Press Releases
Reed & Whitehouse Reject Conditioning Federal Education Funds to Schools Reopening In-Person
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 27 Senate colleagues, today urged U.S. Senate leadership to reject the Trump Administration's desire to condition education funds in the next novel coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Committee… Continue Reading
07.31.20
Reed & Whitehouse Call for Extension of School Meal Flexibilities for Upcoming School Year
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have joined U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and 32 of their colleagues in urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue flexibilities that have allowed students to keep receiving daily meals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as schools transitioned to distance learning. If extended through the 2020-2021 school year, children would maintain access to nutritious m… Continue Reading
07.31.20
Whitehouse Statement on Tabling of Key Judicial Ethics Guidance
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement today on the decision by the federal courts' Committee on the Codes of Conduct not to move forward with draft guidance that would bar judges from membership in the Federalist Society and American Constitution Society: "The Committee bowing to pressure from Mitch McConnell and a horde of Federalist Society members on the bench demonstrates the power of the partisan donor interests packing our courts. The Federal… Continue Reading
07.30.20
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Floating Delay of 2020 Election
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's tweet today on delaying the 2020 presidential election: "A president cannot legally move the election without approval from Congress, and the end of the president's term is spelled out in the Constitution. President Trump is sowing confusion about bedrock principles of our democracy to distract from an accelerating pandemic, a massive economic contraction, and his campaign's s… Continue Reading
07.29.20
Whitehouse, Reed, & Feinstein Seek to Undo Trump Administration Move to Cut CDC Out of COVID-19 Data Collection
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are taking action to reverse the Trump administration's new directive forcing hospitals to withhold data about the COVID-19 pandemic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Senators today introduced the Transparent Reporting and Use of Statistics in the Transmission of Coronavirus Data Collection, or the TRUST CDC Act. The TRUST CDC Act would require hospitals to repor… Continue Reading
07.29.20
Reed, Whitehouse, & Cicilline Announce $230K Grant to Support Joint Economic Development Plan for Pawtucket and Central Falls
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman David Cicilline today announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded the cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls a $230,000 grant to create a joint economic development action plan. "Under the leadership of Mayors Diossa and Grebien, Central Falls and Pawtucket have worked together for years to advance the economies of both of their cities. This federal funding, which I was … Continue Reading
07.28.20
Whitehouse: GOP Pandemic Aid Proposal Buoys Corporations at the Expense of Workers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement regarding the pandemic aid proposal Senate Republicans unveiled yesterday evening: "Leader McConnell squandered two and a half months while families across the country grappled with twin health and economic crises. Now, with urgent deadlines approaching for millions of Americans pushed to the financial brink, Senate Republicans have hastily slapped together another corporate welfare proposal that fall… Continue Reading
07.27.20
Whitehouse & Reed Introduce Legislation to Support State Paid Leave Programs During COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, today announced that they have introduced the State Paid Leave for America Now (PLAN) Act to reimburse state paid family and medical leave programs for the cost of benefits for circumstances related to COVID-19. Five states, including Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia have sustainable, long-term paid … Continue Reading
07.23.20
Whitehouse Maritime Security Amendment On Its Way to Becoming Law in NDAA
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that his maritime security proposal has been incorporated as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act making its way through Congress. "Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on the high seas is a persistent, elusive threat to marine life and to ocean economies like Rhode Island's," said Whitehouse. "This amendment will help the U.S. get a handle on illicit activities at sea that threaten our national… Continue Reading
07.23.20
Whitehouse Statement on the 1,001 Rhode Islanders Lost to COVID-19
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement as the COVID-19 pandemic reached a grim milestone in Rhode Island: "Today we mourn 1,001 fellow Rhode Islanders lost to COVID-19. Each victim of this pandemic had a story. Each was a part of our community. As we pass this sad milestone, our hearts are with each family grieving a lost loved one." ###… Continue Reading
07.23.20
Whitehouse-Murkowski Bill to Further Understanding of Oceans, Great Lakes, and Coasts Advances Out of Committee
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, have announced that their legislation to advance data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee by voice vote yesterday. The Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, or the BLUE GLOBE A… Continue Reading
07.23.20
Whitehouse & Colleagues Introduce Medical Bankruptcy Bill After Millions Lose Health Insurance During Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - With millions of Americans newly kicked off their health insurance in the middle of a raging pandemic, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today introduced legislation designed to ease the burden on those forced into bankruptcy because of unforeseen medical expenses or public health-related shutdowns. The Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2020, based on legislation Whitehouse las… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Senators Encourage Supreme Court to Take up Challenge to Super PACs
READ THE FULL AMICUS BRIEF HERE Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a petition for Supreme Court review of the major campaign finance case Lieu v. Federal Election Commission (FEC). The senators argue that the Court should take up the challenge to the wrongly decided appeals case SpeechNow.org v. FEC and limit… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Booker, Reed, Whitehouse Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Deployment of Anonymous Federal Agents in U.S. Cities
WASHINGTON, DC - Citing concerns that the Trump Administration is seeking to use unidentified, heavily-armed armed federal personnel to escalate conflict in American cities where elected state and local officials oppose the federal intervention, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 23 additional Senate colleagues in sending a letter pressing U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf for answers… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Senators Call on Supreme Court to Take up Challenge to Super PACs
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a petition for Supreme Court review of the major campaign finance case Lieu v. Federal Election Commission (FEC). The senators argue that the Court should take up the challenge to the wrongly decided appeals case SpeechNow.org v. FEC and limit the power of super PACs to corru… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Senators Encourage Supreme Court to Take up Challenge to Super PACs
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a petition for Supreme Court review of the major campaign finance case Lieu v. Federal Election Commission (FEC). The senators argue that the Court should take up the challenge to the wrongly decided appeals case SpeechNow.org v. FEC and limit the power of super PACs to corru… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Whitehouse, Sullivan Testify on Marine Debris Crisis, SOS 2.0 Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) testified yesterday before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS) regarding U.S. efforts to combat the global marine debris crisis and the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, legislation introduced by Sullivan, Whitehouse and Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) that passed the Senate in January and is under consideration by the House. Click here to watch Senator Wh… Continue Reading
07.22.20
RI Delegation Announces Distribution of $71.3 Million in CARES Act Funds to Five Local Hospitals
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced that $71.3 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has been distributed to five Rhode Island hospitals to offset the costs of caring for coronavirus patients. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "We set this funding aside in the CARES Act to help local hospitals a… Continue Reading
07.20.20
Reed, Whitehouse Press Trump Administration To Reverse Move Undermining COVID-19 Hospital Data Collection
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 43 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in writing to Vice President Mike Pence and Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, urging the Trump Administration to reverse recent changes requiring hospitals to report data to a new system set up by the Department of Health and Human Services instead of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), which is run… Continue Reading
07.20.20
Whitehouse Calls for Swift Passage of New COVID-19 Relief Bill to Aid RI
Providence, RI - As the U.S. Senate reconvenes today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is renewing his call for another COVID-19 relief package to meet urgent needs in Rhode Island. Whitehouse's priorities include providing an influx of aid to states and municipalities, emergency education funding, additional support for small businesses, investments to reduce racial inequities, and hazard pay to frontline workers. "Leader McConnell sat on the House relief bill for two months while the v… Continue Reading
