Press Releases
Whitehouse Mourns 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this evening released the following statement mourning the 500,000 Americans, including nearly 2,500 Rhode Islanders, lost to the COVID-19 pandemic: "The pandemic has taken so much from so many. It is hard to fathom that a half million Americans who were with us a year ago have been lost to COVID-19. We mourn each one of those 500,000 lives, and grieve for the families who have had to face tragedy in solitude. "There are hopeful signs in … Continue Reading
02.23.21
Whitehouse Takes Helm of Judiciary and Finance Subcommittees
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that he has been selected to serve as Chairman of both the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights and the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight for the 117th Congress. "Rhode Islanders' interests will be front and center as I set the agendas for key subcommittees on the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees," said Whitehouse. "With gavels in hand, … Continue Reading
02.23.21
Whitehouse Statement on Garland Hearing
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, signaled his support for the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to serve as Attorney General after Garland's nomination hearing concluded today: "Judge Garland proved he's the right person to restore a battered Department of Justice after four troubled years under Donald Trump. We still don't know the extent of the damage Trump inflicted, but even our incomplete picture reveals sweeping harm.… Continue Reading
02.23.21
Whitehouse Proposes Expansion of Telehealth Services and More Funding to Fight Opioid Crisis
Washington, DC - With opioid overdoses on the rise in Rhode Island and communities across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have introduced the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act to support the expansion of telehealth services for substance use disorder treatment. The bill would build on previous steps taken by the federal government to temporarily waive regulatory restrictions for a… Continue Reading
02.18.21
Reed & Whitehouse Press Postmaster General to Restore On-Time Delivery and Stop Harmful Changes
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have joined Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and 31 colleagues in pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about persistent mail delays and what action he is taking to restore on-time mail delivery. Operational changes at the Postal Service ordered by Postmaster General DeJoy last summer resulted in compromised service in Rhode Island and across the country. While Congressional oversight efforts and public pressure helped ens… Continue Reading
02.17.21
Whitehouse, Graham Call on Federal Judiciary to Strengthen Judicial Ethics Standards
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released today a letter sent to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts calling on the Court to bring judicial financial disclosure requirements in line with other branches of government. Following passage of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, Congress and the executive branch implemented strong disclosure requirements for officials' outside income, gifts, and reimbursements. The judiciary, for its part, has adopted signi… Continue Reading
02.13.21
Whitehouse Statement on Final Vote in Second Trump Impeachment
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on his vote today to convict former president Donald Trump on the article of impeachment for incitement to insurrection: "The House managers did a masterful job. They presented a complete and vivid case that spanned Donald Trump's cultivation of his stolen election lie, the incitement of his mob, and the deadly harm his mob perpetrated. They recounted the bravery and pain of the people who defended us. They… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Senators Call Out Dark-Money Influence Behind SCOTUS Labor Case
READ THE BRIEF HERE Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) filed a brief today in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, a major Supreme Court challenge to labor unions' ability to organize agricultural workers. The senators point to the raft of anonymously funded pro-corporate groups that have helped to guide the case to the Court, and are now lobbying the justices for an outcome that would not on… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Whitehouse Statement on Conclusion of Impeachment Presentations
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement tonight upon conclusion of House managers and defense counsels' presentations in the second impeachment of former president Donald Trump: "The House managers presented a disciplined, vivid, and damning case that followed the arc of Trump's months-long recruitment and incitement of his mob. They brought to life again the fear, violence, and bravery in the halls of the Capitol that day, and presented new deta… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Whitehouse, Baldwin, Braun, and Brown Lead Senate Introduction of Bipartisan Medicaid Reentry Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced the Senate introduction of the bipartisan Medicaid Reentry Act, legislation expanding access to addiction treatment and other health services for Medicaid-eligible individuals 30 days before their release from jail or prison. Federal statute currently prohibits any form of federal health coverage for incarcerated individuals except under very limited circum… Continue Reading
02.11.21
Reed & Whitehouse Announce Selection Process for U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, & RI State Director of the Farm Service Agency
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In response to inquiries regarding federally appointed U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) positions in Rhode Island, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today outlined their process for ensuring that there is a talented pool of highly-qualified applicants for the positions of U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, and Rhode Island State Director of the Farm Service Agency. All interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume via e … Continue Reading
02.09.21
Whitehouse Statement on Beginning of Second Trump Impeachment Trial
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement today on the beginning of the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump in the Senate: "My Republican colleagues cannot make excuses for avoiding impeachment. The former president incited violent insurrection to obstruct constitutional duties of a coequal branch of government. He must be held to account. That is why I look forward to a full and fair impeachment proceeding. The House managers will… Continue Reading
02.09.21
Senators Call on Solicitor General to Reverse Position in SCOTUS Case Threatening Constitutional Protection for Dark Money
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led Judiciary Democrats in calling on the Biden administration to reverse the Department of Justice's position in Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) v. Becerra, a First Amendment challenge before the Supreme Court. The senators warn the Biden Justice Department that the case could lead Trump-appointed right-wing justices … Continue Reading
02.04.21
Whitehouse Supports Quick, Robust COVID-19 Relief Effort
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, is applauding the use of the budget reconciliation process to deliver urgently needed relief to Rhode Island families during the COVID-19 pandemic: "Too many Rhode Island families are grieving a loved one lost to COVID-19, and too many are on the edge of a financial abyss. Our public health response and our economy are at a tipping point, and the danger is in not doing enough. We are moving ahead w… Continue Reading
02.03.21
Whitehouse, Warren Urge Yellen to Review IRS Enforcement of Dark Money Groups
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Banking and Finance Committees, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen today to call for stronger IRS enforcement of important rules governing political activity by nonprofit organizations. The lack of enforcement has enabled special interests to skirt campaign finance laws to spend enormous sums of anonymous "dark money" in federal elections. Republican e… Continue Reading
02.03.21
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
