Press Releases
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Pope’s Encyclical on the Environment
Washington, DC - Today Pope Francis released a new encyclical on the environment - a teaching document for Catholics throughout the world. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below regarding the encyclical: "As a Senator representing the most Catholic state in America, and a state which faces daunting risks from climate change, I thank Pope Francis for his thoughtful and inspiring words. Pope Francis gives voice to the moral urgency of caring better for our home pla… Continue Reading
06.17.15
Rep. Cartwright, Senator Whitehouse Introduce Legislation to Protect Natural Resources from Climate Change
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) re-introduced the Safeguarding America's Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, legislation that would safeguard the country's natural resources from the increasingly harmful effects of climate change. "Climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat to the natural resources and environmental landscape that many local communities depend on for a livelihood. In Pennsylvania alone, outdoor re… Continue Reading
06.17.15
Rhode Island Wins $229,000 to Prevent Medicare & Medicaid Fraud
Washington, D.C. - Today U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced $229,489 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding for the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project at the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs (DEA). The funding will enable DEA to train SMP volunteers to educate Medicare and Medicaid recipients on how to detect and guard against fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Medicare and Medicai… Continue Reading
06.16.15
Whitehouse Statement on Vote to Ban Torture Techniques
Washington, DC - Today, by a vote of 78-21, the Senate passed an amendment to National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that limits U.S. intelligence gatherers to the use of interrogation techniques permitted by the U.S. Army Field Manual. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who formerly served on the Senate Intelligence Committee and helped to author a report on the use of torture by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), issued the following statement on the vote: "President Bush and Vice Pre… Continue Reading
06.16.15
Whitehouse and RI Health Care Expert Discuss Electronic Medical Records at Senate Hearing
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing to explore how the federal government can improve the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Among the expert witnesses testifying at the hearing was Meryl Moss, Chief Operating Officer at Coastal Medical in Providence, RI. Moss was invited to testify by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who is a member of the committee and has long been one of the Senate's leading voices on the pr… Continue Reading
06.16.15
Senators to Dept. of Education: Proposed Changes to Student Loan Program could Harm Borrowers
Washington, D.C. - Today a group of Senate Democrats wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to express concern with a draft proposal to reform the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) program for student loans. The program allows eligible borrowers to cap their monthly payments at 10% of discretionary income and forgives remaining balances after 20 years. However, a proposal currently under review by the Department would, according to the Senators, "add unnecessary complexity, increase costs for r… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Sens. Whitehouse and Schatz Unveil Carbon Fee Proposal at American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. - Today, at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) unveiled new legislation to address climate change and boost the economy by putting a price on carbon pollution. The American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act, which will be introduced in the Senate today, would significantly lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions while generating substantial revenue - all of which would be returned to the American peop… Continue Reading
06.09.15
Sen. Whitehouse: Gaspee Incident Deserves Proper Recognition
Washington, DC - As Rhode Island prepares for the annual Gaspee Days parade in Warwick this weekend, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today gave his eighth annual speech on the floor of the Senate remembering the brave Rhode Islanders who stood up to the British and burned the HMS Gaspee in 1772. Whitehouse argues that the burning of the Gaspee, which took place 16 months before the Boston Tea Party, deserves more recognition for its role in sparking the American Revolution. "I come to the floo… Continue Reading
06.08.15
Whitehouse and Vitter Introduce Bill to Reauthorize National Estuary Program
Washington, D.C. - Today U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and David Vitter (R-LA) introduced legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program (NEP). The program was first established in 1987 by the late Senator John Chafee (R-RI) to protect and restore estuarine habitats threatened by pollution and overdevelopment. Authorization for this important program expired in 2010. "Estuaries provide vital ecosystems for fisheries and wildlife, and they also serve as buffers against dange… Continue Reading
06.05.15
Sen. Whitehouse Praises RI’s Phil West at Common Cause Meeting in Washington
Washington, DC - Last night, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) attended the National Governing Board Meeting of Common Cause in Washington, DC. Whitehouse spoke at the meeting to thank the organization for its efforts on a range of issues including campaign finance reform, and to introduce Phil West, the former Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island. "Phil embodied the dogged spirit of justice, equality, and accountability that has always been the touchstone of Common Cause's mi… Continue Reading
06.04.15
President Obama Signs Law Containing Sen. Whitehouse Provision on Missing Children Investigations
Washington, DC - On Friday, President Barack Obama signed into law the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, legislation to provide additional resources for victims of human trafficking. Included within the final bill was a provision authored by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) that will provide explicit authorization for the U.S. Marshals Service to assist other law enforcement agencies, upon request, in investigating missing children cases. The Marshals Serv… Continue Reading
06.01.15
RI Delegation Announces Funding for Harrisville Fire Department and Cumberland Rescue Service
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced $48,000 in federal funding to upgrade equipment for firefighters in Harrisville and emergency medical responders in Cumberland. The funding was authorized as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which is designed to aid fire departments and emergency medical service organizations meet their equipment, training… Continue Reading
05.29.15
RI Delegation Announces $412,500 NOAA Grant to Purchase Unprotected Land on Prudence Island
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced $412,500 in funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will go toward the purchase of 103 acres of land on Prudence Island for inclusion in the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR) - thus protecting it from future development. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will use the NOAA f… Continue Reading
05.27.15
Sen. Whitehouse Applauds EPA Clean Water Rule
Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers released their final Waters of the United States rule, which will enable the agency to better protect public waterways and drinking water from pollution. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the Ranking Member on the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, issued the statement below praising the rule: "This final rule makes clear that the claims from its oppon… Continue Reading
05.23.15
Sen. Whitehouse: Short-Term Highway Bill Another Missed Opportunity
Washington, DC - With federal highway funding set to expire at the end of this month, the U.S. Senate approved by voice vote a two-month extension to avoid a funding shutdown. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who has been calling for a long-term bill to provide greater funding certainty and support jobs, released the statement below on the two-month bill: "Rhode Island needs a long-term highway bill to create jobs, grow our economy, and make our roads and bridges safer. Unfortunately, … Continue Reading
05.22.15
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on “Fast Track” Trade Bill Passage
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Trade Promotion Authority legislation, which will provide the Executive Branch with greater authority to negotiate future trade agreements by limiting the Senate's ability to block or amend them. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) voted against the legislation, and released the following statement regarding its approval: "I'm disappointed that the Senate approved this legislation today. Past free trade deals have undermined Rhode Isla… Continue Reading
05.18.15
Sen. Whitehouse Delivers 100th Weekly Climate Speech
Washington, DC - For the last three years, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has delivered a weekly "Time to Wake Up" speech on the Senate floor about the urgent need to act on climate change. This evening, Whitehouse delivered the 100th installment in his "Time to Wake Up" series. The full text of Whitehouse's remarks is below, and video is available here. ----------------------------------- 100th Climate Speech As Prepared for Delivery Mr./Madam President, April 18, 2012, was not … Continue Reading
05.18.15
Whitehouse Issues Statement on Passing of James Skeffington
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement regarding the death of Pawtucket Red Sox owner and attorney James Skeffington: "I worked closely with Jim and knew him to be a very talented lawyer and longstanding, active member of the Rhode Island community. A great many people will miss him and his service to our state. My thoughts are with the Skeffington family in this difficult time." ###… Continue Reading
05.15.15
Sen. Whitehouse Hosts Catholic Bishops for Climate Change Meeting
Washington, DC - As Pope Francis prepares to release an encyclical on climate change this summer, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) this week to host a meeting on Capitol Hill with representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops met privately with Whitehouse, Collins, and other Senators to discuss the forthcoming encyclical, the Church's views on climate change, and the importance of protecting our natural environment. "As… Continue Reading
05.14.15
Whitehouse Slams House Proposal to Eliminate Juvenile Justice Funding
Washington, DC - Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science released a proposal to eliminate funding for juvenile justice intervention programs. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who has been working with Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, issued the statement below regarding the House bill: "Chairman Grassley and I have been working on bipa… Continue Reading
