Press Releases
Whitehouse Statement on Partial Government Shutdown
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement on the looming shutdown of parts of the federal government following President Donald Trump's rejection of the stopgap spending bill passed with broad bipartisan support in the Senate: "The American people want leaders to do their jobs and govern with a steady hand. But President Trump has upended the agreement he reached with his own party, threatening the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of Americans less tha… Continue Reading
12.21.18
Milestone Whitehouse Bills to Overhaul Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice Systems Become Law
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today attended a ceremony at the White House for the signing of two landmark bills to improve the federal criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. Whitehouse has worked for years on the First Step Act and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act, which both passed Congress in recent days with significant bipartisan support. "Rhode Island's success improving outcomes for youth offenders and adults in the crimina… Continue Reading
12.21.18
Whitehouse Attends Signing of Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senate Judiciary Committee member and long-time criminal justice reform champion, attended the signing at the White House today of the First Step Act to improve the federal criminal justice system. Whitehouse's landmark criminal justice reform bill is now law. "Years of bipartisan work, and the contributions of countless Americans fighting to reform our criminal justice system, brought us to this moment. I am proud to be part of it," said Wh… Continue Reading
12.20.18
Whitehouse Statement on Resignation of Defense Secretary Mattis
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement on the announcement of the resignation of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis: "As Trump drives away the grownups in the room, there is cause for genuine concern. I thank and honor Secretary Mattis for a lifetime of service. We should mark his closing words about respect for allies, clear-eyed awareness about adversaries and competitors, and the value of an international order that supports our security, prospe… Continue Reading
12.20.18
Senate Passes Whitehouse, Alexander, Murray, Gardner Bill That Allows Families to Answer 22 FAFSA Questions With Just One Click
Washington, DC - The United States Senate last night passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) that will allow the nearly 20 million students that complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to answer at least 11 and up to 22 questions on the form with just one click. The bill will allow student… Continue Reading
12.20.18
Whitehouse, Portman, Udall, Burr, and Coons Praise Senate Passage of DELTA Act to Protect the Okavango River Delta
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Chris Coons (D-DE) today praised the Senate passage, by unanimous consent, of the Defending Economic Livelihoods and Threatened Animals (DELTA) Act, legislation that encourages the U.S. to develop a strategy to protect the Okavango River Delta in southern Africa. The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan bill earlier this year. The legislation will now head to the pre… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Whitehouse Statement on Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on Senate passage tonight of legislation to fund the federal government through February 8 and avert a partial government shutdown: "Democrats gave President Trump not one, but multiple options for funding the government through the entire year. All the Republicans could come up with after pointless brinksmanship is a seven-week plan. But the American people want their government open. We just passed a bill t… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Senators Whitehouse and Hatch Introduce Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act
Washington, DC -Helsinki Commissioner Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT) today introduced the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act. Named for Russian whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the bipartisan legislation establishes criminal penalties on individuals involved in doping fraud conspiracies affecting major international competitions. Earlier this year, Helsinki Commissioners Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26) introduced the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Ac… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Whitehouse & Inhofe Introduce Bill to Help Train Next Generation of Manufacturing Workers
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced the Retain Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence Act, to help businesses train the next generation of manufacturing workers. The senators' bipartisan bill would establish a pilot program to allow businesses to retain retiring employees long enough to train replacement workers - tackling a major challenge for manufacturing companies. "Manufacturers tell me one of their biggest challenges is handing d… Continue Reading
12.18.18
Landmark Whitehouse Criminal Justice Reform Bill Clears Senate
Washington, DC - Senate Judiciary Committee member and long-time criminal justice reform champion Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) cheered passage tonight of his bipartisan First Step Act, to improve the federal criminal justice system. Whitehouse first introduced a central component of the First Step Act in 2013 with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to reduce the rate of re-offense among federal inmates, along with other important reforms. That legislation was later merged with sentencing reform l… Continue Reading
12.18.18
$2 Million Coming to Newport for Mental Health Services
Pawtucket, RI - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01) today announced that the Newport County Community Mental Health Center (NCCMHC) is receiving $2,000,000 in federal funds to meet the needs of 24,500 residents over the next two years. All four members of Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation advocated for this federal funding earlier this year in a letter to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admi… Continue Reading
12.17.18
Senators: Pruitt Conflicts, Industry Capture of Trump Administration Renders EPA’s Proposed Methane Rule Invalid
Washington, DC - Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt lacked a sufficiently open mind to legally preside over changes to vital protections against the powerful greenhouse gas methane; his involvement in the proposal to tear down those protections violated federal ethics rules; and that proposal amounts to an egregious hand-over of an agency's rulemaking authority to an industry the same agency regulates. That is what Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris V… Continue Reading
12.17.18
Bill to Name Saunderstown Post Office for Fallen Army Captain Matthew J. August Gets Trump’s Stamp of Approval
Washington, DC - A bill to name the U.S. Postal Service facility located at 20 Ferry Road in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, as the "Captain Matthew J. August Post Office," after a North Kingstown native killed in action in Iraq, has been signed into law by President Trump. Rhode Island native Matthew J. August, a decorated U.S. Army Captain, was killed on January 27, 2004 while leading the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division attached to the 82nd Airborne on a mission outside Baghdad, Ira… Continue Reading
12.17.18
Senators Whitehouse and Markey: Trump Administration is the Most Anti-Climate, Anti-Environment in American History
Washington, DC - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chairs of the Senate Climate Change Task Force, today released a report detailing the numerous anti-climate and anti-environment actions the federal government has taken since President Trump took office. The agency-by-agency review reveals how key federal agencies, taking cues from the fossil fuel industry, have rolled back almost 50 critical Obama-era actions and advocated for the expansion of oil, gas, and c… Continue Reading
12.17.18
Whitehouse, Cicilline Mark Passage of Landmark Juvenile Justice Legislation
Pawtucket, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) today joined children's advocates and young adults who interacted with the juvenile justice system to mark the passage of the landmark Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2018. The reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was sponsored in the Senate by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) to secure new protections fo… Continue Reading
12.14.18
Whitehouse Statement on Texas Ruling Striking Down ACA
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the ruling tonight by a federal judge in Texas striking down the Affordable Care Act: "Republicans' legal crusade against the Affordable Care Act is a political stunt, but a dangerous one that puts health coverage and vital health protections for millions of Americans at risk. Tonight's ruling won't take effect immediately, and the Texas judge is far from the l… Continue Reading
12.14.18
Senators Whitehouse, Reed, Markey, and Warren Urge Consensus Between the Offshore Wind and Fishing Industries
Providence, RI - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) urging the agency to continue to adopt policies for the offshore wind leasing and permitting process that bring fishermen and other marine stakeholders into the conversation early in order to minimize spatial conflicts and reduce the risk of economic harm to the fishing industry. As wind developers lease … Continue Reading
12.13.18
Federal Grant Boosts East Providence Waterfront District
Washington, DC - The growing business district along East Providence's waterfront today received a significant boost as U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline announced a $144,410 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Agency to improve traffic flow in the area. The previously industrial Waterfront District is poised to attract additional private investment and grow the local economy. "This is excellent news for East Providence and the whole state," sa… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Whitehouse Applauds Protection of SNAP, Aquaculture Provision in 2018 Farm Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse applauded passage in the Senate yesterday of the 2018 farm bill conference report, which protects Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and includes a provision Whitehouse advocated for to support the growth of the aquaculture industry. The version of the legislation approved by the Senate does not include provisions from the House version of the bill that would have expanded the program's work requirements to older Americans… Continue Reading
12.11.18
Senate Passes Bipartisan Juvenile Justice Bill
Washington, DC - The Senate this evening unanimously passed the bipartisan Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2018, authored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), to secure new protections for youth in the federal juvenile justice grant program. "Senator Grassley and I have been fighting for years to update our juvenile justice protections to do a better job getting kids back on track and out of the system for good," said Whitehouse. … Continue Reading
