Press Releases
Whitehouse Introduces the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act to Make Higher Education More Affordable
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act to help students take full advantage of higher education tax credits and Pell Grants to pursue a college education. Currently, our tax code prevents many qualifying students from reaping the full benefits of the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and the Pell Grant program. … Continue Reading
07.22.21
After New Details on Kavanaugh Investigation Surface, Senators Call on FBI for Answers on Handling of ‘Tip Line’
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray last evening requesting additional information on the FBI's 2018 supplemental background investigation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The senators' request follows a letter from the Bureau to Whitehouse and Coons revealing new details on the Kavanaugh background i… Continue Reading
07.21.21
Whitehouse Cheers New White House-DOJ Contacts Policy
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney, released the following statement on the Biden administration's new policy safeguarding the Department of Justice from the kind of political interference by the White House that ran rampant during the Trump administration. "I have been a persistent advocate for years of a Department of Justice political firewall from the White House, confronting Attorney General Gonza… Continue Reading
07.21.21
ICYMI: Whitehouse Chairs Hearing on Federal Response to Drug Overdose Epidemic
Washington, DC - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led his first hearing as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control with Co-Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Tuesday. The bipartisan Caucus, which explores international and domestic strategies to fight drug trafficking, is also focused on the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Information about witnesses and prepared testimony can be found here. The Senator's opening r… Continue Reading
07.16.21
Whitehouse, Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Consumers from Predatory, High Cost Lending
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), have introduced legislation that would cap fees and interest on consumer loans at an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 36 percent-the same limit currently in place for loans marketed to military service members and their families. Studies show that while lenders today offer easy credit, these transactions often come with high interest rates, steep lat… Continue Reading
07.15.21
Merkley, Whitehouse Introduce Resolution Designating July as Plastic Pollution Action Month
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today to introduce a resolution designating this month as Plastic Pollution Action Month, citing extreme concern over the plastic pollution crisis that is threatening human health, dumping tens of millions of pieces of plastic in the ocean, and killing hundreds of thousands of animals every year. The resolution details the dangers to human health and environment posed by plastic pollution,… Continue Reading
07.15.21
Whitehouse Commends Judge Thompson as She Announces Transition to Senior Status
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today commended Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson of the First Circuit Court of Appeals for her decades of service to Rhode Islanders. Judge Thompson has announced that she will take senior status at the end of this year. "Judge Thompson is a trailblazer and a giant in Rhode Island's legal community. She has served Rhode Islanders with distinction over decades on the bench," said Whitehouse. "… Continue Reading
07.14.21
Whitehouse to RI Parents: Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Start Landing in Bank Accounts Tomorrow
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, today reminded Rhode Island parents that the expanded Child Tax Credit payments included in the American Rescue Plan will start landing in bank accounts tomorrow. The improved Child Tax Credit is poised to assist hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders. "After a really challenging stretch for Rhode Island families, Democrats have marshalled the full power of the federal … Continue Reading
07.14.21
Whitehouse Applauds Inclusion of Methane Price and Polluter Import Fee in Infrastructure Budget Framework
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today applauded the new climate measures included in the infrastructure budget framework agreed to by members of the Committee yesterday evening. Both a price on methane emissions and a border adjustment fee were accounted for in the $3.5 trillion plan. "For far too long, the fossil fuel industry has been given a free pass to cheat and damage the planet by releasing huge amounts of methane, a sup… Continue Reading
07.08.21
RI Head Start Programs Awarded $3 Million to Support Return to Full In-Person Learning
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that seven Head Start programs in Rhode Island have received a total of over $3 million from the American Rescue Plan. The funds will support the return to fully operational, in-person Head Start services for the children under the age of five who have been most affected by inequities exposed by the pandemic. "This additional federal Head Start funding will support … Continue Reading
07.07.21
Whitehouse, Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva Meet to Discuss U.S. Vaccine Aid to Cabo Verde
Providence, RI - Following Cape Verdean Independence Day yesterday, Cabo Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva met virtually with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today to thank the Senator for helping his country secure a U.S. commitment of vaccine assistance. Senator Whitehouse pressed federal agencies to extend vaccine assistance to the island nation after its sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases in May and June. The Biden administration has since announced millions of doses of vaccine to pri… Continue Reading
07.01.21
Whitehouse Statement on Partisan SCOTUS Decision Undercutting Voting Rights Act
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's 6-3 partisan decision today in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee undercutting vital voter protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act: "After right-wing donor interests packed the Court with justices to rule reliably in their favor, they turned to voter suppression to press their advantage. Today, those donors' handpicked… Continue Reading
07.01.21
Whitehouse Slams SCOTUS Decision in AFPF Dark Money Case
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's partisan decision in Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) v. Bonta, a case that paves the way for sweeping protections for anonymous "dark-money" spending in American democracy: "The Court that Dark Money Built just handed dark-money donors a massive win. We are now on a clear path to enshrining a constitutional right to anonymous s… Continue Reading
07.01.21
Senators File Brief Urging Restoration of Judicial Oversight of Deadlocked, Ineffective FEC
READ THE FULL BRIEF HERE Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a brief in a major campaign finance case before the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit calling to restore judicial oversight over the broken Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in the wake of Citizens United. The senators, who have experienced firsthand the post-Citizens United delug… Continue Reading
06.30.21
Whitehouse, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Private Sector’s Ability to Take Action Against Hackers
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced a bipartisan bill that requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a study on the benefits and risks of allowing private entities to take actions to protect their operations in response to cyber-attacks. "The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack shows why we should explore a regulated process for companies to respond when they're targets," said Whitehouse. "This bill will help us determi… Continue Reading
06.29.21
RI Delegation Secures $2 Million to Reduce Health Inequality Among Black and Latino Communities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the City of Providence and the Rhode Island Public Health Institute (RIPHI) will be receiving more than $2 million through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health to develop, implement, and evaluate COVID-19 mitigation measures tailored towards Black and Latino communities in Rhode Island. People of color make up more than half of … Continue Reading
06.28.21
Delegation Announces $2.87 Million to Support Economic Recovery Through Community Development Financial Institutions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has awarded more than $2.87 million in COVID-19 relief funds to two community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in Rhode Island. The Providence Revolving Fund has been awarded $1.6 million and the Capital Good Fund received $1.278 million. The grants are made through Treasury's CDFI Rapid Response Program to provide c… Continue Reading
06.24.21
Senators Urge FERC to Stop Utility Companies from Charging Customers for Polluter Lobbying
Washington, DC - Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter today urging the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider strengthening the Commission's regulatory accounting and financial reporting system, the Uniform System of Accounts (USofA), to help protect ratepayers from footing the bill for their utility trade association's political influence activities. Under the current USofA, uti… Continue Reading
06.23.21
Whitehouse Slams Partisan SCOTUS Decision Hampering Agricultural Workers’ Ability to Organize for Better Pay, Working Conditions
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court's 6-3 partisan decision today in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid that effectively nullifies a California regulation protecting labor unions' ability to organize agricultural workers: "The Court that Dark Money Built delivers again for big-money Republican donors. Rather than follow the law and permit workers to pursue better pay and work… Continue Reading
06.22.21
Whitehouse Statement on For the People Act Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged to continue the fight to pass the For the People Act (S.1.), which Republicans blocked in the Senate today. Whitehouse's DISCLOSE Act-legislation to combat the scourge of dark money in American democracy-is a central component of the bill, and has won support from across the Democratic caucus in the Senate. Whitehouse issued the following statement: "This fight isn't over. Democrats ag… Continue Reading
