Press Releases
Whitehouse and Blumenthal Call for Public Hearings on NRA Role in 2016 Russian Election Interference
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are urging Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) to hold public hearings with National Rifle Association (NRA) leadership to determine what these NRA officials knew about Russia's attempts to illegally launder money through their organization during the 2016 election cycle. Last week, Maria Butina, a suspected Russian agent, was indicted for her involvement in an alleged conspiracy to "infiltra… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Senators Press DOJ on New Criminal Division Head’s Ethics Agreements, Recusals
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 14 Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees in asking leaders at the Department of Justice to detail the ethical agreements binding the newly confirmed head of the Department's Criminal Division, Brian Benczkowski. The information would shed light on whether Benczkowski-a nominee noted as uniquely underqualified, who served as an aide to then-Senator Jeff Sessions and on the Trump transi… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Narragansett Fire Department Receives $218K Federal Grant for New Equipment & Rescue Training
Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin announced $218,096 in federal funding to help the Narragansett Fire Department purchase needed equipment and provide water rescue training. The funding is being awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The Narragansett Fire Department will use the federal funds to upgrade older manual ambulance stretchers with new power-lift stretchers and w… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Senators Raise Alarm about EPA Nominees Starting Work before Confirmation
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) pressed two corporate executives tapped to lead offices at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on whether they are skirting the Senate's constitutional advice and consent role and violating federal law by taking jobs as "special counsel to the Administrator" before their confirmation. President Donald Trump has nominated DowDupont lawyer Peter Wright to run the… Continue Reading
07.20.18
Reed, Whitehouse Write in Support of Lowering Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and eleven other Democratic colleagues to submit comments in support of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent initiative to reduce the level of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive or minimally addictive levels. In the comment letter, the senators encouraged the FDA to expand the initiative to include other tobacco products that serve as a substitute for cigare… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Whitehouse Signals Opposition to Rettig Nomination
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, signaled his opposition to the nomination of Charles Rettig for Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in a Finance Committee hearing today and issued the following statement: "Just this week, the IRS decided to shield from the public some of the biggest special interests spending secret money in our elections. That decision widened an avenue of influence that already allows the likes of t… Continue Reading
07.16.18
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Helsinki Summit Comments
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's comments at today's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland: "The president just stood next to the authoritarian ruler of a hostile power and blamed the state of our bilateral relationship on American 'foolishness.' He refused to hold Russia accountable for interference in the 2016 election, and refused to credit the analysis of the U.S. intelligence commun… Continue Reading
07.13.18
RI Fire Departments Awarded $515k for New Equipment & Protective Gear
CUMBERLAND, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline announced a total of $515,034 in federal funding to help three Rhode Island Fire and Rescue Departments purchase life-saving equipment and upgrade their communications and protective gear. Three local fire departments in Cumberland, Lime Rock, and Pawtucket have been awarded federal grants for new equipment that will help them save more lives through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (… Continue Reading
07.13.18
RI Fire Departments Awarded $515k for New Equipment & Protective Gear
CUMBERLAND, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline announced a total of $515,034 in federal funding to help three Rhode Island Fire and Rescue Departments purchase life-saving equipment and upgrade their communications and protective gear. Three local fire departments in Cumberland, Lime Rock, and Pawtucket have been awarded federal grants for new equipment that will help them save more lives through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's … Continue Reading
07.13.18
Whitehouse Statement on Indictment of Russian Intelligence Officers
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, released the following statement on the indictment of a dozen Russian intelligence officers for conspiring to disrupt the 2016 election: "It has long been clear that the Russian government hacked and leaked emails during the 2016 presidential campaign. The President's willingness to ignore this - even the findings of his own intelligence community - raises red flags, a… Continue Reading
07.12.18
Whitehouse, Democrats Challenge Republican Attack on NSF Climate Grants
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 18 senators in introducing a resolution establishing a sense of the Senate that the National Science Foundation (NSF) should be able to share critical climate science from federal agencies with the public. The resolution follows an unprecedented attack by four Senate Republicans on an NSF grant program that helps to educate TV meteorologists around the country about the science of climate change. Joining Whitehouse in introducing the reso… Continue Reading
07.12.18
Whitehouse Demands Judiciary Committee Hearing on Family Separation
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and seven Senate Democrats to urge Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to convene an oversight hearing on family separation and the Trump administration's haphazard plan to reunite immigrant children with their parents. Whitehouse and Hirono are members of the Judiciary Committee. The senators' letter to Chairman Grassley follows a troubling call last week with Secretary… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Whitehouse Leads DPCC Hearing on Protecting Workers’ Rights in Wake of Janus
Washington, DC - In the wake of the Supreme Court's sharply anti-union 5-4 decision in Janus v. AFSCME and immediately following the announcement of Brett Kavanaugh as President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) held a hearing on Tuesday about the corporate-backed campaign to take away working Americans' rights and the vast public support and growing energy for unions across the country. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) join… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Whitehouse to Urge Colleagues to Vote ‘No’ on Former Alfa Bank Lawyer Benczkowski to Lead DOJ Criminal Division
Washington, DC - This evening, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former federal prosecutor, will take to the Senate floor to speak out against the confirmation of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Citing Benczkowski's troubling connections to Alfa Bank, a Russian bank tied to Vladimir Putin and the Trump Organization, and a glaring lack of experience in criminal law, Whitehouse will call for his c… Continue Reading
07.09.18
Whitehouse Statement on Kavanaugh Nomination for SCOTUS
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: "The American people can't help but think the system is rigged when, in case after case, a 5-4 partisan majority develops such a pattern of decisions in favor of Republicans at the polls and big business, well, everywhere. This past term alone, Justice Roberts's 5-4 majo… Continue Reading
07.06.18
Whitehouse Marks Third Anniversary of Pope Francis’ Environmental Encyclical
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement as the Vatican marks the third anniversary of Pope Francis' environmental encyclical, Laudato Si: "At a time when too many American politicians openly deny basic scientific facts about our changing climate, I am grateful for Pope Francis' international leadership and wisdom." said Whitehouse. "On this third anniversary of his encyclical, Pope Francis' calls for truth in public debate and care for our shared… Continue Reading
07.05.18
Whitehouse Statement on Pruitt Resignation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt after a long string of ethical scandals: "That this took so long shows how high the Trump administration's tolerance is for corruption and sleaze. The sad part is that it was the cascade of little sleazy acts that brought Pruitt down, not his overarching corruption by … Continue Reading
07.05.18
Whitehouse Encourages Rhode Islanders to Apply for New Coastal Resilience Funding
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today encouraged local governments and organizations to apply for funding from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, a significant new source of federal investment to restore, increase, and strengthen natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities, while improving wildlife habitats. Whitehouse wrote the legislation creating the fund, which was originally authorized as the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. "Senator Kennedy and I designed… Continue Reading
06.30.18
Farm Bill Passes Senate with Whitehouse Provision to Support Aquaculture
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has voted in support of the 2018 farm bill ("Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018"), which includes a key provision advocated for by Whitehouse to support the aquaculture industry's growth. The farm bill passed the Senate in an 86 to 11 vote yesterday evening. "Rhode Island shellfish farmers produce some of the best oysters in the country," said Whitehouse. "I'm proud that the Senate has adopted our suggestions to give this sustainable … Continue Reading
06.29.18
U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Name Bristol Post Office for Local Fallen Hero Andrew McKenna
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse announced that the U.S. Senate voted to honor the late Army First Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna, a Green Beret who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, by passing legislation last night to name a U.S. Post Office in Bristol as the "First Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna Jr. Post Office." Sergeant McKenna was 35 years old when he was killed in action during an insurgent attack on August 7, 2015 in Afghanistan while fighting to… Continue Reading
