Press Releases
Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Hirono File Brief in Key Challenge to Unlimited Super PAC Spending in Elections
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Lieu v. Federal Election Commission, a challenge to unlimited political spending in elections through super PACs and other outside groups. In their brief, the senators urge the court to reexamine a previous holding that failed to recognize the practical effect of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) allowing unlimited speci… Continue Reading
06.27.19
Whitehouse Statement on Supreme Court Gerrymandering Decision
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in the gerrymandering case Rucho v. Common Cause: "What are the chances that if partisan gerrymandering were a Democratic technique generating counter-majority Democratic political advantage that the Republicans on the Court would have rendered this decision? Pretty slim given their record. "The Republican donor take-over of the Supr… Continue Reading
06.27.19
Senate Approves Military Funding Bill with Whitehouse’s Bipartisan Energy Amendments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today applauded Senate passage of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual policy bill that authorizes appropriations for the Department of Defense. In addition to providing robust support for the men and women of the armed forces, the legislation includes bipartisan provisions authored by Whitehouse to improve the military's energy security and reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans. The legislation als… Continue Reading
06.26.19
Whitehouse, Sullivan, Menendez Launch New Bipartisan Effort to Combat Marine Debris
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today led colleagues from both sides of the aisle in launching a new effort to combat marine debris. At a news conference this morning in the Senate Radio-Television Gallery, the Senators unveiled the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to address the plastic debris crisis that threatens coastal economies and harms marine life. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act seeks to help reduce the creation of plastic waste, f… Continue Reading
06.25.19
Whitehouse, Langevin, Markey Lead Legislation to Harness Offshore Wind Energy
WASHINGTON - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) reintroduced legislation today that would spur the growth of offshore wind energy in the United States by extending tax credits for the renewable energy industry. The Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development (WIND) Act would extend the 30 percent Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for offshore wind through 2025. The Energy Department found that the United States could install a total… Continue Reading
06.24.19
Whitehouse, Engel Make Bicameral Push to Increase Social Security COLA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) have introduced bicameral legislation that will ensure American seniors receive adequate annual support from their Social Security benefits. The Guaranteed 3% COLA For Seniors Act would guarantee every senior a reasonable Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) with an annual floor of no less than 3 percent. The bill would also update the formula that the government uses to determine seniors' yearly… Continue Reading
06.24.19
Senators Whitehouse, Hirono, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Access to Shingles, Tdap Vaccines
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier this month, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation that would provide Medicare beneficiaries access to vaccines at no additional cost. S. 1872, the Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019, would improve access to all recommended vaccines for Medicare beneficiaries, including shingles and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), with the goal of helping to increase vacci… Continue Reading
06.21.19
Whitehouse, Public Safety Officials Call for Increased Mental Health Funding for Police Officers
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined with public safety officials and mental health advocates to call for increased federal funding for mental health and suicide prevention services geared toward police officers. Whitehouse has introduced the bipartisan Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act to authorize $7.5 million annually for the next five years for law enforcement mental health and support services that have gone unfunded for almost two decades. "… Continue Reading
06.20.19
Whitehouse, Jeffries, Blumenthal, Harris Introduce Bill to Protect Justice Department from White House Meddling
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced the Security from Political Interference in Justice Act, to increase transparency in the relationship between the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House and prevent political interference in law enforcement decisions. The bill would impose important reporting requirements for contacts between the Justice Department and White Ho… Continue Reading
06.20.19
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances McElroy Nomination
Washington, DC - Four years after she was initially nominated by President Barack Obama, and over a year after she was nominated and then re-nominated by President Trump, Mary S. McElroy's long delayed nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island took an important step forward today when she was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan vote of 19-3. This marks the third time that McElroy, who leads the office of the Rhode Island Public Defender, has been app… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Whitehouse Statement on Clean Power Plan Replacement Rule
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Trump administration's rule to replace the Clean Power Plan: "Trump's EPA is delivering yet another handout to polluters at the expense of Americans' health and environment. Market forces are moving us rapidly away from polluting energy like coal and toward renewables. There's nothing Trump or the fossil fuel industry can do to stop … Continue Reading
06.18.19
Whitehouse, Grassley Introduce TITLE Act to Curb Proliferation of Anonymous Shell Corporations in U.S.
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced legislation that would make it more difficult for criminals and foreign enemies to hide assets from law enforcement and tax authorities. The True Incorporation Transparency for Law Enforcement (TITLE) Act would require states to obtain information on the true owners of corporations and LLCs formed within their borders. "It is appallingly simple for a domestic criminal or a foreign strongman to set up… Continue Reading
06.18.19
Money Laundering Bill Targets Terrorists, Tax Evaders, Cartels & Crooks
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of Senate Judiciary Committee members today introduced legislation that modernizes and strengthens criminal laws against money laundering - a critical source of funding for terrorist organizations, drug cartels and other organized crime syndicates. The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2019 updates criminal money laundering and counterfeiting statutes, and promotes transparency in the U.S. financial system. It was introduce… Continue Reading
06.14.19
RI Delegation Announces $518K Grant to Bolster RI Shipyard, Boost Economy
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a federal grant totaling $518,538 to help local shipyard J. Goodison Company purchase needed equipment, expand its workforce, and stimulate Rhode Island's economy by creating additional opportunities for its vendors and subcontractors. The funds are being granted through the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) FY19 Small Shipyard Grant program. The fun… Continue Reading
06.13.19
Whitehouse Slams Meaningless Supreme Court Travel Disclosures
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on travel disclosures released today from the Supreme Court: "These disclosures fall woefully short of the transparency Americans deserve from top federal judges who are not subject to ethics rules. Particularly when the Court has become so politicized, and so surrounded by anonymous dark-money interests, real transparency matters. It's too late to find out abo… Continue Reading
06.10.19
Whitehouse, Brown, Warren Call for IRS to Justify Billions in Coal Tax Credits Based on Questionable Pollution Data
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on the IRS to justify allowing major coal refiners to claim roughly $1 billion annually in tax credits for alleged reductions in dangerous pollution when new analysis shows the burning of their coal may fail to meet the credits' minimum pollution reduction standards. The senators' request for the data that the IRS used to justify the tax credits comes as the group Resources for the Futu… Continue Reading
06.08.19
Senate Recognizes Contributions of Senior Corps Volunteers
Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate earlier this week passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recognizing the contributions of the more than 220,000 senior volunteers across the country who serve in the Senior Corps. "To the hundreds of thousands of Senior Corps volunteers who are so giving of their time and talents, we say thank you," said Whitehouse. "It's important that Congress continue making bipartisan investments in national s… Continue Reading
06.06.19
Disaster Relief Bill Provides $50 Million for Whitehouse’s Coastal Resiliency Fund
Washington, D.C. - A disaster relief bill that includes $50 million for the National Coastal Resilience Fund was signed into law today by President Donald Trump. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse created the National Coastal Resilience Fund to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities while safeguarding wildlife habitats. "I'm fighting every day in the Senate to prepare Rhode Island homes and businesses for the growing threat of sea level rise caused by… Continue Reading
06.06.19
In Normandy, Whitehouse and Langevin Honor RI WWII Veterans on 75th D-Day Anniversary
Normandy, France - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today attended an official ceremony in Normandy, France to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron also took part in the ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. At the event, Whitehouse and Langevin met with World War II veterans from Rhode Island and across the United States who made the trip for the special occasion. Members of the… Continue Reading
06.05.19
Whitehouse Introduces ‘Buffett Rule’ to Ensure Wealthiest Americans Pay Fair Share in Taxes
Washington, DC - With income inequality soaring to a level not experienced in America since prior to the Great Depression, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced legislation to prevent America's top earners from paying lower tax rates than middle-class families. The 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. The measure would reduce the federal deficit by an est… Continue Reading
