Press Releases
Whitehouse Signals Support for Regan at EPA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced his support for the nomination of North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan to be Environmental Protection Agency Administrator following Mr. Regan's EPW hearing today: "Mr. Regan showed he is ready for the tough battles ahead. Simply turning the page on the Trump administration isn't enough to tackle the monumental challenges… Continue Reading
02.02.21
120 Democrats Call for Repeal of GOP Tax Giveaway in Next COVID Relief Package
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) led a group of 120 total Democratic members of Congress to urge House and Senate leadership to repeal a massive tax giveaway for a small number of extremely wealthy taxpayers that Republicans slipped into must-pass pandemic-relief legislation last year. The members call for funds to flow to American… Continue Reading
02.02.21
Whitehouse & Colleagues Introduce Medical Bankruptcy Bill Amid Raging Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - With millions of Americans newly kicked off their health insurance in the middle of a pandemic, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA),Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are introducing legislation designed to ease the burden on Americans forced into bankruptcy because of unforeseen medical expenses or public health-related shutdowns. The Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2021 addresses the potential for an infl… Continue Reading
02.01.21
Whitehouse-Murkowski Bill Would Advance Understanding of Oceans, Great Lakes, and Coasts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, have introduced legislation to advance data collection of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts. The Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, or BLUE GLOBE Act, would accelerate technology innovation, plan for a stronger maritime workforce, and develop a better understanding of the Blu… Continue Reading
01.27.21
TODAY: Whitehouse to Deliver Final ‘Time to Wake Up’ Speech
STREAM THE SPEECH HERE Washington, DC - Today, at ~4 p.m. on the Senate floor, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will deliver his final "Time to Wake Up" speech on the urgent need for climate action. Alongside his trademark green poster, Whitehouse has delivered his climate speeches virtually every week the Senate has been in session for nearly nine years. Now, with a new administration committed to climate action and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, Whitehouse will draw his tr… Continue Reading
01.25.21
Reed & Whitehouse Call for Congressional Gold Medal to Be Awarded to Officer Eugene Goodman for Heroism on Jan. 6
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal to honor his heroic actions on January 6, 2021. Goodman confronted rioters in the Capitol, delaying their access to the Senate chamber and protecting the lives of those inside. "Officer Goodman is a hero whose courage and quick thinking saved lives. He has our sincere thanks and is deserving of this h… Continue Reading
01.22.21
Portman, Shaheen, Capito, Whitehouse Introduce Bipartisan Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act to Combat Ongoing Drug Crisis
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the bipartisan Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act in order to provide flexibility to Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions during the COVID-19 pandemic by temporarily allowing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to waive the program's local matching requirements if the grantee is unable to meet them due to the … Continue Reading
01.21.21
Senators File Ethics Committee Complaint Regarding Colleagues’ Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lodged today a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee concerning the behavior of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) related to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. As the senators note, the Senate has the exclusive power to determine whether the members' actions violated Senate et… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Supports Biden Plan to Fully Utilize Defense Production Act, Increase Supply of Necessary Medical Equipment and Supplies
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a letter to President-Elect Joe Biden, supporting his incoming administration's plan to quickly utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to rapidly increase the production and stockpiling of medical, testing and protective equipment supplies. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Senate Democrats have been calling on the Trump Administratio… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Statement on Inauguration of President Biden
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States: "I was filled with hope as I watched President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris being sworn in this afternoon. With President Biden in the Oval Office and Democrats in control of Congress, the work begins immediately to make significant progress on the issues that matter to Rhode Islanders. "Our work is cut out for us. T… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Cheers DC Circuit Decision Striking Down ACE Rule, Urges Ambitious Action on Biden Replacement Rule
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's decision striking down the Trump administration's "Affordable Clean Energy" (ACE) rule: "The DC Circuit's decision recognized the Trump administration's new rule for what it was: a scam. Trump's polluter toadies at the EPA never meant to replace the Clean Power Plan with something effective; … Continue Reading
01.19.21
Whitehouse Calls on IRS to Review Right-Wing Group’s Non-Profit Status after Superspreader Events
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today to call attention to COVID-19 "superspearder" events organized by the right-wing non-profit Turning Point USA, including one held at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. The holiday gatherings went forward with total disregard for COVID-19 regulations and placed hundreds of young people at risk of infection. Whitehouse points … Continue Reading
01.19.21
Whitehouse Statement on Yellen Nomination
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the nomination hearing for President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, in the Finance Committee today: "Rebuilding our economy out of the ashes of the COVID recession and the mismanagement of the Trump administration calls for experience and deep understanding of the economic challenges Americans face. Janet Yellen demonstrated th… Continue Reading
01.16.21
Reed & Whitehouse Concerned Over Cambodian Government’s Apparent Lack of Commitment to Democratic Norms and Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement regarding the ongoing trials of opposition activists in Cambodia: "We are deeply concerned by the backsliding of democratic norms and apparent lack of respect for the rule of law in Cambodia. It is a critically important principle that prosecutions are in fact not politically motivated nor have the appearance of political motivation. Further, defendants should not be prevented from being presen… Continue Reading
01.15.21
Whitehouse Welcomes Biden-Harris COVID Relief Package
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the incoming Biden-Harris administration's COVID-19 emergency relief package, which is being unveiled this evening: "COVID-19 continues to take an enormous toll. It's robbed us of hundreds of thousands of lives and millions of jobs, and exacted damage that is impossible to measure, taking away precious time with our loved ones. Battling back this disease and reclaiming life as usual is vital. That's why … Continue Reading
01.14.21
Whitehouse Statement on DOJ Watchdog’s Family Separation Report
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General's damning new report showing how DOJ leadership helped push for the Trump administration's family separation policy: "This report confirms that senior Department of Justice officials-including the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General-abetted President Trump's plan to tear apart famili… Continue Reading
01.13.21
Reed and Whitehouse Demand Fixes to Trump’s “Significant Failures” of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Providence, RI - In an effort to improve the nationwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and 43 Senate Democrats in penning a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar demanding the Trump Administration take immediate action to fix the significant failures of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as coronavirus cases continue to climb. In the letter, the 46 Se… Continue Reading
01.11.21
Whitehouse Statement on Insurrection, Colleagues’ Role
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in connection with the insurrection on January 6 and certain members of the Senate: "The Senate needs to oversee federal investigation of the attack and ransacking of our national Capitol, through the Judiciary and perhaps Homeland Security Committees. We may also be the client in federal civil suits for damages and for restraining orders, likely also under Jud… Continue Reading
01.08.21
Senators Call on DOJ & FBI to Detail Steps to Investigate Capitol Attack
Washington, DC - This evening, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote to Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and FBI Director Christopher Wray calling for a detailed report on actions the Department of Justice and FBI are taking to investigate the mob attack on the Capitol on January 6. The Senate Judiciary Commi… Continue Reading
01.08.21
Whitehouse Congratulates Raimondo on Cabinet Selection
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement on the selection of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to serve as U.S. Secretary of Commerce: "Governor Raimondo has done an exceptional job in Rhode Island, particularly as she steered our state through the coronavirus crisis. I believe Rhode Islanders will continue to benefit from Raimondo's leadership as she takes on a major role in overseeing the national economic recovery and making American busi… Continue Reading
