Press Releases
Whitehouse, Sanders Push New England Grid Operator to Study Benefits of Carbon Pricing
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on New England's electric grid operator, ISO New England, to study ways to incorporate a price on carbon pollution into the region's energy markets. ISO New England is already doing good work incorporating sound climate policies into its energy markets through the Integrating Markets and Public Policy (IMAPP) process, the Senators write. Now it should join other states in considering carbon pricing as a… Continue Reading
09.18.17
Whitehouse Legislation to Protect Servicemembers and Veterans from Foreclosure Clears Senate
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) bill to extend vital foreclosure protection to servicemembers and their families passed the Senate today as part of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill. Whitehouse's legislation would extend through 2019 the one-year grace period protecting servicemembers leaving active duty from foreclosure. "The men and women of our armed forces serve our country nobly. When they return home, they should have time to adjust to civilian life an… Continue Reading
09.18.17
John Kerry to Headline Whitehouse’s Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day in RI
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that former Secretary of State John Kerry will headline Whitehouse's eighth annual Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day, which will be held in Providence next month. "I am thrilled that Secretary Kerry has agreed to come to Rhode Island to share with us his unique perspective on environmental and oceans policy, which has been informed by seeing the effects of climate change in every corner of the world," said Whitehouse. … Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Heitkamp, Capito, Barrasso Make Bipartisan Push for Carbon Capture Technology during Symposium in Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and John Barrasso (R-WY) today participated in a forum where they discussed strong, bipartisan legislation they introduced to encourage technological innovation in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) while also reducing carbon emissions and recognizing the need for a more diverse energy mix around the world for years to come. The forum, hosted by the Center for Climate and E… Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Merkley Demand Answers on EPA Enforcement Nominee
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called on Susan Bodine, "special counsel to the administrator on compliance" at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and nominee for the EPA's Assistant Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, to explain her role and answer important questions prior to allowing her nomination to proceed. The Senators signaled they would not consent to any time agreement to process Bodine's nomination u… Continue Reading
09.13.17
Whitehouse Lauds Introduction of Medicare for All Act
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement upon the unveiling of Senator Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) Medicare for All Act of 2017 today: "Many Americans already get quality health care coverage through single-payer plans. Single-payer veterans' care is often delivered by government doctors in government hospitals. Single-payer Medicaid is delivered in plans run by individual states. … Continue Reading
09.12.17
Day of Second Meeting, Whitehouse, Klobuchar Question Integrity of Presidential Election Commission
Washington, D.C. - On the day of the second meeting of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) questioned the integrity of the Commission and called for transparency and compliance with the law. To date, the Commission and the Administration have failed to respond to five congressional oversight requests seeking more information about the Commission's work. The Commission's requests for voter data received overwhelming… Continue Reading
09.11.17
Whitehouse Backs Sanders’ Medicare for All Act
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has announced his intention to cosponsor the Medicare for All Act, legislation authored by Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) to create a single-payer national health care insurance system. Sanders is set to introduce the Medicare for All Act on Wednesday, September 13. "We have come a long way under Obamacare, but I still hear from Rhode Island families and small business owners that health care costs are too high. I am committed to bringing dow… Continue Reading
09.11.17
Reed, Whitehouse Demand Action on Opioid Crisis Since Trump Administration Announcement of Intent to Declare National Emergency
Washington, D.C. - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined a group of ten senators led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in calling on President Donald Trump to take immediate action on the opioid crisis and answer specific questions about the President's overdue promise to declare the epidemic a national emergency. In July, the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, created by President Trump, provided a number of recommendations to help address the opioid c… Continue Reading
09.07.17
Senators Call on Pruitt to Enforce Methane Rule
Washington, DC - Today, eight Senators called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to enforce fully his agency's methane pollution rule. In a letter to Pruitt, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tom Udall (D-NM) raised concerns about EPA's announcement to apply the rule restricting methane emissions from new oil and gas wells on a "case by … Continue Reading
09.05.17
McCain, Whitehouse File Brief with Supreme Court in Landmark Gerrymandering Case
Washington, DC - Today, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are submitting a brief with the Supreme Court in a case that could address wildly partisan gerrymandering of political districts and loosen the grip of special interests on American politics. In their friend-of-the-court brief, the Senators describe the effects of hyper-partisan redistricting and special interest influence in Washington, and call on the Court to adopt a new standard for assessing the constitutiona… Continue Reading
09.05.17
Whitehouse Statement on Rescinding of DACA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors to remain in their communities without fear of deportation: "This decision is shameful and cruel. These are children of our nation who had no say in coming here. They've studied diligentl… Continue Reading
08.31.17
Senators Call on Pruitt to End Secrecy at EPA
Washington, DC - Six Senators are calling out Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt for running the Agency under a veil of secrecy, possibly violating federal record-keeping laws. In a letter to Pruitt penned today, Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) raise questions about management policies that appear tailor-made to hide Pruitt's involvement with EP… Continue Reading
08.25.17
Whitehouse Statement on Pardon of Arpaio
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County, AZ, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty on criminal contempt charges for disobeying a federal court order to stop imprisoning people solely on suspicion of illegal immigration status: "Sheriff Arpaio systemically discriminated against Arizona Latinos in defiance of our Constitution and ignored our courts. He does not deserve a pardon. Now … Continue Reading
08.22.17
Whitehouse Statement on Afghanistan Announcement
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's announcement of an increase in troop levels and a new military strategy in Afghanistan: "The President's plan leaves out the details Americans expect from their Commander-in-Chief when proposing an escalation of U.S. military involvement overseas. Putting our troops in harm's way requires a clear statement of the mission and why it justifies the risks we expect the brave men a… Continue Reading
08.22.17
Whitehouse Statement on Passing of Frank Montanaro, Sr.
Newport, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the following statement upon the death of Frank J. Montanaro, Sr., a labor leader and Rhode Island's Democratic National Committeeman: "A great Rhode Islander, a local and national labor leader, and a man beloved by friends and firefighters everywhere, Frank Montanaro, has passed away. He was a loyal and unwavering friend, and a firm and principled adversary. My condolences go to his dear family and his many friends." ###… Continue Reading
08.15.17
Whitehouse Statement on President Trump’s Remarks Regarding Violence in Charlottesville
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement on President Trump's remarks regarding the violence in Charlottesville, VA: "Generations of Americans toiled, marched, and bled to defeat the racism that reared its ugly head in Charlottesville this weekend. The Greatest Generation fought, bled and died to defeat the Nazi flag that flew in Charlottesville this weekend. Instead of flatly condemning these monsters of the past, the President equivocated and blows d… Continue Reading
08.09.17
Senators Call on Sessions to Answer for Anti-Affirmative Action Program and to Prevent Discrimination Against Career DOJ Attorneys
Washington, DC - Six Senators wrote to the Attorney General today calling for a commitment to protecting the integrity and independence of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division John Gore follows reports that the Division may undertake anti-affirmative action investigations and troubling signs that the Trump administration is poised to purge career attorneys at the Divisi… Continue Reading
08.07.17
Whitehouse, Heitkamp Urge National Academy of Sciences to Study Removing Carbon Pollution from Oceans
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) wrote to the National Academy of Sciences to urge that its study of promising new methods of removing carbon pollution from the atmosphere be extended to include removing carbon from our oceans. A comprehensive assessment of direct carbon removal from our oceans would help to face down severe threats from carbon pollution, like ocean acidification, and to drive the development of marketable carbon capture techn… Continue Reading
08.07.17
Whitehouse Presents Bronze Star to Family of Late WWII Hero
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today delivered a Bronze Star Medal to Barbara Feldman, who was married for 67 years to the late Walter Feldman, a World War II Army veteran who passed away in May at the age of 92. The ceremony took place in Whitehouse's Providence office surrounded by members of the Feldman family. "It is my great honor to present this Bronze Star Medal to Walter's beloved wife Barbara and the Feldman family," said Whitehouse. "While Walter passed on before w… Continue Reading
