Press Releases
Senators Call on Government Watchdog to Examine Independence of EPA Advisory Committees
Washington, D.C. - Today, 10 Senators requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress's federal watchdog agency, examine whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the leadership of Administrator Scott Pruitt is protecting the independence and neutrality of its federal advisory committees. The EPA is home to 23 such committees, which advise the agency on environmental science, public health, safety, and other subjects central to the EPA's work. Federal law requ… Continue Reading
06.28.17
Whitehouse Introduces Bipartisan TITLE Act to Address Proliferation of Anonymous Shell Corporations in U.S.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce legislation that would make it more difficult for criminals and foreign enemies to hide assets from tax authorities and law enforcement. The True Incorporation Transparency for Law Enforcement (TITLE) Act would address corporate transparency loopholes exposed by the Panama Papers. "Whether you're a greedy criminal or a power-hungry foreign adversary, shell corporations are a great tool for hiding ill-g… Continue Reading
06.28.17
Whitehouse Introduces Legislation to Reauthorize Successful, Bipartisan DERA Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has joined U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and John Barrasso (R-WY) to introduce the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) of 2017, which renews federal grant programs to reduce pollution from diesel engines and lessen exposure to harmful diesel exhaust. In past years, Rhode Island has leveraged more than $2.7 million in federal DERA funding, administered by the state Department of Environmental Management, which has … Continue Reading
06.27.17
Whitehouse Statement on Delay of Senate Health Care Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to delay a vote on Senate Republicans' bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act: "Republicans are right to have cold feet. They've been warned, over and over again, how 'mean' it is to take away coverage from millions of Americans just to hand millionaires and billionaires enormous… Continue Reading
06.26.17
Whitehouse Statement on Budget Office Score of Senate Republicans’ Health Care Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office's score of Senate Republicans' draft legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which was released today: "This report paints a dark picture of our health care system if Republicans jam their bill through: 22 million Americans will go without the coverage they rely on through the Afforda… Continue Reading
06.26.17
Senators Call for Spending Bills Free of Dangerous Environmental Riders
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Udall (D-NM) led a group of 39 Senators in urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to avoid unnecessary gridlock by drafting Fiscal Year 2018 federal spending bills free of controversial environmental policy provisions. In recent years, Republicans in Congress have attempted on numerous occasions to include so-called "riders" in important spending bills that would compromise critical public health and environmental protections… Continue Reading
06.26.17
Whitehouse Cosponsors Green Bank Act to Create Jobs, Reclaim America’s Clean Energy Leadership
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in introducing the Green Bank Act, which would support clean energy sector job creation in Rhode Island and fight climate change by incentivizing large-scale private investment in green projects. The bill would create a National Green Bank to provide financing for regional, state, and municipal green banks, including the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. "A national green infrastructure bank … Continue Reading
06.22.17
RI Fire Departments Receive Nearly $800,000 in Federal Grants to Strengthen Emergency Response
PROVIDENCE, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Congressman David Cicilline announced $799,532 in federal funding to benefit fire departments across Northern Rhode Island. These Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grants will help establish a firefighter accountability system across seven departments, provide new radio equipment for six fire and EMS departments in Lincoln, and allow the North Providence Fire Department to acquire new chest compression devices and au… Continue Reading
06.22.17
Whitehouse Statement on Senate Republicans’ Health Care Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on Senate Republicans' draft legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which was released today: "Despite all the secrecy of this abysmal process, this bill is pretty familiar: a 'mean' give-away to the wealthy at the expense of Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act. It would gut Medicaid with even deeper cuts th… Continue Reading
06.21.17
Senate Judiciary Leaders’ Joint Statement on Meeting with Special Counsel Mueller
Washington, DC - Senate Judiciary Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today made the following statement after holding a bipartisan meeting with Special Counsel Bob Mueller regarding investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and the circumstances surrounding the removal of former FBI Director James Comey: … Continue Reading
06.21.17
Whitehouse, Schatz Welcome Climate Leadership Council Members to Carbon Fee Push
Washington, D.C. - The Climate Leadership Council, which promotes placing a fee on carbon emissions to combat climate change, has announced its Founding Members, including major American corporations, environmental nongovernmental organizations, and a bipartisan slate of leaders from government, business, science, and philanthropy. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), the Senate sponsors of legislation to establish a carbon fee, released the following statement: "We agre… Continue Reading
06.17.17
Whitehouse Thanks RI Veterans for Their Service at Annual Breakfast
Warwick, RI - More than two hundred military veterans and their family members from across Rhode Island this morning sat down for breakfast with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse at his tenth annual Veterans Breakfast and Resource Fair. The event was held at the Rhode Island National Guard Armory in Warwick. "It's my privilege to host this event each year to say thank you to the brave Rhode Islanders who have answered the call to serve," said Whitehouse. "It is our solemn duty to make sure the … Continue Reading
06.16.17
Senators Call on President Trump to Keep His Buy American Pledge in NAFTA Renegotiation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) were joined by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today in calling on President Trump to keep his Buy American pledge by removing the government procurement chapter from NAFTA during renegotiation. "For years, we have supported strong Buy American policies because we believe that Amer… Continue Reading
06.15.17
Whitehouse Cosponsors Bill to Protect LGBT Americans from Housing Discrimination
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has joined U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and 14 of their colleagues to introduce the Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017, a bill to ensure equal housing opportunities for all Americans by adding gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes protected from discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). "We can take pride that Rhode Island was an early leader on safeguarding equality. But there are still too many places across t… Continue Reading
06.15.17
RI Receives $2.7 Million to Improve Workforce and Education Data Collection
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Rhode Island is receiving $2,700,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) better use data to enhance coordination between state-level workforce and education programs. The funding will help the programs take steps to better complement each other and will promote greater… Continue Reading
06.15.17
Senators Press Pruitt on Failing – Again – to Tell the Truth about Emails
Washington, DC - Today, Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee members Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to explain why he failed to disclose a third email account he used as Oklahoma Attorney General. During Pruitt's confirmation process, Senators asked Pruitt repeatedly to detail which email accounts he used t… Continue Reading
06.14.17
Whitehouse Outlines Key Steps to Protect America from Russian Meddling
Washington, DC - On the Senate floor today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who is leading a Senate Judiciary Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee investigation of Russian meddling in our elections, delivered remarks on the threats to our democracy from lax incorporation laws and dark money flooding our politics. During his remarks, he previewed legislation he will introduce soon that would address corporate transparency loopholes exposed by instances of Russian interference in elections around … Continue Reading
06.14.17
Reed & Whitehouse Announce $25.5 Million for Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Throughout RI
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to help revitalize local neighborhoods and support affordable housing and economic development programs throughout the state, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that Rhode Island will receive over $25.5 million in federal aid this week through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Home Investment Partnership (HOME) program, the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) program, and the Housing Opportu… Continue Reading
06.14.17
Whitehouse Statement on Shooting in Alexandria, VA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement regarding the shooting that injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others this morning in Alexandria, Virginia: "I am shocked and disturbed by the reports of the shooting incident in Virginia this morning. My heart goes out to my fellow members of Congress, to their staffers, to the Capitol Police officers, and to the others at the scene." ###… Continue Reading
06.13.17
Whitehouse Calls Out Republicans for Secret Health Care Bill
Washington, DC - Today, at hearings of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and Budget committees, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called out Republicans in the Senate for the total secrecy surrounding their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A group of Senate Republicans is currently working behind closed doors to alter the House-passed American Health Care Act in hopes of passing a similar bill later this month. The House version of "Trumpcare" would l… Continue Reading
