Press Releases
Whitehouse Presses Gorsuch on Dark Money
Washington, DC - Today in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) pressed Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch for his position on the effect unlimited, secret political spending-or "dark money"-has had on our political system since the 2010 Citizens United decision, and whether Gorsuch knew why a dark money group was spending on his behalf. Whitehouse noted that the same dark money group that led a campaign to defeat President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court in 20… Continue Reading
03.20.17
Whitehouse Remarks at Gorsuch Confirmation Hearing
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered the following opening remarks at the Senate Judiciary Committee's Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Federal Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch. Video of Whitehouse's remarks is available here. The question before us is what happens when Republicans gain a five-seat majority on the Supreme Court? I can't help but notice the long array of 5-4 decisions, with all the Republican appointees lining up to change the law to the be… Continue Reading
03.16.17
Whitehouse Statement on Trump ‘Skinny’ Budget
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement today in response to the release of President Trump's budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2018: "Looking at these pages makes me wonder what 'America First' means to President Trump. This proposal would gut programs that support jobs, education, and public health for all Americans, while handing out favors to the wealthy and big corporations. And it would abdicate American leadership in the world. It's light on de… Continue Reading
03.16.17
After a Month of Waiting, Senators Want Answers on Icahn
Washington, D.C. - It has been over a month since a group of Senators wrote to the Trump Administration asking what role Carl Icahn is playing in shaping policy. Having received no response by the February 15 deadline, today Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are pushing for answers in two letters sent to White House Counsel Don McGahn and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Adm… Continue Reading
03.15.17
Graham, Whitehouse Hold Hearing on Russian Interference in Elections
Washington, DC - Today, Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) held a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism to examine Russian efforts to undermine democracies, including the United States and its elections. The hearing included testimony from a panel of experts in the tools employed by the Russian government to disrupt elections and the function of democratic governments, including cyber-attacks, financial crime and economic ma… Continue Reading
03.15.17
Senate Democrats Release List of Over 100 Oversight Letters President Trump Refuses to Answer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In recognition of Sunshine Week, a nationwide initiative to promote openness and transparency in government, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee today released a compilation of over 100 oversight letters the Trump Administration has refused to answer in response to congressional inquiries. Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chair, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a… Continue Reading
03.13.17
Whitehouse Statement on CBO Analysis of Republican Health Care Plan
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today released the following statement on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the Republican health care reform bill, which would replace the Affordable Care Act: "These numbers make clear that the only people who will benefit from Trumpcare are the ultra-wealthy getting a tax cut. Now we know why House Republicans were angling to jam through a vote on thi… Continue Reading
03.12.17
Whitehouse Statement on the Passing of Former State Sen. David Bates
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement on the passing of former Rhode Island State Senator David Bates: "I was very sorry to hear of the passing of former State Senator Dave Bates, who was a thorough and wise legislator, and a wonderful man. I had the chance to work closely with Dave on reforming Rhode Island's workers compensation system. He was an important leader in Barrington and at the State House during his many years as Minority Whip. D… Continue Reading
03.10.17
Senators to Trump Admin: Refrain from Cutting Coast Guard Budget to Follow Through on Your Own Priorities
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined a bipartisan group of 23 senators urging Office of Management and Budget Administrator Mick Mulvaney not to make a devastating $1.3 billion cut to the budget of the United States Coast Guard. According to reports, the Trump administration's FY 2018 Presidential Budget Request will suggest a wholesale slash amounting to almost 12 percent of the service's budget. Throughout his campaign and time in office, President Trump has committ… Continue Reading
03.10.17
Whitehouse Underscores Support for Arts in RI Amid Potential Trump Cuts
East Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse this morning met with more than eighty representatives of local arts organizations and businesses at the Rhode Island Philharmonic's Carter Center for Music Education in East Providence to hear firsthand how federal funding for the arts contributes to Rhode Island's economy. Recent news reports suggest the Trump administration is weighing the elimination of funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Hu… Continue Reading
03.09.17
Whitehouse Statement on Pruitt Climate Denial
Washington, DC - Today, on national television, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt said that carbon pollution caused by human activity is not a main driver of climate change. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a Co-Chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement on Pruitt's comment: "It seems the fossil fuel industry has its Manchurian candidate. Scott Pruitt testifi… Continue Reading
03.08.17
Senators Whitehouse and Graham Request Warrant Applications and Court Orders Related to Possible Wiretapping of President Trump, Trump Campaign, or Trump Tower
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, today sent a letter to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Acting Deputy Attorney General requesting information on possible wiretapping of President Trump, the Trump campaign, or Trump Tower. "We request that the Department of Justice provide us copies of any warr… Continue Reading
03.07.17
U.S. Senate Urges Trump Administration to Take Action on Threats to Jewish Community Centers & Institutions
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously urged the Trump Administration to take action in response to the recent anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools, and synagogues, including multiple incidents in Rhode Island. In a unified, bipartisan letter signed by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and every member of the Senate, the lawmakers urged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General J… Continue Reading
03.07.17
Whitehouse Introduces Safety Over Forced Arbitration Act
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation to bar mandatory, pre-dispute arbitration in suits involving public health and safety, including environmental cases. Mandatory arbitration clauses in agreements can railroad Americans into closed-door negotiations with an arbitrator, denying the aggrieved their day in court. Because it is often combined with nondisclosure agreements, pre-dispute arbitration can hinder public awareness of serious hazards like envi… Continue Reading
03.07.17
Whitehouse Hears Concerns From URI Students, Faculty Union About Trump’s Immigration Policy
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday hosted a forum about President Trump's executive order on immigration that drew about one hundred members of the University of Rhode Island (URI) Chapter of the American Association of University Professors and undergraduate and graduate students. The event took place at URI's Multicultural Center on the Kingston campus. "The students and faculty I heard from are conducting research and learning skills to better our community," said Whitehouse, "But their f… Continue Reading
03.07.17
Reed, Whitehouse Vote to Uphold Fair Pay Rules; Republicans Repeal Transparency Protections for Workers
Washington, DC - The United States Senate this evening voted to repeal President Barack Obama's 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, which helped ensure companies doing business with the federal government complied with laws related to workplace safety, sexual harassment, anti-discrimination, minimum wage, and overtime. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse voted to save the directive, which failed in a 49-48 vote. "Congress should work together to strengthen protections for… Continue Reading
03.06.17
Whitehouse Statement on Revised Muslim Travel Ban
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the executive order issued today revising President Donald Trump's travel ban on immigrants from certain Muslim-majority countries: "After our courts rejected his first attempt, President Trump thinks he can repackage this un-American order. This version, just like the last, empowers terrorists to define America as the bad guy, pitting us against the world … Continue Reading
03.06.17
As Concerns with Secrecy Mount, Senators Call on Trump to Release White House Visitor Logs
Washington, DC - The President and the Secret Service should continue the previous administration's policy of releasing White House complex visitor logs so that the American people can know who is influencing their government, write a group of Senators in a pair of letters sent Monday to President Donald Trump and the head of the Secret Service. Under the policy established by President Barack Obama, the White House and the Secret Service released visitor logs 90 to 120 days after they were cre… Continue Reading
03.02.17
Whitehouse Statement on Sessions Contacts with Russia
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement concerning revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had contacts with a Russian official during the 2016 presidential campaign: "The Department of Justice has a rule that says 'no employee shall participate in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship with any person or organization substantially involved in the con… Continue Reading
03.01.17
Reed, Whitehouse Cosponsor Bill Allowing Americans to Import Low-Cost Medicines
In an effort to provide seniors with more affordable prescription drugs, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are joining Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in cosponsoring legislation to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs by allowing Americans to purchase safe, low-cost medicines from Canada. The Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act would also authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow importation from other advanced countries… Continue Reading
