have seen the destruction that an accident can c… Continue Reading
06.02.21
Reed, Whitehouse Press Sec. Blinken to Take Urgent Action on Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and 14 of their Democratic Senate colleagues urging U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to immediately take steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The 17 U.S. Senators penned a joint letter urging Secretary Blinken to support immediate emergency relief and humanitarian access, robustly fund humanitarian efforts, and restore the U.S. diplomatic presence on the ground. Van H… Continue Reading
05.28.21
Whitehouse Statement on January 6th Commission Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on Republicans' refusal today to allow consideration of legislation to establish a national commission to investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol Complex. "I am deeply disappointed Mitch McConnell and so many other Republicans voted to block this bipartisan measure. The American people deserve a full accounting of the events of January 6, from th… Continue Reading
05.27.21
Whitehouse Votes to Advance Highway Bill to Invest $1.5 Billion in RI Roads and Bridges
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday voted to advance to the Senate floor the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021, which would send Rhode Island more than $1.5 billion in federal funding to repair highways, roads, and bridges over five years. The bipartisan legislation was unanimously approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "I helped craft this federal highway bill to direct more than $1.5 billion to Rhode Island for upgrading our ro… Continue Reading
05.27.21
Federal Delegation Reminds Rhode Islanders that COVID-19 Vaccines and Tests Are Free for Everyone
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today reminded Rhode Islanders that COVID-19 vaccines and testing continue to be available free of charge to everyone, regardless of insurance status. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week that the agency has set aside $4.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan to reimburse health care providers for administering COVID-19 testing free of charge … Continue Reading
05.26.21
Whitehouse, Brown Cheer New Public Option Push
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the announcement today by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) of plans to develop a bill to establish a public option for health coverage. Whitehouse and Brown led efforts to include a public option in the Affordable Care Act, and have introduced public option legislation in every Congre… Continue Reading
05.26.21
Whitehouse Innovation, Aviation Fuel Amendments Included in Major Clean Energy Tax Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) applauded inclusion of two of his amendments in the Clean Energy for America Act, which the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance today. One Whitehouse proposal is based in bipartisan legislation by Whitehouse and Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) to encourage innovation in the clean energy sector, and the other is a tax incentive for the use of clean aviation fuel. "My amendments will help to encourage the clean energy inv… Continue Reading
05.24.21
Whitehouse Announces New Series of Speeches to Reveal the Special-Interest Scheme to Capture the Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, announced a series of Senate floor speeches exposing the scheme by right-wing donor interests to capture the U.S. Supreme Court and achieve through the Court's power what they cannot through other branches of government. Whitehouse will trace the decades-long roots of the scheme, its development and funding, and its coming to fruition under Donald Trump with the installation of a six-jus… Continue Reading
05.20.21
Whitehouse Statement on the Passing of Former Mayor Joseph Solomon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement on the passing of former Warwick Mayor Joseph Solomon: "I am very sad to hear that former Mayor Joe Solomon passed away this morning. Joe dedicated much of his life to serving the people of Warwick, moving up through the ranks on the City Council and eventually into the Mayor's Office. Joe had a warm smile and was always quick to offer a kind word. I send heartfelt condolences to his wife, Cynthia, and their… Continue Reading
05.18.21
Whitehouse Urges Biden SCOTUS Commission to Address Special-Interest Assault on the Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released a letter he sent today to members of President Biden's Commission on the Supreme Court highlighting key questions about special-interest influence over the Court. Whitehouse has made clear the Commission cannot achieve meaningful reform, nor restore Americans' faith in the Court's integrity, without fully investigating and understanding the question of dark money's efforts to capture the Court. Sen… Continue Reading
05.17.21
On Tax Day, Whitehouse Introduces ‘Buffett Rule’ Bill to Ensure the Wealthiest Americans Pay a Fair Share in Taxes
Washington, DC - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said he pays a lower percentage of his income in taxes than his secretary. As millions of Americans file their taxes today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, introduced his legislation to fix this problem. Whitehouse's Paying a Fair Share Act would ensure multi-millionaire and billionaire taxpayers like Warren Buffett pay at least a 30 percent effective tax rate. "Ou… Continue Reading
05.14.21
Senate Judiciary Dems Press DOJ to Not Appeal Federal Court Decision Ordering Release of Key OLC Memo Related to Mueller Report
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights; and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; today led Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing serious concerns about the Trump-era Department of Justice's (DOJ) apparent misrepresentations to a federal court regarding an … Continue Reading
05.13.21
Whitehouse Calls for Swift Action on Climate Following Release of New EPA Climate Data
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the new data released by the EPA showing dramatic effects of climate change in the United States. "The data doesn't lie: the EPA's new report shows society pushing nature to its limit. Either we act now, or we risk failing the critical test of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and lock in ever-worsening threats. Against this backdrop, Congres… Continue Reading
05.13.21
New Whitehouse Bill Would Decarbonize Emissions-Heavy Aviation Sector
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act, ambitious new legislation to decarbonize the emissions-heavy aviation sector and curb climate change. The legislation sets a goal of achieving net 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050 in the U.S. aviation sector, and charts a path for reaching those benchmarks. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is cosponsoring the legislation. "Air t… Continue Reading
05.13.21
Whitehouse-Murkowski Bill to Further Understanding of Oceans and Coasts Advances Out of Committee with Bipartisan Support
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, have announced that their legislation to advance data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, or the BLUE GLOBE Act, would accelerate tech… Continue Reading
05.11.21
Reed and Whitehouse Announce Recommendation of Zachary A. Cunha to be the Next U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today announced they have recommended that President Joe Biden nominate current Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, chief of the civil division for the United States Attorney's office, to be the next U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island. "Zachary Cunha is an experienced prosecutor with an exemplary record of service in the U.S. Attorney's office. He is an outstanding candidate to take on this new role and has solid relationships wi… Continue Reading
05.11.21
Tax Gap & Offshoring Hearing Sheds New Light on Trillions in U.S. Income Stowed Abroad
Washington, DC - During today's hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, a top IRS official testified that the amount of U.S. money held in offshore accounts - and therefore harder for American tax enforcement officials to track - is double what had been previously estimated. In response to a question from Subcommittee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), IRS Acting Chief of Research and Analytics Officer Barry Johnson told the subcommittee that U.S. households ho… Continue Reading
05.11.21
Whitehouse Lays Out Plans as Chair of the Senate International Narcotics Control Caucus in New Op-Ed
READ FULL OP-ED HERE Washington, DC - In a new op-ed for Just Security, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) lays out his plans as Chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, including a focus on the dark economy servicing the narcotics market and the "clash of civilizations" that forms its backdrop. Whitehouse also discusses the need to battle substance use in America and build on the success of bipartisan legislation to expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Est… Continue Reading
05.05.21
Gavel in Hand, Whitehouse Presses OPM for Leonard Leo Documents
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, sent a letter today to the Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) following up on requests for records related to dark-money activist Leonard Leo's role advising the Trump administration on the selection and confirmation of judicial nominees. Over a year ago, Whitehouse led colleagues in requesting documents related to Leo's work leading and advising the Trump administratio… Continue Reading
05.05.21
RI Delegation Invites Local Restaurants to Apply for Aid from Newly Launched Restaurant Revitalization Fund
Providence, RI - Members of Rhode Island's congressional delegation today joined with hospitality industry representatives to invite owners of local dining establishments to apply for aid from the newly opened Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The delegation pushed for the $28.6-billion restaurant relief fund to be included in the American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed into law in March. Today's event was held at The District, a popular restaurant in Providence's Jewelry District. "I'… Continue Reading
