Press Releases
Whitehouse Supports Resolution Condemning Trump Rollback of Clean Power Plan
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today voted in support of a Senate resolution expressing disapproval of the Trump administration's repeal of the Clean Power Plan, which was aimed at reducing the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. The Trump administration replaced the Clean Power Plan with the so-called Affordable Clean Energy rule - a move to weaken carbon emission standards for power plants that was hailed by the fossil fuel industry. The Senate rejected the res… Continue Reading
10.17.19
Judicial Travel Accountability Act Unveiled in Congress
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) led a bipartisan group in Congress to introduce the Judicial Travel Accountability Act, a bill to close loopholes that allow Supreme Court justices and federal judges to avoid disclosing travel and hospitality perks they enjoy as prominent public figures. Given the life tenure and extraordinary power to shape American law that comes with a federal court seat, there is a strong public interest in bet… Continue Reading
10.08.19
Whitehouse Calls for Passage of Buffett Rule After New Report Exposes Record Tax Inequality
Washington, DC - After a new report published in The New York Times exposed that the top 400 earners paid a record low tax rate last year, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would prevent the wealthiest Americans from paying lower tax rates than middle-class families. Whitehouse's Paying a Fair Share Act, also known as the "Buffett Rule," would ensure that multi-million-dollar earners pay at least a 30 percent effective federal tax rate. "As Republ… Continue Reading
10.04.19
Whitehouse, Leahy Call for Investigation into Conduct of Former Top Justice Department Official
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released their request to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division John Gore for possible ethics violations. Documents obtained by the senators through a watchdog group's Freedom of Information Act request show Gore taking action as a Department official to pursue allegations of voting irr… Continue Reading
10.03.19
Whitehouse and Wyden Statement on Trump Health Care Smokescreen
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Finance Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. today issued a statement following a speech by the president on health care: "The American people aren't buying Donald Trump's scare tactics on health care. Democrats want people to have choices for their health care - whether that's Medicare Advantage or allowing Americans under 65 to join the program if they choose. Trump and Republicans in Congress are … Continue Reading
10.02.19
Whitehouse, Cassidy, Hassan Applaud DOJ Action Against $2.1B Medicare Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today released statements applauding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) action against 35 individuals for their alleged participation in a Medicare genetic testing fraud scheme involving $2.1 billion in losses, and the departments' new effort to target genetic testing fraud schemes nationwide. This action comes a month after the group of Se… Continue Reading
10.02.19
Providence Fire Department Awarded $750k Federal Grant to Buy New Heavy Rescue Truck
PROVIDENCE, RI -- Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline and Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced $750,000 in federal funding to help the Providence Fire Department purchase a new heavy rescue fire truck to enhance the department's existing fleet. Heavy rescue trucks are designed to respond to major accidents, structure fires, specialized rescues, and hazardous materials calls. The Providence Fire Department's heavy rescue f… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Reed & Whitehouse Seek to Enlist USDA in Effort to Combat Brain-Infecting EEE in RI
PROVIDENCE, RI - Sometimes the best defense is a good offense -- at least when it comes to arboviruses (a scientific term used to describe a group of viral infections transmitted to humans from a group of infected insects). U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are urging the federal government to be more proactive in helping Rhode Island and other states impacted by this year's outbreak of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a rare and serious mosquito-borne illness. They sent a lette… Continue Reading
09.25.19
GAO Report Shows Ways to Improve U.S. Response to Marine Debris Crisis
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 13 senators in releasing findings of the Government Accountability Office that show the federal government could be doing more to confront the global marine debris crisis affecting American coastal communities and businesses. "Plastic trash and other marine debris crowding our oceans is a massive pollution and health threat. This report makes clear that there is more the federal government can do to protect our oceans," said Whiteh… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Senate Committees Approve Whitehouse-Sullivan-Menendez Marine Debris Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today applauded passage of two parts of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (introduced in whole as S. 1982) by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A third piece of the bill awaits action by the Senate Commerce Committee. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act was introduced in June to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harmi… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Energy & Natural Resources Committee Approves Whitehouse-Capito Proposal to Reduce Industrial Emissions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today applauded passage of the Clean Industrial Technology Act (CITA) by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. CITA would support research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources, and help make American companies more competitive in the global economy. The legislation is also sponsored by Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Diane Fein… Continue Reading
09.25.19
RI Delegation Announces $3.4 Million to Increase Medicaid Providers’ Capacity for Addiction Treatment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded Rhode Island a $3,482,368 planning grant to increase the treatment capacity of Medicaid providers for substance use disorder treatment and recovery services. "Rhode Island continues to make strides in combatting the opioid epidemic, but we have to keep the momentum going with real resources and … Continue Reading
09.24.19
Whitehouse Statement on Impeachment Inquiry
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement of an impeachment inquiry into President Trump: "If the president used foreign aid to induce a foreign nation to investigate a political opponent, he plainly violated his oath of office. We must know if these reports are true, so I am pleased the House will pursue the necessary evidence to understand exactly what took place. The executive branch and Attorney Ge… Continue Reading
09.21.19
Reed & Whitehouse Ask CDC for Increased Assistance to Help RI Combat EEE
PROVIDENCE, RI - Citing a significant uptick in the number of human cases of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in New England this year, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are urging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase federal assistance for Rhode Island to help contain and combat the deadly virus. The Senators are also urging Rhode Islanders to take precautions to protect themselves from mosquitoes that can carry EEE by taking simple steps such… Continue Reading
09.20.19
RI Delegation Announces Over $4.2M in Fire Grants for New Training, Equipment & Recruitment
WARWICK, RI - In an effort to enhance fire protection and emergency response capabilities across the state, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a total of $4,216,959 in federal funding to help a dozen fire departments across the state purchase new equipment and recruit new firefighters. Fire departments in Warwick, East Providence, Woonsocket, Middletown, Harmony (Chepachet), Little Compton, Coventry, North Scituate, an… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Whitehouse, Klobuchar, Leahy, Blumenthal Press Justice Department on Investigation into U.S. Automakers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to Attorney General William Barr expressing serious concerns regarding reports of a Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust investigation into four automakers that entered into an agreement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to set vehicle emission standards. On September 6, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ had launched an investigation int… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Senators Whitehouse, Hassan Press Justice Department for 2006 Purdue Pharma Prosecution Memo
WASHINGTON - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) pressed the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over a 2006 memo laying out federal prosecutors' strong criminal case against Purdue Pharma-and related documents that could show why the Department of Justice failed to act on the memo's recommendations and instead let Purdue Pharma off with a slap on the wrist. "Justice Department prosecutors uncovered compelling evidence of the origins of the opioid crisis dating to the 199… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Reed, Whitehouse Honor Bicentennial of Congdon Street Baptist Church
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse have entered the following statements into the Senate Record in honor of the bicentennial of the Congdon Street Baptist Church in Providence: "Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I join with my colleague Senator Whitehouse, the city of Providence, and the State of Rhode Island in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Congdon Street Baptist Church, Rhode Island's oldest Black congregation. For generations, it has b… Continue Reading
09.17.19
New $2.6M SAFER Grant to Help Cranston Fire Department Fill the Ranks
WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to increase staffing levels at the Cranston Fire Department and decrease emergency response times, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today joined Mayor Allan Fung in announcing $2,673,657 to help Cranston hire 15 new firefighters. The federal funds are being awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant program. The federal funds will pay… Continue Reading
09.17.19
Senators Push Corporate America to Fulfill Commitment to Protect Amazon
Washington, DC - Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led a dozen colleagues in writing a pair of letters to corporate signatories to the New York Declaration on Forests, calling for the major companies and financial firms to wield their influence to combat runaway deforestation in the Amazon. In the face of destructive policies by Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro, it is time for corporations to live up to their commitments to combat deforestation around the globe, the s… Continue Reading
