Press Releases
Whitehouse Statement on Republican Budget
Providence, RI - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on Republicans' budget resolution for fiscal year 2018: "For eight years under President Obama, Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee warned that our nation's deficits were unsustainable. With this budget, Republicans have officially abandoned their deficit concerns in favor of massive tax cuts for President Trump, his cabinet members, and other billionaires. This… Continue Reading
09.29.17
Whitehouse, EPW Democrats Ask Secretary Chao for Details on Trump Administration’s Long-Awaited Infrastructure Plan
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with the other minority members of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, has requested a meeting with Elaine Chao, Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT), so that she can share details regarding the Trump Administration's long-awaited infrastructure investment plan. At a hearing before the EPW Committee in May, Secretary Chao stated that the Administration's infrastructure principles would be released at the en… Continue Reading
09.29.17
Whitehouse Presses Civil Rights Nominee on Communication with Members of Trump Voter Commission
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wants an answer from President Donald Trump's choice to run the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division on his possible contacts with members of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity and others who have pushed false claims of widespread voter fraud in American elections. Whitehouse is also disappointed in the nominee's failure to repudiate President Trump's baseless voter fraud claims. On Monday, Trump's nominee for … Continue Reading
09.27.17
Whitehouse Statement on Republican Tax Plan
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on Republicans' tax reform proposal, which was released today: "Republicans once again seek massive tax breaks for billionaires that would add trillions to the national debt, and threaten Medicare, Social Security, and programs middle-class Rhode Islanders rely on. They don't end incentives that encourage corporations to send American jobs overseas. "You'd think… Continue Reading
09.26.17
Senators Call on Justice Department to Explain Role in Trump Voter Integrity Commission
Washington, DC - Seven Senators in a letter today ask the Department of Justice to explain its coordination with members of President Donald Trump's Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which has sought sensitive voter roll data on the majority of the voting public and conducted highly partisan hearings based on discredited allegations of voter fraud. The group also raises questions about emails apparently sent to and from the Attorney General's personal email account, including whether t… Continue Reading
09.26.17
Whitehouse Statement on Failure of Republican Health Care Bill
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement concerning the failure of Republicans' most recent attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act: "Senator McConnell has dumped Trump Care for now. Thank goodness. Now, Republicans and Democrats should come together, in a bipartisan fashion and through regular order, to address the challenges facing our health care … Continue Reading
09.26.17
Whitehouse, Neal Introduce Bill to Help Americans Save for Retirement
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation to help millions of Americans save for a financially secure retirement through an automatic payroll deduction Individual Retirement Account, or Auto-IRA. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced companion legislation in the House earlier this year. "Only half of American workers are able to save for retirement through their work. That means the other half is missing out on an… Continue Reading
09.26.17
Whitehouse, Warren, Merkley, Reed, Sanders Introduce Bill to Protect Consumers from Abusive Lending
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced legislation to protect Americans from runaway credit card and other consumer loan interest rates. The Empowering States' Rights to Protect Consumers Act would restore states' ability to limit consumer loan interest rates for their residents and help address the over $1 trillion Americans hold in credit card debt. "Right now, Wall Stree… Continue Reading
09.26.17
Woonsocket Awarded Over $1.5 Million SAFER Grant for Additional Firefighters
WOONSOCKET, RI - In an effort to bolster firefighter response capabilities and keep the community of Woonsocket safe, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline today joined Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt in announcing $1,535,130 in federal funding to help the Woonsocket Fire Department recruit, hire, train and retain additional firefighters. The funding was awarded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) competitive Staffing for Adequate F… Continue Reading
09.25.17
Senators Seek Information on Mine Safety Violations by Mine Safety Nominee’s Former Company
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) are asking the U.S. Department of Labor to produce information on the coal company led by David G. Zatezalo, President Trump's pick for Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. "Mr. Zatezalo's tenure as a mining executive is checkered with violations of the same health and safety standards he'll be expected to enforce. We need a full account of those violations to ensure he answers the serious questions s… Continue Reading
09.22.17
Senators Urge FERC Action on Critical Renewable Energy Rule
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to newly installed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee to request swift action on a FERC rule that would help regional energy operators better integrate energy storage and small renewable energy installations like rooftop solar into their grids. The rule would aid operators in bringing renewa… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Whitehouse Statement on ‘TrumpCare 2’ and Collapse of Bipartisan Health Care Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement about the newest TrumpCare scheme, and Republicans' withdrawal from bipartisan health care talks in the HELP Committee: "Everything old is new again, as Republicans bring TrumpCare back from the dead. This lousy bill would do all the damage Americans rejected in Republicans' previous attempts to gut our health care system. I… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Whitehouse, Sanders and Colleagues Call on Trump to Crack Down on Offshoring
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who has long been a champion for Rhode Island manufacturers, has joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to urge President Donald Trump to stop rewarding companies that move operations out of the country. In a letter, the senators called on the president to issue an executive order terminating government contracts for companies that offshore American jobs."We need to send a very loud and very clear message to corporate America: the era of ou… Continue Reading
09.20.17
Whitehouse, Sanders Push New England Grid Operator to Study Benefits of Carbon Pricing
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on New England's electric grid operator, ISO New England, to study ways to incorporate a price on carbon pollution into the region's energy markets. ISO New England is already doing good work incorporating sound climate policies into its energy markets through the Integrating Markets and Public Policy (IMAPP) process, the Senators write. Now it should join other states in considering carbon pricing as a… Continue Reading
09.18.17
Whitehouse Legislation to Protect Servicemembers and Veterans from Foreclosure Clears Senate
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) bill to extend vital foreclosure protection to servicemembers and their families passed the Senate today as part of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill. Whitehouse's legislation would extend through 2019 the one-year grace period protecting servicemembers leaving active duty from foreclosure. "The men and women of our armed forces serve our country nobly. When they return home, they should have time to adjust to civilian life an… Continue Reading
09.18.17
John Kerry to Headline Whitehouse’s Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day in RI
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that former Secretary of State John Kerry will headline Whitehouse's eighth annual Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day, which will be held in Providence next month. "I am thrilled that Secretary Kerry has agreed to come to Rhode Island to share with us his unique perspective on environmental and oceans policy, which has been informed by seeing the effects of climate change in every corner of the world," said Whitehouse. … Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Heitkamp, Capito, Barrasso Make Bipartisan Push for Carbon Capture Technology during Symposium in Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and John Barrasso (R-WY) today participated in a forum where they discussed strong, bipartisan legislation they introduced to encourage technological innovation in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) while also reducing carbon emissions and recognizing the need for a more diverse energy mix around the world for years to come. The forum, hosted by the Center for Climate and E… Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Merkley Demand Answers on EPA Enforcement Nominee
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called on Susan Bodine, "special counsel to the administrator on compliance" at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and nominee for the EPA's Assistant Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, to explain her role and answer important questions prior to allowing her nomination to proceed. The Senators signaled they would not consent to any time agreement to process Bodine's nomination u… Continue Reading
09.13.17
Whitehouse Lauds Introduction of Medicare for All Act
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement upon the unveiling of Senator Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) Medicare for All Act of 2017 today: "Many Americans already get quality health care coverage through single-payer plans. Single-payer veterans' care is often delivered by government doctors in government hospitals. Single-payer Medicaid is delivered in plans run by individual states. … Continue Reading
09.12.17
Day of Second Meeting, Whitehouse, Klobuchar Question Integrity of Presidential Election Commission
Washington, D.C. - On the day of the second meeting of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) questioned the integrity of the Commission and called for transparency and compliance with the law. To date, the Commission and the Administration have failed to respond to five congressional oversight requests seeking more information about the Commission's work. The Commission's requests for voter data received overwhelming… Continue Reading
