Press Releases
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
11.23.20
Whitehouse’s Anti-Doping Bill Passes Senate, Goes to President for Signature
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act has passed the U.S. Senate, completing its course through both chambers of Congress. The bill now goes to the President for signature. 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. "Russia's malicious, corrupt behavior… Continue Reading
11.20.20
Reed & Whitehouse Call On GSA Administrator to End Unprecedented Delay & Provide Critical Transition Resources to President-Elect Biden
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, after a six-day hand recount of ballots in Georgia reaffirmed that President-elect Joe Biden won a clear victory in the Peach State, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are urging the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) to expeditiously sign off on the transition process. The Senators say it is critical for the GSA to release $9.9 million in transition funds for the incoming Administration, allow the President-elect to receive high-l… Continue Reading
11.19.20
URI & Friends of Green Hill Pond Win Coastal Resilience Grant from Whitehouse-Created Program
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that a partnership between the University of Rhode Island and the nonprofit Friends of Green Hill Pond has received a $129,191 matching grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, which was developed by Whitehouse to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure protecting coastal communities. The partners will use the award to restore dunes and habitat along Green Hill Pond, a salt pond located in South Kingstown and Char… Continue Reading
11.18.20
Whitehouse Leads Senate Democrats in Introducing Tax Credits to Protect Children From Home Lead Hazards
Washington, D.C. - With lead hazards lurking in about 3.6 million homes of families with young children nationwide, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced legislation to help American families cover the cost of eliminating lead from their homes. The Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2020 would significantly broaden… Continue Reading
11.10.20
Whitehouse Statement on Supreme Court Arguments in Challenge to Affordable Care Act
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees, released the following statement today on Supreme Court arguments in California v. Texas, a challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act: "The Republican campaign to tear down the Affordable Care Act comes before a Supreme Court packed with donor-approved justices who have signaled clearly their ill intentions for the health care law. If the justices side with the specia… Continue Reading
11.07.20
Whitehouse Congratulates President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement regarding the election of Joe Biden to serve as the 46th President of the United States of America: "After four long years, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will restore heart, decency, and competence to the White House. The Biden administration will govern for every American as they steer the country through a number of urgent crises: a once-in-a-century pandemic, a lops… Continue Reading
10.31.20
Whitehouse Resolution Declares November Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), along with Representatives André Carson (IN-07) and Anna Eshoo (CA-18), has introduced a resolution to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and to support the designation of this November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. The bicameral effort comes as the world continues to mourn several American leaders who battled the very aggressive cancer, including Congressman John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. … Continue Reading
10.27.20
Whitehouse Statement on Barrett Confirmation Vote
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement this evening on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "It is a sad day for the Senate and for the Court. My Republican colleagues smashed norms and traditions of the world's 'greatest deliberative body' in a headlong pursuit, for someone, of Supreme Court power. They put the ru… Continue Reading
10.24.20
Whitehouse Offers Resolution Condemning Dark Money Effort to Pack Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, just offered a resolution on the Senate floor expressing a sense of the Senate that unlimited anonymous spending to influence our judiciary undermines the integrity of our judicial system and damages Americans' confidence that all people receive equal justice under law. Whitehouse offered the resolution as an alternative to a Republican measure seeking to limit Congress's longstanding authority… Continue Reading
10.21.20
Whitehouse, Hassan Statement on DOJ Settlement with Purdue Pharma
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement today on the settlement reached by the U.S. Department of Justice and opioid maker Purdue Pharma: "The Department of Justice owes it to the millions of Americans affected by the opioid epidemic to hold Purdue Pharma and its leadership accountable. While we are still reviewing all the details, a rushed settlement with a company that cannot pay and a family that has shielded itself from t… Continue Reading
10.21.20
Whitehouse Calls for Robust COVID-19 Relief Package to Help RI Families, Small Businesses, & Local Governments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement after Senate Democrats voted against the Republican-led so-called "skinny" pandemic response bill, which is less than a quarter of the size of the proposal put forth by House Democrats: "Democrats will not support an emaciated proposal that leaves families and small businesses out to dry and lets cities and towns drown in red ink. In the midst of a national crisis in which health and economic indicato… Continue Reading
