Press Releases
RI Delegation Calls on FERC to Account for Climate Policies in New England Energy Pricing
Washington, D.C. - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline sent a letter today to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Norman C. Bay applauding regulators' openness to integrating New England states' climate policies into the region's energy markets and suggesting several ways to incorporate the benefits of carbon-free energy into New England's process for securing reliable, affordable electricity. FERC oversees ISO New England … Continue Reading
09.06.16
Whitehouse, Langevin, Cicilline, & Gorbea Call for Federal Campaign Finance Reform
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, and Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea today called for an end to unchecked corporate spending in elections at a roundtable discussion about federal campaign finance reform. The event, which was held at Save the Bay's headquarters in Providence, was hosted in partnership with Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Public Citizen and Common Cause Rhode Island. The discussion comes in advance of t… Continue Reading
09.02.16
RI Congressional Delegation Announces $160K for Fire Departments in East Greenwich & Portsmouth
EAST GREENWICH, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced over $160,000 in federal funding to help fire departments in East Greenwich and Portsmouth purchase needed safety equipment and enhance training programs. The funding is made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The East Greenwich Fire Department will use $88,191 in federal funds to pu… Continue Reading
09.01.16
RI Delegation Announces $2,995,000 for URI Research Expedition to Arctic’s Northwest Passage
Washington, D.C. - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the University of Rhode Island (URI), in collaboration with its Inner Space Center, the Graduate School of Oceanography, the film company David Clark Inc., and several other partners, has been awarded funding to support an expedition into the Arctic's Northwest Passage as part of the Northwest Passage Project from the National Science Foundation. URI and its partner… Continue Reading
09.01.16
Federal Funding Awarded to RI-Led Partnership to Standardize Home Energy Efficiency Ratings
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded funding to Rhode Island's Office of Energy Resources (OER) for an interstate partnership that will help consumers compare home energy efficiency performance. "Homeowners can really save on their bills through energy efficiency, but it should be easier for consumers to measure home energy usage. This program, led by Rhode Isla… Continue Reading
08.31.16
Delegation Announces $1.9M for Opioid Addiction Treatment in RI
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced $1,926,300 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help stem the opioid epidemic in Rhode Island. The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Opioid Initiative, which was launched in 2015 to improve opioid prescribing practices, expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, and increase the us… Continue Reading
08.30.16
Reed, Whitehouse Raise Concerns About Mylan’s EpiPen Price Hike and Expanded Patient Assistance Program
WASHINGTON, DC - In a letter sent today to the CEO of pharmaceutical company Mylan, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with 18 of their Senate colleagues, expressed their serious concerns about the company's significant price hikes for the life-saving EpiPen Auto-Injector. The Senators raised questions about Mylan's decision to expand its patient assistance program, which allows the company to sharply increase prices while passing the cost of these increases onto insurance co… Continue Reading
08.25.16
RI Congressional Delegation Announces $1.6 Million for 3 New Fire Trucks
08.25.16
USDA Takes Action to Help Dairy Farmers & Families in Need
Washington, DC - With U.S. dairy farmers struggling to cope with decreasing prices due to low world market prices, increased milk supplies and inventories, and slower demand, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) plan to assist our nation's farmers by purchasing approximately 11 million pounds of cheese from private U.S. inventories to assist food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the nation. USDA estimates dairy… Continue Reading
08.22.16
RI Congressional Delegation Announces $385K in Fire & Rescue Funds for Lincoln, Narragansett, and Pawtucket
Pawtucket, RI - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced new federal funding to help fire departments in Lincoln, Narragansett, and Pawtucket purchase new equipment. The funding is made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The Saylesville Fire District will use $59,048 in federal funds to purchase a new cascade air tank filling station to replace… Continue Reading
08.16.16
Delegation Announces $781,718 Grant to Help CCRI Aid Students
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced today that the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) has been awarded $781,718 from the U.S. Department of Education to help Rhode Islanders pursue postsecondary education. CCRI will use the funding to continue the work of its Rhode Island Educational Opportunity Center, which provides support and assistance to low-income and first-generation students seeking postsecondary ed… Continue Reading
08.10.16
Whitehouse Completes Tour of Utah to See Effects of Climate Change on State’s Economy and Landscape
Salt Lake City, UT - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrapped up his tour of Utah today having spent three days visiting areas of the state affected by climate change and discussing action to reduce carbon pollution. Utah is the 13th state Whitehouse has visited in recent years to better understand how a changing climate influences state economies, disrupts local ecosystems, and alters the way of life in American communities. Whitehouse will use what he learned over the course of the trip… Continue Reading
08.09.16
Senator Whitehouse Meets with Mayor Biskupski to Discuss Effect of Climate Change on Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, UT - Continuing his tour of Utah this week, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sat down with Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski to discuss the climate policies she has pursued and the challenges the City must face as a result of climate change. Whitehouse, who met earlier in the day with the heads of various City departments and community groups, applauded the Mayor and City leaders for their ambitious renewable energy goals and advocating for climate research and policy … Continue Reading
08.09.16
Whitehouse, Schatz Call Out ExxonMobil for Continuing to Fund Effort to Block Climate Action
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) responded to a letter from ExxonMobil Corporation, which the oil giant had sent to both Senators in the wake of their Web of Denial floor action in July. In its letter, ExxonMobil made the case that it no longer funds groups that deny the science of climate change and that it supports a carbon fee, like Whitehouse and Schatz's American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act. Text of the Senators' response is provided b… Continue Reading
08.09.16
Whitehouse Hears From Utah Skiers, Ski Industry on Effects of Climate Change
Salt Lake City, UT - Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) met with members of Utah's skiing community to discuss how they are preparing for the effects of climate change. Included in the meeting were representatives from Utah ski areas, local professional and recreational skiers, the Utah Ski & Snowboard Association (Ski Utah), the Protect Our Winters campaign, and local outdoor outfitters. Whitehouse, a leading voice on climate change in Washington, commended participants for the… Continue Reading
08.05.16
Andrew Cortés Selected to Lead National Apprenticeship Advisory Committee
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today cheered the announcement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez that Rhode Islander Andrew Cortés has been selected to lead the national Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship, which advises the Secretary of Labor on the Registered Apprenticeship program. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship program is a training system that combines technical instruction with… Continue Reading
08.03.16
Senators Coons, Whitehouse call on Senator Cruz to hold hearing on Trump’s support for Russian involvement in U.S. election
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, to hold a hearing to determine whether existing federal criminal statutes and federal court jurisdiction are sufficient to address conduct related to foreign entities attempting to undermine our elections. In the lett… Continue Reading
08.03.16
Whitehouse Statement on CEQ’s Final Climate Guidance for Federal Agencies Conducting NEPA Review
Washington, DC - The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has issued its final guidance for federal agencies to use in assessing the effects of their actions on our climate during National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has long pushed for the Obama Administration to develop clear guidance on factoring climate effects into the NEPA review process, released the following statement on the CEQ's action: "The faster you're going, the better yo… Continue Reading
08.03.16
Whitehouse Helps Launch Partnership for Opioid Addiction Treatment
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined with leaders from Rhode Island's recovery community and law enforcement for a soft opening of CODAC Behavioral Healthcare's new facility co-located within The Providence Center on North Main Street in Providence. CODAC and The Providence Center have joined forces to provide complementary services, including the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), for clients diagnosed with co-occurring disorders related to opioid addiction an… Continue Reading
08.03.16
Broad Coalition of Senate Democrats Call on Top Consumer Agency to Move Swiftly to Limit Unfair Arbitration Agreements in Everyday Financial Contracts
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/03/16]-Today, a group of nearly 40 Democratic Senators-led by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), and U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)-called on one of the nation's top consumer advocacy agencies to quickly finalize an important proposal to limit the use of what is called "forced arbitration" in contracts that Americans sign when they need to take out an auto loan, sign up for a checking account, or pay for c… Continue Reading
