Press Releases
Senate Passes Bipartisan Juvenile Justice Bill
Washington, DC - The Senate this evening unanimously passed the bipartisan Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2018, authored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), to secure new protections for youth in the federal juvenile justice grant program. "Senator Grassley and I have been fighting for years to update our juvenile justice protections to do a better job getting kids back on track and out of the system for good," said Whitehouse. … Continue Reading
12.07.18
Whitehouse Statement on Barr
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today on the nomination of William Barr for Attorney General: "Barr is an experienced and able lawyer. I will have questions about his record and positions on pressing issues facing the Department of Justice, particularly his willingness to defend the Department's investigations-including Bob Mueller's-now looking at the Trumps and Trump cronies. Barr's strange… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Whitehouse Joins Fellow DOJ Alums in Call to Replace Whitaker
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney, announced he has joined hundreds of fellow Department of Justice alumni in a statement outlining the threat posed by the appointment of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. The statement calls on President Donald Trump to appoint a replacement swiftly, and for the Senate to demand the chance to exercise its Constitutional duty of advice and consent. Upon joinin… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Whitehouse Slams EPA Rollback of Air Pollution Standard
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal released today to ease emissions standards for new fossil fuel-fired power plants: "This proposal is another illegal attempt by the Trump administration to prop up an industry already buckling under the powerful force of the free market. Easing the new source performance standard does nothing… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Social Enterprise Greenhouse Wins EDA Funding for Statewide Expansion
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Providence-based social impact business incubator Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) has won a $257,321 competitive grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to grow the organization's footprint in Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Newport. The expansion will provide support to a more diverse population of social entrepreneurs as they create jobs and grow Rhode … Continue Reading
12.06.18
Whitehouse Applauds $20 Million Grant to Rebuild Pell Bridge Ramps
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today applauded the news that the state of Rhode Island has been awarded $20 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to rebuild the ramps leading to the Pell Bridge from Aquidneck Island. The Pell Bridge, which spans Narragansett Bay to connect Newport and Jamestown, is nearly fifty years old. "The Pell Bridge is one of Rhode Island's most iconic structures," said Whitehouse, who advocated for the grant. "I'm thrilled to help d… Continue Reading
12.04.18
Senators Press Justice Department on Whitaker, Benczkowski Conflicts of Interest
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked the Department of Justice today to detail its handling of the serious financial, professional, and political conflicts of interest of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Assistant Attorney General for the Crimina… Continue Reading
12.01.18
Whitehouse Statement on Death of George H.W. Bush
Newport, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the passing of the 41st President, George H.W. Bush: "Today I join all Americans in remembering the life and legacy of President Bush, who served his country in uniform and in office. Sandra and I wish peace and comfort for the Bush family as they bid him farewell." ###… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Whitehouse Statement on Budget Process Overhaul Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on today's vote in the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform on the panel's proposal to overhaul Congress's budgeting and appropriations processes: "I take heart that the 'aye' and 'present' votes today were sufficient to pass our bipartisan, bicameral reform and move it forward, had there been an avenue for a Senate floor vote in the … Continue Reading
11.28.18
Whitehouse Signals Support for Yemen Resolution
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding a Senate resolution directing the Trump administration to remove U.S. military forces from the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which is expected for a vote before week's end: "The humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to worsen. Saudi Arabia continues to take actions that undermine confidence-not only with the brazen murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but in its continuing disregard for innocent human life in Y… Continue Reading
11.27.18
Whitehouse Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan House Carbon Fee Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and a champion of carbon fee legislation in the Senate, released the following statement on the carbon pricing proposal released today by U.S. Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tom Rooney (R-FL), John Delaney (D-MD), and Charlie Crist (D-FL): "The introduction of this bipartisan legislation is an important step. Virtually every serious economist who has c… Continue Reading
11.21.18
Whitehouse Calls for Investigation into Possible Hatch Act Violations by Acting AG Whitaker
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former federal prosecutor, asked the Office of Special Counsel today to investigate possible violations of the Hatch Act by then-chief of staff to the Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker. Disclosures to the Federal Election Commission show that in 2018, while serving in the high-ranking role at the Department of Justice before his appointment as Acting Attorney General, Whitaker received thousand… Continue Reading
11.19.18
Whitehouse, Blumenthal & Hirono Challenge Unlawful Appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's appointment of Matthew Whitaker as the Acting Attorney General. On November 7, President Trump appointed Whitaker to oversee the Department of Justice - including the Special Counsel's investigation - in violation of the Constitution's Appointme… Continue Reading
11.16.18
Whitehouse Statement on Wheeler Nomination for EPA Administrator
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "The EPA continues to be a poster agency for regulatory capture by polluters. I hoped Scott Pruitt's policy dirty work would dry up after he left the EPA in disgrace, but proposals like the forthcoming rule to weaken or eliminate protections … Continue Reading
11.15.18
Whitehouse Applauds Support for Criminal Justice Reform Legislation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who has been a lead cosponsor of Senate legislation to reform the federal criminal justice system, released the following statement on growing White House and congressional Republican support for criminal justice legislation. "For years, our bipartisan group in the Senate Judiciary Committee has been working on legislation to improve our criminal justice system. We have agreed on ways to reform … Continue Reading
11.15.18
Bipartisan Budget Option Added to Budget Overhaul Proposal
Washington, DC - The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform voted in favor Thursday of an amendment to the Select Committee's budget overhaul proposal offered by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), David Perdue (R-GA), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) that would encourage bipartisan budgets. After decades of dysfunction, including escalating funding brinksmanship in recent years, the Senators' proposal would encourage working across the aisle and create a bipartisan path to sust… Continue Reading
11.07.18
Whitehouse Statement on Sessions Firing
Newport, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions today: "The attorney general is different from other cabinet officers in that this office must be fiercely independent in its enforcement of the law. Politics has no place in those decisions. "Both the acting attorney general and the president's next nominee must commit to protecting the special c… Continue Reading
11.01.18
Whitehouse Leads Army Corps Head on Tour of Top Rhode Island Water and Coastal Infrastructure Priorities
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and champion of resilient coastal infrastructure in the Senate, led Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James to see several of Rhode Island's top infrastructure priorities. James leads the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in its work maintaining and improving the nation's waterways and coastal infrastructure. Whitehouse and James's tour included visi… Continue Reading
10.20.18
Whitehouse Calls out Wehrum for Flaunting Trump Ethics Pledge
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse would like to know if Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator Bill Wehrum violated the Trump administration's ethics pledge. In letters sent to President Donald Trump and EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Whitehouse asks how Wehrum could have both signed the pledge banning meetings with former clients and met on numerous occasions with former clients. A former energy industry lawyer representing ExxonMobil, Koch Industri… Continue Reading
10.19.18
Senators Call Out Secret, Partisan Judicial Clerk Training
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) today called into question the propriety of a closed-door training program for federal judicial clerks offered by a dark-money conservative Washington think tank. Promotional materials for the Heritage Foundation's Federal Clerkship Training Academy tout the involvement of sitting federal judges, and say attendees must pledge to "[k]eep strictly confidential" all program materials a… Continue Reading
