Press Releases
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
12.14.17
Whitehouse, Warren Air Concerns with BLS Nominee
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) issued a statement today calling into question the qualifications of Dr. William Beach, Vice President for Policy Research at the Koch brothers-funded Mercatus Center and formerly of the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beach was voted out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Wednesday evening on a party-line vote. The Senators said: "William Beach does not hav… Continue Reading
12.13.17
Whitehouse, Carper Raise Alarm Over EPA Settlement Directive
Washington, DC - Following rollbacks of important air and water protections and reports of dramatically slowed environmental enforcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Carper (D-DE) are questioning the EPA and the Department of Justice about a new directive that curtails Americans' ability to hold the EPA accountable for enforcing key environmental laws. The vaguely worded EPA policy makes it significantly harder for citizens and the EPA… Continue Reading
12.12.17
Senators to Tax Budget Conferees: Remove Harmful Renewable Energy Provisions, Protect Clean Energy Blue-Collar Jobs
Washington (December 12, 2017) - As Republicans on the congressional tax scam conference committee try to finalize their partisan plan this week, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are demanding removal of renewable energy provisions from the final conference report that would devastate clean energy … Continue Reading
12.12.17
Whitehouse Bill to Protect Servicemembers and Veterans from Foreclosure Signed into Law
Washington, DC - Today, President Donald Trump signed into law Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) bill to extend vital foreclosure protection to servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Whitehouse's legislation, which was included as an amendment in the 2018 defense authorization bill, extends through 2019 the one-year grace period protecting servicemembers leaving active duty from foreclosure. "The men and women of our armed forces ought to have a shot to regain their financial footing… Continue Reading
12.12.17
Amid Evidence of Plagiarism, Carper Leads EPW Minority in Calling on CEQ Nominee to Submit New and Original Answers
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the minority members of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee called on Kathleen Hartnett White, President Trump's nominee to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality and serve as his most senior environmental advisor, to submit new and original responses to questions for the record after it was discovered that at least 18 of her responses were copied verbatim from responses previously submitted to the committee. Repeatedly, Ms. White's answers to … Continue Reading
12.11.17
RI Nets $1.6 Million to Continue Infrastructure Improvements at the Port of Galilee
NARRAGANSETT, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today joined Governor Gina M. Raimondo in announcing $1.6 million in federal funding to upgrade key infrastructure at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett to help protect jobs and promote investment at Rhode Island's busiest commercial fishing port. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will use the $1,661,500 federal grant, administered by the U.S. Economic… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Whitehouse Leads Senators in Defending EPA Watchdog
Washington, DC - Ten Senators led by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are calling for Senate appropriators to protect funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) in-house watchdog, which helps to ensure the agency carries out its function of protecting public health and the environment. The Senators ask leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies in a letter to maintain current funding levels for the EPA Office of Inspector General. The… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Whitehouse Statement on Franken Resignation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on Senator Al Franken's (D-MN) decision to resign from the Senate: "Senator Franken made the right choice to step down. I applaud him and thank him. He is right that we are having an important conversation right now about the equal treatment of women in every part of our society. We have a long way to go in combatting these problems, but holding everyone to a high standard-including public servants-is an impo… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Whitehouse, Booker, Menendez Reintroduce Bill to Hold Polluters Responsible for Cleanup of Superfund Sites
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) reintroduced a bill to hold polluters responsible for the cleanup of contaminated Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country. The Superfund Polluter Pays Restoration Act of 2017 reinstates the excise tax on polluting industries to pay for the cleanup of Superfund sites, relieving taxpayers of the expense. It also … Continue Reading
12.06.17
EPA Responds to New England Members of Congress on Silencing of Scientists
Washington, DC - With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledging fault, a group of federal lawmakers offered a forceful warning today never to repeat a troubling incident earlier this fall. In October, the EPA withdrew its scientists from an important workshop on the health of Narragansett Bay and the threats posed by climate change and other environmental factors. After a group of New England members of Congress demanded an explanation, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt responded wi… Continue Reading
12.06.17
Markey, Whitehouse and Harris Lead Call to Protect Strong Fuel Economy Standards
Washington (December 6, 2017) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today led a group of 24 Senators in calling on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to not weaken light-duty vehicle emissions standards for model 2022 through 2025 and strenuously object to revisiting emissions standards for model year 2021, which were never supposed to be part of the EP… Continue Reading
12.06.17
Whitehouse Statement on Senator Al Franken
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement calling for Senator Al Franken (D-MN) to resign: "Given what we have learned in recent weeks, I expect Senator Franken to step aside." ###… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Senators Press DOJ Leaders on Trump Tweets Aimed at Influencing Justice Department
Washington, DC - Following a pattern of President Donald Trump's tweets apparently intended to direct the work of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Senators are asking top Department leadership what they are doing to safeguard the Department's operations and prosecutions from Oval Office influence. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Al Franken (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) posed their questions in letters sent to Deputy Atto… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Senators Request GAO Study of Trump Changes to Key Measure of Carbon Pollution Cost
Washington, DC - Seven Senators have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the governments' method for calculating the social cost of carbon-the measure of long-term damage done by carbon pollution-after the Trump administration dramatically reduced estimates of the costs of climate change in recent actions. Using a lower estimate for the social cost of carbon could allow the administration to undermine a range of environmental regulations by exaggerating the compliance co… Continue Reading
12.04.17
Whitehouse & Reed Urge FCC Chairman Pai to Delay Vote Rolling Back Net Neutrality Rules
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and 25 of their colleagues sent a letter today to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai, expressing concern over reports that bots impersonating Americans filed hundreds of thousands of phony comments to the FCC during the net neutrality policymaking process. The Senators are strongly urging the Chairman to delay the planned December 14 vote to roll back net neutrality rules unti… Continue Reading
12.02.17
Whitehouse Statement on Senate Passage of TrumpTax
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the passage of Republicans' tax proposal: "TrumpTax is a scam. Tonight, while most Americans were sleeping, Senate Republicans voted to hike taxes on millions of middle-class families to pay for tax cuts for President Trump and his billionaire friends. This so-called 'tax reform' moves our nation in the wrong direction by every measure: it will send more American jobs overseas, increase health insurance pre… Continue Reading
12.01.17
Whitehouse Statement on Flynn Guilty Plea, Cooperation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, released the following statement on former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about his contacts with a top Russian official, as well as Flynn's cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller: "As we learned at our subcommittee hearing in May, General Flynn made a false statement to the … Continue Reading
11.30.17
Whitehouse, Baldwin Introduce Amendment to Prevent Tax Windfalls for Trump Administration Billionaires
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced an amendment to Senate Republicans' tax proposal that would help to prevent President Donald Trump's enormously wealthy cabinet nominees from ducking millions of dollars in taxes. The amendment would limit a tax provision that allows executive branch and judicial appointees to defer paying taxes on profits from assets they sell to comply with ethics rules. The amendment is based on Whitehouse's No Windfalls for Government Servic… Continue Reading
