Press Releases
Members of Congress Slam Treasury Rule Limiting Climate Risk Policies by Banks
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Cynthia Axne (D-IA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Steven Lynch (D-MA), and Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-CA) wrote to the Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) in opposition to a proposed rule that would serve t… Continue Reading
01.01.21
Senate Votes to Nearly Double Funding for National Estuary Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Tom Carper (D-DE) today announced that legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program (NEP) at nearly double its previous annual funding levels passed the Senate yesterday. The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the President's desk. The NEP was first established in 1987 by the late Senator John Chafee (R-RI) to protect and restore estuarine habitats threatened b… Continue Reading
12.24.20
Senators Weigh in on Major SCOTUS Climate Case
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a major case concerning the power of state and local governments to hold fossil fuel polluters financially liable for the damages caused by their products. In hopes of avoiding potentially massive monetary judgments against it, the fossil fuel industry seeks to have the case, BP et al. v.… Continue Reading
12.22.20
Whitehouse, Cotton Applaud Signing of ALS Disability Insurance Access Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) today applauded the signing into law of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, bipartisan legislation that eliminates the five-month waiting period before ALS patients can receive the Social Security Disability Insurance benefits they earned by contributing to Social Security. The legislation builds on previous steps by Congress and the Social Security Administration to accommodate the difficult prognosis for those… Continue Reading
12.22.20
Whitehouse Cheers HFC Agreement, Renewable Incentives, & Other Environmental Breakthroughs in Omnibus Funding Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, cheered passage of the omnibus government funding package that contains several pieces of significant bipartisan climate legislation, an HFC agreement, and expanded incentives for renewable energy. These measures will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Provisions championed by Whitehouse will help encourage investment in wind and solar energy, streamline the adoption… Continue Reading
12.21.20
Bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Signed into Law
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today welcomed the signing of the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, the most comprehensive legislation ever passed by Congress to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal ecosystems and communities, and harming marine life. "Save Our Seas 2.0 is officially law-another milestone in our effort to clean up marine debris and ocean plastic pollution across the globe," said Senator… Continue Reading
12.20.20
Whitehouse Supports Long-Overdue Deal to Provide Direct Relief to Families and Small Businesses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this evening expressed support for a bipartisan deal that will inject $900 billion into the national economy, provide direct relief to families and small businesses, and keep the federal government open amid the ongoing pandemic. Whitehouse issued the following statement about the agreement reached today: "Rhode Islanders have made so many painful sacrifices this year to save lives, and those difficult decisions have left many families i… Continue Reading
12.18.20
Whitehouse Statement on Regan for EPA Administrator
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on President-elect Joe Biden's selection of North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan to serve as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: "The end of polluter capture of the Environmental Protection Agency is in sight. Mr. Regan is no fossil fuel lobbyist or dark money fundraiser; he's fought polluting … Continue Reading
12.17.20
Whitehouse Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Finance Global Marine Debris Prevention and Reduction
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced legislation that would bring the international community together to address the alarming amount of plastic and trash polluting our oceans and marine environments. The Unify Nations in Trash Elimination (UNITE) for our Oceans Act would direct the U.S. government to work with international partners to finance promising projects that promote the sustai… Continue Reading
12.11.20
Whitehouse Cheers Passage of Beneficial Ownership Provisions in NDAA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement today on provisions included in the National Defense Authorization Act to help prevent criminals and foreign enemies from hiding assets from law enforcement and tax authorities. The defense bill provisions will require reporting of the beneficial owner - the real person - behind U.S. corporations for use by law enforcement, revealing whether criminals, foreign state actors, and terrorists are exploiting American … Continue Reading
12.11.20
Whitehouse Maritime Security Measures Clear Congress
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) cheered passage today of his maritime security proposal as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has now cleared Congress. Whitehouse's provisions will help defend against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IU) fishing activities. The House and Senate have both agreed to the legislation with veto-proof majorities. "I'm thrilled to see my maritime security proposal set to become law," said Whitehouse. "Rhode Island… Continue Reading
12.10.20
Whitehouse, Portman, Klobuchar Introduce CARA 2.0 to Increase Access to Treatment, Prevention & Bolster Fight against Addiction Epidemic
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 to increase the funding authorization levels for the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) programs enacted in 2016 and put in place additional policy reforms to help combat the opioid epidemic that has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. CARA was a bipartisan, national effort designed to ensu… Continue Reading
12.08.20
Whitehouse, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Add Hydrogen as Qualified Energy Resource to Strengthen Economy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have introduced the Hydrogen Utilization and Sustainability (Hy USA) Act to include hydrogen among the renewable resources eligible for the Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit (PTC). The bipartisan bill would incentivize investment in hydrogen-based energy, a next-generation carbon alternative. "We need to find alternative low-carbon fuels to power the economy," said Senator Whitehouse. "Our bipartisan h… Continue Reading
12.07.20
Senators Release Watchdog Report Showing Serious Challenges Facing the U.S. National Air Quality Monitoring System
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) today released a report from Congress's watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), showing a number of serious challenges facing the vital national air quality monitoring system. When adjusted for inflation, the GAO report shows a steady decline in federal support for state and local monitoring efforts that are central to the basic function of the national air monitoring syst… Continue Reading
12.07.20
Whitehouse-Wicker Bill to Level Playing Field for International Sport Becomes Law
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today announced that the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which they introduced last year, has been signed into law by President Trump. The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act aims to level the playing field for international sport by cracking down on state-sponsored doping schemes like the one deployed by the Russian government in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. "This law sends a strong bipartisan signal that the United St… Continue Reading
12.03.20
Whitehouse Legislation to Support Mental Health Needs of Veterans Named in Honor of Johnston Native Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Harvey Jr.
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced bipartisan legislation to better support the mental health needs of servicemembers and veterans as they return home. The Daniel J. Harvey Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act would create a new pilot program embedded in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to provide more robust counsel to servicemembers about mental health and services available at Department of Veterans … Continue Reading
12.02.20
Senate Approves Whitehouse-Cotton ALS Disability Insurance Access Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) today applauded Senate passage of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, bipartisan legislation to eliminate the five-month waiting period before ALS patients can receive the Social Security Disability Insurance benefits they earned by contributing to Social Security. The legislation would build on previous steps by Congress and the Social Security Administration to accommodate the difficult prognosis for those diag… Continue Reading
12.01.20
Whitehouse-Sullivan-Menendez Marine Debris Bill Heads to President’s Desk
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) are applauding final Senate passage of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act this evening, sending the bill to the President's desk. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act was introduced in June 2019 to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life. The legislation seeks to help reduce the creation of plastic waste, find uses for the plastic waste that already exists to keep… Continue Reading
11.24.20
Whitehouse Statement on Democratic Leadership of Senate Judiciary Committee
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today regarding new Democratic leadership on the Judiciary Committee: "In the wake of Ranking Member Feinstein's announcement, I look forward to the question of succession on the Senate Judiciary Committee being decided by the caucus. I will abide by the caucus's decision."… Continue Reading
11.23.20
Whitehouse Applauds Appointment of Secretary Kerry to Serve as First-Ever Climate Envoy on National Security Council
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on President-elect Joe Biden's announcement of former Secretary of State John Kerry as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Kerry will be the first-ever member of the National Security Council focused exclusively on climate change. "Appointing Secretary Kerry to this role is a very good move. John Kerry brings an array of impor… Continue Reading
