Press Releases
Whitehouse Statement on Agreement to Reopen Government
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on today's agreement and vote to reopen the government: "The shutdown has ended. In spite of a President sending confused and conflicting messages, Republican and Democratic Senators negotiated in good faith to arrive at an agreement to end the impasse. We will fund the children's health insurance program and we will vote on a solution for the Dreamers. It will be the first Floor vote for Democrats since the … Continue Reading
01.20.18
Whitehouse Statement on Continuing Resolution Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement regarding the Senate's vote tonight on a continuing resolution, which failed to receive the sixty votes needed to end debate. "I joined Senate Democrats and Republicans in voting against this stopgap funding bill because it did not provide the long-term stability our military and economy need and it did not address urgent, overdue bipartisan needs. Those include immediate resources to fight the opioid epidemic in Rhode … Continue Reading
01.19.18
Senators Send President Report on Ethical Breaches and Special Interest Self-Dealing in Trump Administration
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a report to the White House on the serious ethical breaches and special interest self-dealing that has characterized the first year of Donald Trump's presidency. Their report details how the President and his cabinet have gained personally from the Executive power they wield; how the President's billionaire friends and associates have attem… Continue Reading
01.18.18
Whitehouse Statement on House Stopgap Funding Measure
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on House passage of a stopgap government spending measure tonight: "In ordinary times it would be weird for a Republican House to pass a last-minute funding bill they know the Republican-controlled Senate will reject. But in these crazy times it barely registers on the weird-meter. It's shutdown eve - don't Republican leaders talk? Can't they talk with Democrats? Is there an allergy? Why not work this out a… Continue Reading
01.18.18
Whitehouse, Blumenthal File Brief in Key Public Sector Union Case before Supreme Court
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Janus centers on whether public sector employees can be required to pay fees to public sector unions that advocate on their behalf in the collective bargaining process. In their brief, Whitehouse and Blumenthal argue that unions' authority to require fees from those who benefit… Continue Reading
01.18.18
Reed, Whitehouse Seek to Protect Consumer Watchdog’s Independence
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joined a group of 40 Senators in standing up for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) independence and power to obtain justice for consumers who have been wronged by large financial institutions. In a letter to Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, the Senators urged the leaders to reject any government funding deals that would subject the CFPB's funding to political interference. The independenc… Continue Reading
01.11.18
Senators Introduce Bipartisan New England Offshore Drilling Ban
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) led a bipartisan group of New England Senators in introducing legislation to bar offshore drilling along the New England coast. The New England Coastal Protection Act responds to a move by the Trump administration to open up Atlantic waters to offshore oil and natural gas exploration and extraction, putting vital coastline at risk and threatening a central economic engine for New England. Senators Jack Reed … Continue Reading
01.10.18
Whitehouse Presses Agencies for Versions of Murray ‘Action Plan’
Washington, DC - In letters sent today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) demanded of several federal agencies copies of a to-do list of policies and actions to benefit select coal interests that was circulated by coal magnate Robert Murray among members of the Trump administration. Murray, Chairman of Murray Energy and a major Republican campaign donor, has boasted that the administration has already obediently executed a full page-worth of the nearly four-page "action plan." Two different ve… Continue Reading
01.09.18
Whitehouse Lauds Feinstein Release of Simpson Transcript
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, released the following statement on the decision of Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to release the unclassified transcript of Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson's interview with Judiciary Committee investigators: "Releasing the Simpson transcript was the right thing for Sen. Feinstein to do under the circumstances. For months, th… Continue Reading
01.09.18
Senator Whitehouse to Join Senate Finance Committee
Washington, DC - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today announced the Senate Democratic committee memberships for the 2nd Session of the 115th Congress. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will join the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Whitehouse released the following statement on his new assignment: "I thank Senator Schumer for his confidence in me. It will be an honor to serve on the Senate Finance Committee. This post will help me continue to address issues Rhode Islanders care ab… Continue Reading
01.08.18
WHITEHOUSE & BLUMENTHAL DEMAND IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF FUSION GPS TESTIMONY
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to call for the immediate release of testimony that Glenn Simpson, CEO of Fusion GPS, delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee in August. "We write to call for the immediate release of the transcript of the Judiciary Committee's interview with Glenn Simpson, CEO of Fusion GPS. Sadly, attacks on Simpson and Christopher Steele, as well as selective leaks of parts … Continue Reading
01.04.18
Whitehouse Statement on President Trump’s Move to Open Nearly All U.S. Waters to Offshore Drilling
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement on the Trump Administration's move to allow new offshore drilling in nearly all American waters, including the Eastern Seaboard: "The Trump Administration's reckless and unwelcome choice to allow oil and gas drilling off Rhode Island's coast puts our entire coastal economy at risk. For the potential gain of fossil fuel corporations, offshore drilling introduces all sorts of hazards to our fishing industry a… Continue Reading
01.04.18
Whitehouse Statement on Dissolution of Trump Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the Trump administration's decision to disband the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity: "This commission wasn't about integrity. It was about suppressing the vote in communities that tend not to support Republicans. It bent important rules and tried to trample the privacy of millions of Americans. Worse still, it attempted to coopt the Department of Justice, which is charge… Continue Reading
01.04.18
Whitehouse Unveils Bill to Repair, Replace Bridges and Promote American Jobs
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; and Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, today unveiled new legislation to repair and replace outdated bridges while creating jobs in Rhode Island and across the United States. "In Rhode Island and around the country, we have thousands of important … Continue Reading
12.21.17
Whitehouse Statement on Year-End Stopgap Funding Measure
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the passage of another stopgap government spending measure: "Again Republicans are refusing to do their work. They still haven't acted to raise the budget caps threatening to hobble important programs across the federal government. They haven't reauthorized the Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers 9 million American children and mothers. They haven't passed the disaster relief bill that the pe… Continue Reading
12.20.17
Watchdog Agency to Study Trump Changes to Key Measure of Carbon Pollution Cost
Washington, DC - Acting upon the request of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and six other Senators, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has indicated it will examine the government's method for calculating the social cost of carbon-the measure of long-term damage done by carbon pollution. The watchdog agency will begin the study in coming months, GAO indicated to Whitehouse today. On December 5, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (… Continue Reading
12.20.17
Whitehouse Slams Passage of TrumpTax Plan
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on passage of the Republican tax bill: "TrumpTax reads like a list of broken promises to the middle class. Instead of boosting the middle class, it limits popular deductions and threatens home values in Rhode Island and across the country. Instead of honoring the President's commitment to protecting Medicare and Social Security, it sets the stage to slash them. Instead of making taxes simple enough for Americ… Continue Reading
12.20.17
Whitehouse Calls for Opioid Crisis Funding in Year-End Spending Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), author of comprehensive legislation to combat the opioid crisis and a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement calling for increased funding to combat the opioid crisis in the year-end spending bill: "We are fighting a long, difficult battle against opioid addiction and overdose. That battle claims hundreds of lives every week. It touches communities large and small in every corner of the country. And too many o… Continue Reading
12.19.17
Whitehouse, Harris Press Pruitt for Answers on No-Bid Contract with GOP-Tied Opposition Research Firm
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) pressed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt for answers today about the EPA's no-bid contract with an organization closely tied to the "unofficial research arm of the Republican party." In a letter to Pruitt, the Senators ask for justification in awarding a $120,000 no-bid contract for "news analysis" to Definers Public Affairs, a public relations firm founded by Republican operatives that shares… Continue Reading
12.14.17
Whitehouse Slams Gutting of Net Neutrality
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) slammed today's vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to repeal net neutrality in a major victory over consumers handed to corporate interests by the Trump administration. The vote comes without a federal investigation into the millions of fake public comments filed with the FCC calling for the consumer protections to be rolled back. "Repealing net neutrality is a blow to a free and fair internet and the jobs that depend on … Continue Reading
