Press Releases
Sen. Whitehouse & Rep. Johnson Release Correspondence with Michael Chertoff Regarding Dobbs Leak Investigation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) today released their correspondence with Michael Chertoff, Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group, regarding the Supreme Court's internal investigation into the leak of the draft opinion in the Dobbs case. The Chertoff Group, a security firm that had previously been hired as a contractor for the Supreme Court, was again brought on by the Court to assess the quality of the Court's internal investigation… Continue Reading
03.20.23
Whitehouse Applauds Biden Veto of Fossil Fuel-Backed Attack on Free Market Capitalism
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today cheered President Joe Biden's veto of a fossil fuel-funded push to reverse a Department of Labor rule that allows fiduciaries to consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in retirement plan investing. "MAGA Republicans and their fossil fuel overlords want Americans to believe that an epidemic of woke-ism has hit America's fiduciary financial institutions. Not true. The tr… Continue Reading
03.17.23
Reed, Whitehouse, Cicilline Celebrate Victories to Lower Rx Drug Costs and Raise Awareness for New $35-Monthly Cap on Insulin for RI Seniors
Cumberland, RI - In a major win for millions of diabetic Americans who need insulin to live and have been paying inflated prices for years, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi - one of the top three insulin manufacturers for the U.S. - announced it will follow suit with its two major competitors by slashing the list price for its most prescribed insulin product by 78 percent. In agreeing to expand the capping of insulin prices at $35 per month for uninsured people and those with private insuranc… Continue Reading
03.17.23
Reed, Whitehouse, Cicilline Celebrate Victories to Lower Rx Drug Costs and Raise Awareness for New $35-Monthly Cap on Insulin for RI Seniors
Cumberland, RI - In a major win for millions of diabetic Americans who need insulin to live and have been paying inflated prices for years, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi - one of the top three insulin manufacturers for the U.S. - announced it will follow suit with its two major competitors by slashing the list price for its most prescribed insulin product by 78 percent. In agreeing to expand the capping of insulin prices at $35 per month for uninsured people and those with private insuranc… Continue Reading
03.16.23
U.S. Senators to IRS & Treasury: Target Funds to Protect Taxpayer Rights and Restore Tax Enforcement on High-Income Individuals and Large Corporations
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to keep taxes low for all Americans and crack down on wealthy tax cheats and illegal corporate tax avoidance schemes, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined 19 of their Senate colleagues in signing a letter, led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Angus King (I-ME), to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, expressing strong support for Secretary Yellen's directive for the IRS n… Continue Reading
03.16.23
Whitehouse, Grassley, Wyden, Rubio, Warren Push FinCEN to Improve Implementation of Corporate Transparency Act
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) submitted a comment to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) raising concerns about its latest proposed rule implementing the most important anti-money laundering reform law in two decades, the Corporate Transparency Act. The Corporate Transparency Act was the result of years of policymaking and debate, and the senators a… Continue Reading
03.15.23
Whitehouse Highlights Coming Changes That Will Lower Drug Costs for Seniors
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined 21 senators in a request to the Biden administration, putting a spotlight on the pending Inflation Reduction Act provisions that will lower prescription drug prices for seniors who take Medicare Part B drugs. "Our Inflation Reduction Act will soon be lowering prescription drug and health care costs for Rhode Islanders," said Senator Whitehouse. "We're calling on the Biden Administration to implement the IRA's drug pricing provision… Continue Reading
03.14.23
On Equal Pay Day, Reed & Whitehouse Call for Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act
Washington, DC - On Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would combat wage discrimination and help close the wage gap by strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and ensuring women can challenge pay discriminations and hold employers accountable. The legislation is led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and cosponsored by Reed and Whitehouse. E… Continue Reading
03.11.23
ICYMI: Whitehouse and Weihl Op-Ed Calls Out U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Continued Climate Obstruction
Washington, DC - In case you missed it, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and ClimateVoice founder Bill Weihl published an op-ed in The Hill slamming the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for doing the bidding of Big Oil and actively working to sink meaningful climate legislation. The Chamber's long habit of obstruction has continued in concert with its attempt to greenwash its hostility to effective climate policy. "Much has changed in Congress over the past decade - but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce i… Continue Reading
03.10.23
As Rhode Islanders Get Ready to Spring Forward, Whitehouse Renews Effort to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Providence, R.I. - As Rhode Islanders prepare to set their clocks ahead an hour this weekend, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is urging Congress to pass his bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the bill earlier this month. Whitehouse has been a cosponsor of the bill each Congress since 2019. "It's time for Congress to find consensus and free Rhode Islanders from the unnecessary practice of chan… Continue Reading
03.08.23
Reed, Whitehouse Join Colleagues to Introduce Legislation to Restore and Protect Americans’ Right to an Abortion Nationwide
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 44 Senate colleagues in introducing the Women's Health Protection Act of 2023, federal legislation to guarantee access to abortion care nationwide and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill's introduction follows the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, wh… Continue Reading
03.06.23
Senators Warren, Whitehouse, Representatives Goldman, Raskin, and 47 Colleagues Urge SEC to Finalize Strong Climate Risk Disclosure Rule, Protect Investors
Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Representatives Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and 47 of their colleagues sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler, urging him to protect investors and finalize a strong climate disclosure rule without further delay. The rule would require public companies to disclose details about their emissions and climate-related risks. "C… Continue Reading
03.06.23
Senator Whitehouse and Governor McKee Push for Robust Federal Investment in Child Care Programs and Workforce
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Governor Dan McKee today joined with child care providers from the Meeting Street School and Rhode Island child care advocates to rally support for comprehensive federal child care legislation that would boost Rhode Island's investment in child care affordability, access, and workforce retention. "Increasing access to affordable child care would help keep the youngest Rhode Islanders safe and on track for success while strengthening our econo… Continue Reading
03.01.23
Reed & Whitehouse Support Pro-Union Protect Workers’ Right to Organize (PRO) Act
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help workers in Rhode Island and nationwide, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are renewing their push to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, comprehensive labor legislation to protect workers' right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. Unions give workers a stronger voice through collective bargaining and are critical to growing the middle-class now a… Continue Reading
02.28.23
Whitehouse Leads Reintroduction of Bill to Honor Nation’s First Black Military Unit with Congressional Gold Medal
Washington, DC - On the final day of Black History Month, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today led the reintroduction of bipartisan legislation to posthumously award America's first Black military unit with the Congressional Gold Medal. The First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act aims to commemorate the legacy of this Revolutionary War unit by presenting the Congressional Gold Medal in its honor to the Rhode … Continue Reading
02.28.23
Whitehouse Introduces Legislation to Create Parity Between Captured Carbon Utilization and Sequestration
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today introduced the Captured Carbon Utilization Parity Act, a bill intended to create parity between the credit value for utilization and sequestration in the 45Q carbon capture tax credit. "While we've made progress on lowering emissions with the Inflation Reduction Act, the world is on track to well overshoot the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. We are going to need robust investment in both carbon util… Continue Reading
02.27.23
Windows of Opportunity: Reed & Whitehouse Get Clear View of Providence Preservation Society’s Specialized Workforce Development Program
PROVIDENCE, RI - Rhode Island is home to some of the oldest building stock in the country, including 45 National Historic Landmarks and thousands of other buildings in service as schools, businesses, homes, and houses of worship. In Providence alone, almost 90 percent of the buildings are older than 50 years, each requiring specialized care to remain in working order. Historic window restoration, one of several historic trades specific to older buildings, is key to keeping the state's architect… Continue Reading
02.22.23
As SCOTUS Ducks Ethics Questions, Whitehouse Calls for Update on Personal Hospitality Rules for Federal Judges
Washington, DC - With the Supreme Court ducking questions about a series of ethical scandals, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, today shone a spotlight on the ethics and transparency rules with which all federal judges must comply. In a new letter to the Administrative Office of the Courts, the agency within the judicial branch that issues ethical guidance, Whitehouse requested an update on pending questions related to the personal hos… Continue Reading
02.20.23
Blumenthal & Whitehouse Travel to Germany to Observe Ukrainian Soldiers Training on New Weapon Systems
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) visited the U.S. Army Garrison in Grafenwöhr, Germany to observe Ukrainian servicemembers receiving combined arms training on equipment provided by the U.S. and European allies. Blumenthal and Whitehouse also met with American soldiers from Connecticut and Rhode Island who are stationed in Germany and who have been training Ukraine's servicemembers on ne… Continue Reading
02.18.23
Reed & Whitehouse Urge Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Allow Independent Media to Operate
WASHINGTON, DC -- Citing the critical role that a free and independent press plays in a functioning democracy, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today expressed concern over the Cambodian government's revocation of the operating license of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, the parent organization of Voice of Democracy. The U.S. Senators urged Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to reconsider his decision and allow independent media, as enshrined in Cambodia's Constitution. … Continue Reading
