Press Releases
Whitehouse Announces Opposition to Haspel Nomination for CIA Director
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced his opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency: "Torture is disqualifying. It is disqualifying for those who commit the act of violence. It is disqualifying for those who give the order, follow the order, or supply the pretext for the order. And it is disqualifying for those who help to cover it up. "We know Ms. Haspel was a willing participant in one of the darkest episodes in the C… Continue Reading
04.26.18
Shaheen, Whitehouse Send Letters to Major Banks Requesting Details on Action Taken Following The Trump Administration’s Publication of Russian “Oligarchs List”
(Washington, DC)-U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) of the Senate Judiciary and Finance committees, recently sent letters to eight major American and European financial institutions requesting details on any actions taken following the Trump administration's publication of the so-called "Oligarchs List," a list of wealthy Russians with close ties to the Kremlin. The senators sent letters to B… Continue Reading
04.25.18
Whitehouse Demands to Know Whether EPA Air Official Is Recused from Deciding Fate of Former Clients
Washington, DC - In a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) demanded to know what regulatory work the head of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation William Wehrum is recused from. Wehrum is a former white-shoe attorney who represented utilities and corporate interests that the EPA polices, some of which are engaged in litigation against the EPA to try to roll back critical air protections. As part of his ethics agreement with the agency, Wehrum stipulate… Continue Reading
04.24.18
RI Delegation Announces Second $2.1 Million Round of Federal Funding for RI Opioid Response
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced $2.1 million in federal funding for Rhode Island's Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) to stem the opioid epidemic that claimed the lives of hundreds of Rhode Islanders last year. The funding is part of a second $485 million round of grants nationwide that was authorized in 2016 by Congress in the 21st Century Cures Ac… Continue Reading
04.24.18
Carper, Whitehouse Raise New Questions about Pruitt Security Chief’s Side Gig
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) asked the EPA's Designated Agency Ethics Official Kevin Minoli to detail his office's approval of outside employment for Administrator Scott Pruitt's head of security, Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, and other EPA employees. The Senators point out that the authorization EPA used to defend Perrotta's side job appears to violate EPA's regulations governing outside employment. Not only has the authorization expired, it doe… Continue Reading
04.24.18
Hatch, Whitehouse Introduce Legislation to Empower DEA’s Regulation of SARMs
Washington, DC- US Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the SARMs Control Act of 2018. Selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs, are synthetic drugs designed to mimic the effects of testosterone. This bipartisan bill builds on the success of the Designer Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 2014 by extending the Drug Enforcement Administration's authority to regulate anabolic steroids to include SARMs. SARMs are associated with serious safety concerns, includ… Continue Reading
04.23.18
Concordia Fibers’ Randal Spencer to Join Whitehouse for Macron Address
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that Randal Spencer, President and CEO of Coventry-based Concordia Fibers, will join him for French President Emmanuel Macron's address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow morning. Concordia Fibers, which manufactures sophisticated yarns and fibers that are incorporated into composite materials and a diverse range of products, recently expanded its operations with a new plant in Commercy, France. "I'm pleased that Randal will… Continue Reading
04.23.18
Whitehouse Kicks Off Democrats’ Push to Reveal Koch Brothers and Front Groups’ Infiltration of Trump Administration
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) kicked off a series of speeches on the Senate floor to shine a light on the Koch brothers' network of front groups pushing policies in Washington to enrich special interests and sowing doubt in the public debate on issues vital to the American people. Throughout the week, Whitehouse and Democratic colleagues are outlining how this #WebofDeceit has infiltrated the Trump administration and is swamping the interests of everyday Americans. … Continue Reading
04.23.18
Whitehouse Marks Earth Day with Call to End Plastic Pollution
Middletown, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined leading local environmental advocates to mark Earth Day with a call to end the plastic pollution filling the oceans, washing up on the shoreline, clogging nets of Rhode Island fishermen, and starving wildlife. The event took place on the grounds of Clean Ocean Access, a Middletown nonprofit focused on eliminating marine debris and improving the health of the coastline. "This Earth Day, it is more important than ever that all of us i… Continue Reading
04.20.18
Senate Democrats Call on President, Cabinet to Reveal Koch Infiltration of Trump Administration
Washington, DC - In a series of letters, Senate Democrats are demanding answers from President Donald Trump and cabinet officials about the Koch brothers' sweeping infiltration of the Trump administration. The Senators' demands are based on a December report to the wealthy donors of the Kochs' Seminar Network detailing a series of policy wins benefitting Koch businesses and the billionaires themselves. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), … Continue Reading
04.19.18
Inspector General to Investigate Pruitt’s Unprecedented Use of EPA Security Detail on Personal Travel
Washington, DC - The EPA Inspector General will investigate Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of his official security detail on personal trips to Disneyland, the Rose Bowl, and college basketball games. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) requested the investigation in a March 20 letter after obtaining six weeks of schedules and other documents providing snapshots of Pruitt's unprecedented use of his taxpayer-funded security detail. Whitehouse's request also noted that multiple sources have indi… Continue Reading
04.18.18
Whitehouse Signals Opposition to Pompeo Nomination
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement opposing the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to serve as Secretary of State: "The Secretary of State has a much broader policy portfolio than the CIA Director. In that portfolio, Mr. Pompeo's record as a member of Congress is alarming. He denied human beings' role in driving climate change. He vilified people based on their faith, and attacked women's essential reproductive rights. And he pushe… Continue Reading
04.17.18
Whitehouse Statement on the Passing of Former First Lady Barbara Bush
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse this evening issued the following statement on the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush: "Mrs. Bush will be remembered for the strength and dignity she brought to serving as First Lady. My family has known the Bush family since my father was in college with President Bush and they both served as pilots in the Pacific during World War II. We join the nation tonight in sending our deepest condolences to Mrs. Bush's family, who have always been … Continue Reading
04.16.18
Whitehouse, Langevin, Cicilline Call for Fairer Tax Code Ahead of Tax Day
Pawtucket, RI - On the eve of Tax Day, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Jim Langevin, and Congressman David Cicilline today called on Congress to make the federal tax code fairer. Members of Rhode Island's congressional delegation gathered at Woodlawn Community Center, where the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program (BVCAP) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has helped about five hundred Rhode Islanders prepare their returns free of charge this tax season. "With to… Continue Reading
04.14.18
Whitehouse Statement on Air Strikes in Syria
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the air strikes in Syria: "The Assad regime's use of chemical weapons against its own civilian population is an atrocity. Given the information we have, this joint strike seems to satisfy the test for responding: it is limited, the goal is clear, and it does not commit us to deeper involvement or American boots on the ground. The administration needs to swiftly clarify its goals and authorities for … Continue Reading
04.12.18
Whitehouse Denounces Confirmation of Wheeler for EPA Deputy
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the confirmation of coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today: "A fossil fuel flunky and a coal baron lobbyist are a dangerous duo to lead the EPA. Like his boss Administrator Scott Pruitt, Andrew Wheeler spent years fighting against the EPA's environmental protections. When coal … Continue Reading
04.11.18
Whitehouse Introduces Innovative Natural Gas Demand Response Legislation
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced legislation today to encourage natural gas demand response programs, which reward reducing energy use, a model well established for electricity customers. Whitehouse's bill is one of the first pieces of federal legislation that leverages states' success in implementing demand response pilot programs, which can guard against price spikes for natural gas consumers and reduce the need to expand natural gas infrastructure. "Incentives t… Continue Reading
04.11.18
BLUMENTHAL, MARKEY & WHITEHOUSE INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO MODERNIZE FOOD LABELING
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Food Labeling Modernization Act to minimize confusing and misleading information that consumers encounter on food packages. Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives last week by U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). "Consumers deserve clear, accurate information about the food they eat - but instead o… Continue Reading
04.10.18
Reed & Whitehouse Statement on Trump Nomination of Mary McElroy to the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following joint statement after President Trump nominated Rhode Island Public Defender Mary McElroy to the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island. Reed and Whitehouse originally recommended Ms. McElroy for this seat on the federal bench nearly three years ago. Her nomination was put forward by President Obama in September of 2015 and she was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January of 2016, … Continue Reading
04.02.18
Whitehouse Calls Out Automakers, Pruitt for Rollback of Vital Fuel Economy Standards
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) slammed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's decision today to begin unraveling important vehicle fuel efficiency standards that protect the health and safety of all Americans: "Fuel efficiency saves drivers money, lessens our reliance on foreign oil, and cuts carbon pollution. The auto industry agreed, adding that strong standards help them plan and invest wisely. They gave their word. "Automakers have the technology… Continue Reading
