Press Releases
Whitehouse Secures Major Oceans Policy Wins in NDAA
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement today on the inclusion of several major oceans provisions in the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The defense bill will accelerate maritime technology innovation, improve ocean and coastal mapping, protect marine mammals, and harden our defenses against pirate fishing, among other important provisions. "I'm pleased to announce the inclusion of a comprehensive oceans package in this year'… Continue Reading
12.06.22
RI Delegation Announces $1.25 Million for Resiliency Upgrades Along Woonasquatucket River
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the City of Providence and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council have been awarded two grants totaling $1.25 million to strengthen resiliency and improve water and habitat quality along the Woonasquatucket River watershed. The federal grant comes from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, which was developed by Whitehouse to restore and strengthen the natur… Continue Reading
12.06.22
RI Delegation Welcomes $11.6 Million in Federal Funding to Strengthen RI’s Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline and Jim Langevin announced $11,615,456 in federal funding to strengthen the state's public health workforce and improve critical public health infrastructure. The federal funding, administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act, which all four members of the state's Congressional delegation helped pass last year. The… Continue Reading
12.06.22
Ahead of Oral Arguments in High-Stakes Election Case, Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Johnson Point to Opaque Web of Election Deniers and Vote Suppressors Peddling Sham Legal Theory
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of tomorrow's oral arguments in Moore v. Harper, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Courts Subcommittees respectively, are pointing to an amicus brief they filed in the case in October. The high-stakes partisan gerrymandering case pending before the Supreme Court has the potential to unleash chaos in American elections. In their brief, Whitehouse and Johnson revealed how the individu… Continue Reading
12.06.22
Whitehouse, Colleagues Ask POTUS to Require Disclosure of Political Spending by Federal Contractors
Washington, DC - Today, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 19 senators in calling on President Biden to issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political spending, including dark money expenditures, after they are awarded a federal government contract. An effective disclosure system would shine a light on special interest influence and help increase Americans' trust in government. "It is paramount to shore up protections against dark money quid pro quo corruption an… Continue Reading
12.02.22
Whitehouse Calls for Paid Sick Leave for Rail Workers
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate takes up legislation to avert a nationwide freight rail shutdown that would have devastating economic effects, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today called on the Senate to support rail workers and pass legislation providing seven days of paid sick leave. "As railroad companies rack up record profits, the frontline workers who keep the trains running are working around the clock without paid sick leave. It's inexcusable that 100,000 Americans working for… Continue Reading
11.29.22
Whitehouse Cheers Senate Passage of Historic Respect for Marriage Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, landmark legislation to enshrine marriage equality into federal law. Whitehouse, who is a cosponsor of the bill, released the following statement after it was approved by the Senate on a bipartisan 61-36 vote: "The radical far-right majority planted via the Federalist Society on the Supreme Court has demonstrated that it is perfectly willing to roll back constitutional rights. In the Cour… Continue Reading
11.29.22
Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Johnson Respond to SCOTUS Letter Regarding Outside Influence Scandal
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Courts Subcommittees respectively, are responding to a new letter from the legal counsel for the Supreme Court. The Court's response comes after Whitehouse and Johnson wrote to the Supreme Court last week calling for answers to basic questions about apparent ethical lapses related to an outside influence campaign targeting Republican-appointed justices. T… Continue Reading
11.28.22
Whitehouse Blasts Right-Wing 501(c)(3) Group’s Pro-GOP Political Activities
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Finance Taxation and IRS Oversight Subcommittee, announced today that he wrote to the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) seeking more information about reports suggesting that CPI is in violation of the Internal Revenue Service's regulations on permissible activities for 501(c)(3) organizations. "CPI is a 501(c)(3) organization and expressly solicits tax-deductible charitable donations to support its work. D… Continue Reading
11.23.22
Senators Whitehouse and Warren Urge Department of Justice to Investigate FTX Collapse, Hold Any Lawbreakers Accountable
Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting personal accountability for former FTX CEO Sam-Bankman Fried and any complicit FTX executives for wrongdoing following the cryptocurrency exchange's swift collapse. In early November, FTX, one of the world's-largest crypto platforms, announced that it and more than 130 additional affiliated companies had filed for bank… Continue Reading
11.21.22
Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Johnson Press SCOTUS About Apparent Ethical Lapses After New Outside Influence Scandal Emerges
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Courts Subcommittees respectively, yesterday evening wrote to the Supreme Court calling for responses to questions about apparent ethical lapses related to an outside influence campaign targeting Republican-appointed justices that was exposed by recent reporting in Politico, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. A New York Times report from Saturday revea… Continue Reading
11.19.22
After New York Times Report, Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Johnson Call on SCOTUS to End Stonewalling About Right-Wing Outside Influence Over Justices and Adopt Ethics Reforms
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Courts Subcommittees respectively, today called on the Supreme Court to end its stonewalling about right-wing outside influence over the Republican-appointed justices. Their statement follows a disturbing new New York Times report revealing how one right-wing group sought to influence the justices and was able to gain advance knowledge of the Court's decis… Continue Reading
11.09.22
Federal Delegation Announces $63.8 Million to Cut Energy Costs for Rhode Islanders and Make Homes More Efficient
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a major $63.8 million allocation to allow the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources to stand up new home energy rebate programs included in Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed by Democrats in Congress and signed into law by President Biden in August. "Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, $63.8 million in energy savings and… Continue Reading
11.07.22
A New HQ for RIBBA & an Equity Business Hub to Empower Black-Owned and Minority Businesses
PROVIDENCE, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Lisa Ranglin, Founder, President & CEO of the Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA), along with U.S. Representative David Cicilline, Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza and Neil Steinberg, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation to announce the acquisition of 220 Smith Street to serve as RIBBA's new headquarters and a co-work space for budding entrepreneurs in the city that are looking to scale up. … Continue Reading
11.05.22
Whitehouse Calls On House to Pass Sunshine Protection Act
Washington, D.C. - As Daylight Saving Time ends and Americans prepare to set their clocks back an hour, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is urging the House of Representatives to take up and pass the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. The Senate passed the legislation by unanimous consent in March, sending it to the House of Representatives. "The outdated ritual of 'falling back' disrupts our daily routine and darkens our lives - in a… Continue Reading
11.01.22
Reed, Whitehouse, Cicilline Join Mayor Rivera to Help Unveil Plans for New Community Center Coming to Central Falls
CENTRAL FALLS, RI - Plans for the new El Centro community center in Central Falls are moving along. Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline joined Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera and local community leaders to announce new federal funding to bring a full-service community center to Central Falls. Central Falls has been without a community center since the old Ralph J. Holden Community Center was shuttered in 2011. The new city-run center, to be k… Continue Reading
10.31.22
Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin, & Cicilline Join State and Union Officials to Celebrate $82.5 Million Federal Grant to Modernize Pell Bridge
Jamestown, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today joined state and union officials to celebrate a $82.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's INFRA Grant Program to upgrade the iconic Pell Bridge that connects Newport and Jamestown. Planned improvements to the deck, cable suspension system, and towers will extend the life of New England's longest suspension bridge by an additional 50 to 75 years. Today's e… Continue Reading
10.31.22
Whitehouse Applauds President Biden’s Call for Big Oil to Stop Profiteering and Lower Energy Prices
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) cheered remarks by President Joe Biden today urging the fossil fuel industry to stop its reckless profiteering and lower energy prices. Whitehouse is the lead Senate sponsor of the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax, a bill to claw back the largest oil companies' excess profits and return them to American families. Whitehouse issued the following statement on the President's remarks: "Big Oil is exploiting Putin's invasion of Ukraine and a cartel-d… Continue Reading
10.27.22
Delegation Delivers Another $11.25M to Shore Up Port Infrastructure at Quonset
NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI - In an effort to boost the number of ships, jobs, and revenue generated by Quonset's Port of Davisville, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives James Langevin and David Cicilline today announced $11,250,000 to upgrade the port's North Berth at Pier 1, which was built in 1941. The project includes demolition and removal of existing material, construction of approximately 32,000 square feet of pier deck/foundation/pile caps, 20 mooring bollard… Continue Reading
10.26.22
Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Johnson Zero In On Opaque Web of Election Deniers and Vote Suppressors Peddling Sham Legal Theory in High-Stakes Election Case
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Courts Subcommittees respectively, today filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper, a pending high-stakes partisan gerrymandering case with the potential to unleash chaos in American elections. In their brief, Whitehouse and Johnson reveal how the individuals and funders behind various amicus curiae-or "friend of the court"-briefs fil… Continue Reading
