Press Releases
RI Delegation Urges Trump Administration to Reconsider Minimum Service Rule That Unfairly Damages T.F. Green & Other Airports
PROVIDENCE, RI -- After the Trump Administration slighted T.F. Green airport in a "continuation of service" order for airlines receiving assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law No. 116-136), Rhode Island's Congressional delegation is urging the Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao to ensure high levels of safety and service at all airports. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today… Continue Reading
04.09.20
Whitehouse, Doggett Press Trump Administration on Massive Tax Giveaways Slipped into COVID Relief Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) are pressing the Trump administration to explain tax provisions in the recent COVID-19 relief bill that cost roughly $195 billion and have no connection to combatting the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. According to reports, beneficiaries of the tax giveaways may include President Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and "real estate investors in President Trump's inner circle." In a letter a… Continue Reading
04.08.20
Congressional Delegation Announces Additional $7.25 Million to Help Community Health Centers Fight COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced $7.25 million in federal grant funding to help eight Rhode Island health centers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The health centers may deploy the funds to expand coronavirus testing, prevent and treat COVID-19, and increase staffing and treatment capacity to address the public health emergency. "Our community health centers are doing critical … Continue Reading
04.08.20
Reed, Whitehouse Press Administration on Unemployment Insurance Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC - Seeking to ensure that workers in Rhode Island and nationwide are able to access needed assistance during the current coronavirus crisis, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse this week joined 35 Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to United States Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia urging the Trump Administration to take additional action to ensure workers receive unemployment insurance as quickly as possible. In their letter, the Senators outline a num… Continue Reading
04.06.20
RI Delegation Announces Federal Grant to Bolster RIDOH’s COVID-19 Response
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced a new $666,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support Rhode Island's COVID-19 response. This funding will go directly to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) for testing, lab support, supplies, surveillance systems, contact tracing, and supporting quarantine efforts. The funding stems from the phase one $7.8 … Continue Reading
04.03.20
Whitehouse, Blumenthal & Hirono Call on Pandemic Response Accountability Commission Chairman To Commit To Public Transparency & Disclosure
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) wrote Glenn Fine, the newly appointed head of the Pandemic Response Accountability Commission, seeking his public commitment to "explicitly [reject] President Trump's efforts to block crucial information from reaching Congress and the American people." Congress included several oversight measures in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to ensure that… Continue Reading
04.03.20
Reed & Whitehouse Urge Treasury to Provide Veterans, SSI Beneficiaries with Direct Payments, Not Additional Paperwork
PROVIDENCE, RI - After successfully winning a major victory for seniors and retirees who rely on Social Security, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are seeking to do the same for millions of other Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and veterans who get benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Reed and Whitehouse say the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should not un… Continue Reading
04.03.20
Whitehouse Office Available to Assist RI Small Businesses with SBA Loans
Washington, D.C. - As the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today begins accepting applications for a new "Payroll Protection" loan forgiveness program, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is reminding small business owners that his constituent services team is available to help Rhode Islanders navigate the application process. "Rhode Island small businesses are in crisis mode right now, and we know there is enormous demand for the SBA's new borrowing and loan forgiveness services," said Whi… Continue Reading
04.02.20
Following Calls from Reed, Whitehouse, and Colleagues, Treasury Reverses Course and Says Social Security Beneficiaries Do Not Need to File Tax Returns to Receive COVID-19 Direct Cash Assistance
Washington, D.C. - Following calls from Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and their colleagues, the U.S. Treasury Department has announced that Social Security recipients will automatically receive direct cash assistance included in the CARES Act without having to file tax returns. Yesterday, the Senators raised alarms over guidance that the IRS issued earlier this week that said Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax… Continue Reading
04.01.20
Reed & Whitehouse Seek Automatic CARES Act Payments for Social Security Recipients Who Don’t File Tax Returns
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help retirees and seniors living on fixed incomes access the direct payments they are eligible for under the new $2.2 trillion emergency coronavirus relief law, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are asking the Trump Administration to follow the clear intent of the law and provide direct payments to Social Security beneficiaries who do not file taxes. Thousands of Rhode Island taxpayers over the age of 65 do not file an annual federal income tax retu… Continue Reading
03.31.20
Whitehouse Statement on CAFE Standard Rollback
Newport, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement today on the Trump administration's rollback of automobile fuel efficiency standards: "Consumers and automakers don't want this reckless rollback, being pulled off for polluters under cover of the COVID pandemic. We need to investigate the role of Marathon Petroleum and fossil fuel lobbyists, and whatever quid pro quos may have been offered so … Continue Reading
03.30.20
Congressional Delegation Offices Available to Help Rhode Islanders Access COVID-19 Relief Funds
Washington, D.C. - Following the signing into law of a $2.2-trillion economic relief package to help Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline are reminding Rhode Islanders that their respective offices stand ready to help constituents access federal programs. "The massive $2.2-trillion relief package was designed to fortify our health care system for COVID-19, and help middle-class families an… Continue Reading
03.27.20
RI Congressional Delegation Urges Trump to Promptly Deliver Emergency Relief & Address Urgent Needs
WASHINGTON, DC - After Congress sprinted to complete a historic $2.2 trillion Emergency Coronavirus Economic Rescue bill, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation is urging the Trump Administration to effectively implement the law and promptly get the money out the door and into the hands of those who need it. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, all supported the landmark bipartisan package, which provides federal funding and di… Continue Reading
03.25.20
Whitehouse Applauds Revised Bipartisan Legislation to Equip Hospitals, Buoy Middle Class Amid Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse this morning threw his support behind a bipartisan deal for a third coronavirus legislative package that will inject $2 trillion into the national economy and send badly needed resources to Rhode Island hospitals, and to middle class families and local governments grappling with the financial downturn. Whitehouse issued the following statement on The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: "COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented p… Continue Reading
03.24.20
Congressional Delegation Announces $539K to Help RI Health Centers Fight COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced $539,250 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help eight Rhode Island health centers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Health centers may immediately use the awards to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies, and boost their telehealth capacity. "Our trusted community health centers a… Continue Reading
03.23.20
Amid Widening Pandemic, Whitehouse, Warren Lead Call for Chamber of Commerce to Cease Lobbying Efforts that are Endangering Public Health and the Economic Needs of Millions of Americans
Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. -- United States Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) sent a letter to the Chamber of Commerce demanding answers as to why the organization is lobbying against President Trump's use of the Defense Production Act -- an extraordinarily powerful tool that would allow him to quickly harness and use America's technological and man… Continue Reading
03.22.20
Whitehouse Statement on Coronavirus Package Procedural Vote
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement after voting against a procedural vote to proceed to a third coronavirus legislative package: "Americans are counting on Congress to act swiftly to protect workers from financial ruin and fortify our health system and other core sectors of our economy. I voted against the Republican proposal because it did too much for corporations and not enough for our workforce and health care system. I am still hope… Continue Reading
03.18.20
Whitehouse Approves Emergency Package to Provide Relief for Rhode Islanders
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse this afternoon voted to approve a deal negotiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that will put supports immediately in place for Rhode Island workers affected by the economic fallout from COVID-19. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act will also make coronavirus testing free. The legislation passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and awaits the President's signature. "I know Rhode Islanders are hurting right now. Small b… Continue Reading
03.18.20
Whitehouse, Senate Democrats Request Requirements for Airlines and Cruise Lines to Address Pollution in Financial Assistance Package
Washington, D.C. - As Congress considers a massive bailout for industries affected by the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today called on congressional leaders to ensure any financial assistance for major airlines and foreign-flagged cruise lines includes reasonable environmental requirements to address pollutio… Continue Reading
03.16.20
Congressional Delegation Wants Swift SBA Disaster Declaration for RI
WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today urged the Trump Administration to quickly grant Rhode Island's request for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue an economic disaster declaration covering the state due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline say the designation will help small business owners successfully apply for low-interest federal loans … Continue Reading
