Press Releases
Whitehouse, Portman, Senate Colleagues’ Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act Included in Final FY 2020 Funding Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), announced that the final FY 2020 funding bill includes $15 million for their bipartisan Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act (TFCA). This program has saved more than 67 million acres of tropical forest by allowing developing countries that meet certain criteria to be relieved of debt owed to the United States in exchange for their conservation … Continue Reading
12.17.19
Bipartisan Bill to Improve Military’s Energy Security Included in NDAA
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced that bipartisan legislation to improve the U.S. military's energy security and reduce carbon emissions has been included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference agreement approved by the Senate. The Securing Energy for our Armed Forces Using Engineering Leadership (SEA FUEL) Act would direct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to pioneer new technologies that will capture carbon dioxide fr… Continue Reading
12.13.19
Reed, Whitehouse Call for Swift Passage of Violence Against Women Act
Warwick, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today joined with women's advocates and survivors of domestic abuse to call on the U.S. Senate to swiftly approve the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act introduced by the Democratic senators last month. The bill preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and makes new strides to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault and to support survivors. Today's event was … Continue Reading
12.10.19
Senators Warn IRS against Weakening Dark Money Reporting
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are pushing back against a Trump administration regulatory proposal to weaken the IRS's ability to collect information on the special interest donors spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence elections and the operation of government. The proposed rule would limit one of the remaining avenues for federal and state officials to collect the true identities of ma… Continue Reading
12.09.19
Whitehouse Statement on Inspector General Report on Russia Investigation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Justice Inspector General report released today on the FBI's inquiry into Russia's influence on the 2016 election: "This report shows there was a proper predicate for the FBI to investigate Russia's malign influence on the 2016 election and contacts with the Trump campaign. That puts to rest President Trump's accusations of a deep state cons… Continue Reading
12.09.19
Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Heinrich, and Cortez Masto Lead Push for Clean Energy Tax Extenders
Washington (December 9, 2019) - As committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate continue to discuss a potential legislative package of tax extenders, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today led 18 of their colleagues in calling on Congressional leadership to prioritize clean energy extenders in any tax legislation. In their letter, the Senators call on leadership to extend, expand, an… Continue Reading
12.05.19
Senators Whitehouse & Warren Call for Reforms to Eliminate Big Pharma Kick-Back Schemes Via Patient Assistance Programs
Washington, DC - United States Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Acting Inspector General Joanne Chiedi raising concerns about abuse of charitable Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) by pharmaceutical companies. PAPs are largely funded by pharmaceutical companies and set up as independent cha… Continue Reading
12.04.19
Whitehouse Recognized by American Society of Landscape Architects
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was today recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) with the Olmsted Medal for environmental leadership. Representatives of ASLA's national and Rhode Island chapters presented the award to Whitehouse in his Washington D.C. office this morning. "It's an honor to accept the Olmsted Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects," said Whitehouse, a leading champion in Congress for addressing climate change. "Lan… Continue Reading
12.02.19
Whitehouse Files Supreme Court Brief in ‘Bridgegate’ Case
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Rhode Island Attorney General and U.S. Attorney, filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week in the "Bridgegate" case pending before the Supreme Court. Whitehouse argues in favor of federal laws and juries to protect the public from the corrupting influence of powerful special interests spending unlimited amounts of money to control the levers of Americans' government. "[A] jurisprudence… Continue Reading
11.26.19
Whitehouse, Duckworth, Van Hollen, and Merkley Blast Trump EPA Methane Rule as Giveaway to Fossil Fuel Industry
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are taking the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to task for dramatically rolling back standards for methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, calling Trump's methane proposal the product of a captured agency. In an official comment on the Trump administration's methane rule, the senators lay out how the proposal would benefit oil and gas companies at the … Continue Reading
11.26.19
Whitehouse, Leahy Share New Information Implicating Justice Department Official in False Statements
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have shared with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility a Justice Department letter correcting statements by John Gore, former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department letter confirms that Gore was not truthful in a sworn declaration in ongoing open records litigation between the Department and a watchdog group. The senators also s… Continue Reading
11.21.19
Whitehouse, Markey Cheer Completion of Energy Storage Plans
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) issued a statement on the approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) of several grid operators' plans to incorporate cutting-edge energy storage technology into America's electric grids. "Thank you to the Commission for heeding our calls to finalize the grid operator plans and this important rule, and also for fending off polluters' attempts to weaken that rule. This helps forward-thinking … Continue Reading
11.21.19
Whitehouse Bill Would Promote Sustainability on College Campuses
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today introduced legislation to expand environmental sustainability initiatives on college and university campuses. "Colleges and universities have an important role in making their communities greener and more sustainable," said Whitehouse. "We need to make sure higher education institutions have the resources to invest in building effective sustainability initiatives." "… Continue Reading
11.21.19
Whitehouse, Cornyn Introduce Bill to Recognize Former Inmates Who Are Successfully Rehabilitated
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Recognizing Education, Employment, New Skills, and Treatment to Enable Reintegration (RE-ENTER) Act, which would allow federal judges to issue a Certificate of Rehabilitation to acknowledge an eligible offender who has successfully reintegrated into society. These certificates can help formerly incarcerated individuals find jobs and housing and help prospective employers or landlords determine wheth… Continue Reading
11.20.19
Ahead of Travel Season, Whitehouse and Markey Introduce Legislation to Rein in Unfair Airline Fees
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) to introduce the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act, legislation that would prohibit airlines from charging fees, including cancellation, change, and bag fees, that are not reasonable and proportional to the costs of the services actually provided. The bill also directs the Department of… Continue Reading
11.18.19
Whitehouse, McSally, Booker, Portman Introduce Bill to End Cosmetics Animal Testing
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Rob Portman (R-OH) today introduced legislation to end cosmetics animal testing and the sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the United States. The Humane Cosmetics Act would phase out the sale of any cosmetic products developed using animal testing and make it unlawful to conduct cosmetic animal testing in the U.S. "There are plenty of cost-effective and accurate ways to gauge the safety of … Continue Reading
11.18.19
DEM Wins Coastal Resilience Grant for Quonochontaug Pond from Whitehouse-Created Program
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has received a $75,000 award from the National Coastal Resilience Fund developed by Whitehouse to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities. DEM will use the funding to advance resiliency efforts along the shore of Quonochontaug Pond, a salt pond partially located in the towns of Charlestown and Westerly. "Quonnie Pond is … Continue Reading
11.18.19
New England Senators Urge Grid Operator to Consider Larger Role for Clean Energy in Market
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Angus King (I-ME) today penned a letter to ISO New England (ISO-NE) calling on the regional grid operator to pursue changes to the energy markets consistent with the ambitious clean energy goals set by each of the New England states. The letter requests that all relevant energy stakeholders and state off… Continue Reading
11.14.19
Reed, Whitehouse Join Senate Democrats in Introducing House-Passed Violence Against Women Act
Washington, DC - Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and every Senate Democrat in introducing companion legislation to the House-passed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. The bill, which would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through 2024, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law. "This is lifesaving legislation that helps… Continue Reading
11.13.19
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Advances Through Final Senate Committee
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) applauded the passage of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (introduced in whole as S. 1982) through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act was introduced in June to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal economies and harming marine life. Portions of the bill previously passed through the Senate Environment and Public Work… Continue Reading
