Press Releases
Whitehouse Presses Attorney General Nominee For Answers About Protecting Rhode Islanders’ Civil Rights
Washington, DC - In a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today questioned President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), about the nominee's past statements disparaging immigrant groups and prominent civil rights organizations. "I'm from Rhode Island, as you know, Senator," began Whitehouse. "We have NAACP and ACLU members who have heard that you called their organizations un-American. We have a vibrant Domini… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Senators Urge Judiciary Committee to Prevent Politicization of Justice Department Under Trump
Washington, D.C. - With Senator Jeff Sessions's (R-AL) confirmation hearing underway, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have written to Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) requesting that the Committee serve as a bulwark against any politicization of the U.S. Department of Justice during the Trump administration. In their letter, the Senators cite both the targeting of attorneys within the Department based on their previous advocacy and recent actions taken by the Trump transitio… Continue Reading
01.05.17
Whitehouse Delivers Cybersecurity Recommendations for Trump Administration
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and members of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Cyber Policy Task Force to announce recommendations to the 45th President for strengthening the nation's cybersecurity. Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, served as a co-chair of the Task Force. The recommendations were included in a report released… Continue Reading
01.05.17
HELP Committee Members Request Details of DeVos’s Connections to Dark Money Groups
Washington, D.C. - Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee wrote to president-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, requesting information on her involvement with the American Federation for Children and the Great Lakes Education Project, dark money political groups with ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council and other Koch brothers organizations. DeVos is a member of the Kochs' donor network … Continue Reading
01.03.17
Whitehouse, Baldwin, Warren, and Feinstein Introduce Bill to Limit Tax Windfalls for Billionaires in the Trump Administration
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) reintroduced legislation today to prevent President-elect Donald Trump's enormously wealthy cabinet nominees - and possibly Trump himself - from ducking millions of dollars in taxes. A little-known provision of the tax code currently allows executive branch and judicial appointees to defer paying taxes on profits from assets they sell to comply with ethics rules. The … Continue Reading
12.28.16
EPW Members Call on Pruitt to Reveal Connections to Secretive Group Coordinating EPA Challenges
Washington, DC - Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee have sent a letter to president-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, requesting information on his involvement with the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a secretive tax-exempt group that has helped to coordinate challenges to the EPA. While the Fund has been linked to the Koch brothers' network of conservative organizations, most o… Continue Reading
12.20.16
Reed, Whitehouse Call on Trump to Help Congress Bring Down Drug Prices
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today joined 18 Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President-elect Donald Trump outlining specific steps his Administration should take to help Congress bring down the cost of prescription drugs. "It is undeniable that more and more families are struggling to access medications, and in many cases, are forced to choose between paying for prescription drugs and other necessities, like food and shelter. The American public is f… Continue Reading
12.20.16
Whitehouse Discusses Trump Nominee for U.S. Attorney General
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday brought together more than a dozen Rhode Islanders representing civil rights organizations, the legal community, government, and other constituencies to hear Rhode Islanders' thoughts about President-elect Trump's nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) for United States Attorney General. Whitehouse is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has scheduled a nomination hearing for Sessions on January 10 and 11. "The United … Continue Reading
12.15.16
Whitehouse Gathers RI Feedback on Education Secretary Nominee
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday convened more than a dozen Rhode Islanders who have a stake in public education to gather feedback on the President-elect's nomination of Betsy DeVos to lead the U.S. Department of Education. Whitehouse is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which is expected to hold a confirmation hearing for DeVos in January. "I'm grateful to all those who joined me to discuss the qualities Rhode Islanders are loo… Continue Reading
12.15.16
Whitehouse Calls on U.S. Education Secretary to Issue Guidance to Help Support Middle School Students
Providence, RI - On the heels of a visit to West Broadway Middle School in Providence this week, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote to Secretary of Education John King requesting that the U.S. Department of Education build on the parts of the federal education reform law that focus on middle schools, which Whitehouse authored as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Specifically, Whitehouse requests in the letter that the Department provide clear, ready-to-… Continue Reading
12.15.16
Whitehouse Statement on Nomination of Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State
Providence, RI - Today, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump has chosen ExxonMobil chief executive Rex W. Tillerson to serve as Secretary of State. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement on the selection: "Donald Trump pledged to 'drain the swamp' of corporate insiders in Washington to ensure that our government serves the American people, not massive corporations like ExxonMobil. That's why it's disturbing to see operatives of the Koch brothers, Exxon, and ot… Continue Reading
12.13.16
Whitehouse Statement on Nomination of Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State
Providence, RI - Today, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump has chosen ExxonMobil chief executive Rex W. Tillerson to serve as Secretary of State. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement on the selection: "Donald Trump pledged to 'drain the swamp' of corporate insiders in Washington to ensure that our government serves the American people, not massive corporations like ExxonMobil. That's why it's disturbing to see operatives of the Koch brothers, Exxon, and ot… Continue Reading
12.08.16
Whitehouse Statement on Trump’s Selection of Fast Food CEO Puzder for Labor Secretary
Washington, DC - Today, fast food executive Andrew Puzder was announced as President-elect Donald Trump's choice to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who, as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, will participate in Labor Secretary confirmation hearings, released the following statement about the selection: "The role of our Labor Department is to protect workers' health, safety, and financial wellbeing in a rapidl… Continue Reading
12.08.16
Whitehouse, Warren, Baldwin Introduce Bill to Limit Tax Windfalls for Billionaires in the Trump Administration
Washington, D.C. - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation today to prevent President-elect Donald Trump's enormously wealthy cabinet nominees - and possibly Trump himself - from ducking millions of dollars in taxes. A little-known provision of the tax code currently allows executive branch and judicial appointees to defer paying taxes on profits from assets they sell to comply with ethics rules. Whitehouse and Warren's No Wi… Continue Reading
12.07.16
Reed and Whitehouse Urge President-Elect to Live Up to Campaign Promises, Clarify Whether He Opposes Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid
Washington, D.C. - United States Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with 19 fellow senators, today sent a letter calling on President-elect Donald Trump to remind him of his campaign promises to reject cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and to ask that he clarify whether he still intends to do so. Over 200,000 Rhode Islanders were enrolled in Medicare and more than 283,000 state residents were enrolled in Medicaid as of July 2016. "During your campaign for President of the United Stat… Continue Reading
12.07.16
Whitehouse Statement on Selection of Scott Pruitt to Head EPA
Washington, DC - Today, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a Co-Chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, released the following statement on the pick: "At every turn, Scott Pruitt has chosen his fossil fuel donors over the health and wellbeing … Continue Reading
12.07.16
Medical Research Bill Passes with Funding to Fight Opioid Addiction & Key Health IT Provisions
Washington, DC - Today, the Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act, to fund medical research and the operations of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who helped to craft the bill as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, voted in favor of the bill and praised the inclusion of $1 billion in grant funding for states to address the opioid addiction crisis. "Addiction is a terrible illness that req… Continue Reading
12.06.16
Whitehouse Explores Protections for Congressional Oversight Staff
Washington, DC - In a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism today, Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) explored whether congressional staff engaged in oversight activity are sufficiently insulated from retaliatory criminal referrals initiated by the Executive Branch. Senator Whitehouse confronted this issue during his time on the Senate Intelligence Committee and in the years after, when Committee staff engaged in oversight of the Central Intelligence Agency's… Continue Reading
12.01.16
Senators to Trump: Drain the Swamp at EPA, DOE, DOI
Washington, DC - A group of 10 Senators sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump today calling on him to remove members of his team with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry who are managing his Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of the Interior transitions. By installing insiders with strong ties to major polluters at agencies charged with regulating those polluters, the Senators write, Trump is abandoning his campaign promise to "drain the swamp" of s… Continue Reading
12.01.16
Grassley, Whitehouse Speak Out Against Blocking of Bill to Protect Children in Juvenile Justice System
Washington, DC - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) requested that the Senate pass bipartisan legislation to protect and improve the lives of young people involved with our juvenile and criminal justice systems. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) objected to the request, blocking passage of the bill. Grassley and Whitehouse released the following statements regarding the action on the Senate floor. "Ever since Senator Whitehouse and I began working on our ju… Continue Reading
