Press Releases
$597,500 in EDA Grants for Slater Technology Fund, RI Bio Will Boost Health Care Startups in RI
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that two Rhode Island organizations have received a total of $597,500 in grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration's 2020 Build to Scale Capital Challenge. Providence-based Slater Technology Fund has been awarded a $300,000 grant to partner with Brown University on a new initiative to boost health care-related technology startups. RI Bio won a $297,500… Continue Reading
09.17.20
Whitehouse, Markey, Heinrich Applaud FERC Completion of Key Renewable Energy Rule
Washington, D.C. - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) released the following statement today on the decision of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to finalize a key rule that will help pave the way for Americans to connect their rooftop solar, wind, and energy storage devices to the electrical grid. "We're glad the Commission, under Chairman Chatterjee's leadership, delivered on its commitment to complete this important proposal.… Continue Reading
09.16.20
Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act introduced
Washington D.C. - Senator Mike Braun and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse have introduced the bipartisan Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act to ensure that the federal government has a dedicated office for the enforcement of animal cruelty statutes. Senator Braun and Senator Whitehouse are joined on this bipartisan bill by original co-sponsors Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act: 1. Creates by statute a ded… Continue Reading
09.15.20
Reed, Whitehouse Call on Postmaster General to Immediately Reverse Operational Changes to the U.S. Postal Service Causing Delays of Medications to Rhode Islanders
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and 34 of their Senate colleagues in calling on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to immediately reverse all operational and organizational changes that have delayed delivery of critical medications to Rhode Islanders. "The Postal Service is an essential public institution that must uphold its duty to serve every community. Your recently implemented changes pose an unacceptable t… Continue Reading
09.14.20
Whitehouse Calls on Barr to Preserve all Documents Related to DOJ Intervention in Trump Defamation Case
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former United States Attorney and current member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Attorney General William Barr to preserve all documents related to the U.S. Department of Justice's intervention in a state defamation case brought against President Donald Trump. In a letter to Barr, Whitehouse pointed to the highly unusual request to replace President Trump's private legal team with government lawyers to defend him against a lawsui… Continue Reading
09.14.20
Senators Announce GAO Investigation of Trump Politicization of Immigration Courts as COVID-19 Crisis Rages
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) announced today that the top congressional watchdog will investigate the practices of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) under President Donald Trump, including its management of immigration courts during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In August, the senators led a request for review of the EOIR by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). They first voiced concerns to Attorney Gene… Continue Reading
09.12.20
Delegation Announces Additional $7.6 Million in CDBG Funds for RI
PROVIDENCE, RI - In an effort to help communities combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Rhode Island, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a new infusion of $7,585,135 through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. This third tranche of awards brings the state's total CDBG funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to date to $22,145,569. The following communit… Continue Reading
09.11.20
Senators Request Information on Outside Groups Involved in Trump SCOTUS List
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) are asking White House Counsel Pat Cipollone for information on whether the Trump White House followed federal ethics and record retention rules in consulting the dark money groups involved in Trump's Supreme Court shortlist. Reporting indicates a "large team of extraordinarily talented lawyers" worked on a "big vetting project" to recommend to Trump t… Continue Reading
09.10.20
Whitehouse Calls for Restarting Bipartisan Negotiations on New Relief Bill After “Skinny” Republican Proposal Fails in Senate
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement after the Senate voted to reject an inadequate COVID-19 relief proposal put forth by Senate Republicans: "Senate Republicans have slapped together a woefully inadequate bill, which is one-sixth the size of the aid package House Democrats passed in May. Four months and millions of COVID-19 infections later, Republicans' main priority continues to be letting corporations off the hook for negligently putti… Continue Reading
09.09.20
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Supreme Court List
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Donald Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees: "We know that big right-wing donors have spent hundreds of millions on a dark money campaign to capture our courts. The president's list is an effort to harness the political power of that operation to his own electoral benefit. It's a continuation of the list he made in his last campaign; 'in-sourc… Continue Reading
09.08.20
ICYMI: Senators Whitehouse & Hassan Op-Ed in The Guardian: Why Did the US Justice Department Let Purdue Off the Hook for the Opioid Crisis?
Washington, DC - In case you missed it, The Guardian published an op-ed written by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) that highlights their continued efforts to pressure the Department of Justice to turn over a 2006 memo and related documents laying out federal prosecutors' strong criminal case against Purdue Pharma, including documents that detail the role that Rudy Giuliani and other former Department of Justice officials played in the deliberation. The Senators'… Continue Reading
09.01.20
As September Rent Comes Due, Whitehouse Again Calls for Senate to Reconvene to Help RI Renters and Homeowners in Crisis
Providence, RI - With September rent due today for millions of American families who can't afford to pay it, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is once again calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to pass a robust relief bill that includes help for Rhode Island renters and homeowners thrown into crisis by the COVID-19 pandemic. In early August, McConnell withdrew from bipartisan negotiations for a new relief package and sent the Senate into recess until September 8. "Havin… Continue Reading
08.26.20
RI Delegation Announces Federal Backing for National Expansion of RI Marine Trades Association’s Innovative Boat Recycling Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program has awarded a $105,452 grant to the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA) Foundation to expand Rhode Island's innovative fiberglass boat recycling program across New England and to the state of Washington. "This federal funding will help clean the Bay, which has important … Continue Reading
08.26.20
Whitehouse, Colleagues Unveil Key Climate Report Featuring Chapter on Dark Money Obstruction of Climate Action
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Chairman Brian Schatz (D-HI), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and members of Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis to release a comprehensive report titled "The Case for Climate Action: Building a Clean Economy for the American People." The report offers a path forward for climate action in Congress, including a chapter to address the fossil fuel industry's dark money influence campaign blocking action o… Continue Reading
08.21.20
Senators Call for GAO Investigation of Trump Politicization of Immigration Courts as COVID-19 Crisis Rages
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led a Senate request to the top congressional watchdog to investigate the practices of the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) under President Trump, including its management of immigration courts during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the senators raise concerns first voiced to the Justice Department in February about mismana… Continue Reading
08.21.20
RI Delegation Announces Nearly $3.9 Million for Local Fire Departments
PROVIDENCE, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced $3,884,710 in new federal funding for seventeen fire departments across the state. The delegation says the cities, towns, and fire districts are receiving federal funds to purchase vital equipment, including fire hoses, trucks, high-tech breathing equipment, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The federal funds are made available through the Federal Emergency Ma… Continue Reading
08.19.20
Senators Hassan, Whitehouse Continue to Press for 2006 Purdue Pharma Prosecution Memo Following New Guardian Reporting
WASHINGTON - Today, The Guardian published additional details about a 2006 Department of Justice memo laying out federal prosecutors' strong criminal case against Purdue Pharma. The Guardian's reporting discusses crimes that Purdue Pharma allegedly committed, the evidence that the Department of Justice had against Purdue Pharma, and the Department of Justice's decision to settle instead of prosecuting Purdue Pharma. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have repeatedly cal… Continue Reading
08.17.20
RI Delegation Demands Trump Administration End Sabotage of Postal Service
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline are demanding that the Trump administration end its sabotage of the United States Postal Service (USPS). In a letter sent today to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the members of Rhode Island's congressional delegation call any action to undermine the operations of the USPS "unacceptable," including efforts reported in Rhode Island that affect hardworking postal workers and the … Continue Reading
08.14.20
RI Delegation Announces $2.3 Million Grant for ‘401 Tech Bridge’ Facility to Propel Textiles, Composites, Undersea Technology Industries
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded Polaris Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) a $2.3 million grant to open a new facility in Rhode Island that will support the growth of the local textiles, composites, and undersea technology industries. The grant from the EDA's Public Works Program will fund the construction of a new Advanced … Continue Reading
08.13.20
Reed, Whitehouse Call for Extension of Census Deadlines to Ensure Full, Accurate Count
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined a bipartisan group of 46 U.S. Senators in calling for the extension of the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 Census. The 48 Senators urged Congress to include the extension in a COVID-19 relief package. The U.S. Constitution requires a population census every ten years and the census count to be reported to the President by December 31 of that year. A change… Continue Reading
