Press Releases
Whitehouse Introduces Legislation to Protect the Right of Women to Cross State Lines to Seek Abortion Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today joined Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in introducing the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022. The legislation would make crystal clear that it is illegal for anti-choice states to limit travel for abortion services and would empower the Attorney General and affected individuals to bring civil action against those who restrict a woman's right to cross sta… Continue Reading
07.11.22
Whitehouse Announces Funding to Launch Offshore Wind Job Training Certification Program for High School Students
North Kingstown, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined representatives of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce and the offshore wind industry to announce $375,000 in federal funding for the creation of a new offshore wind energy Career and Technical Education (CTE) certification through the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). The Congressionally Directed Spending request submitted by Whitehouse was included in the omnibus bill that President Joe Biden signed into law in … Continue Reading
07.11.22
Reed & Whitehouse Announce $1.2 Million to Expand Crisis Intervention Training for Police Departments Across RI
West Warwick, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today joined representatives of Thundermist Health Center and local law enforcement officials to announce $1.2 million in federal funding to support crisis intervention team (CIT) training for police departments across Rhode Island. Today's event took place at the West Warwick Youth Center, which is run by the West Warwick Police Department. "Police officers have a tough job that requires good judgment and critical thinking. Ju… Continue Reading
07.01.22
Whitehouse, Merkley Announce Senate Resolution Designating July as Plastic Pollution Action Month
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a resolution designating July as Plastic Pollution Action Month, stemming from extreme concern over the plastic pollution crisis that is threatening human health and marine ecosystems. The resolution details the dangers to human health and the environment as a direct result of plastic pollution, and encourages all individuals in the United States to protect, conserve, and maintain the environment by taking … Continue Reading
06.30.22
Whitehouse Welcomes Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson After Swearing-In Ceremony
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement after Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: "After a dark month of decisions coming from the Supreme Court, I welcome today's historic swearing-in of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She has a brilliant legal mind and is steadfastly committed to the Constitution and the rule of law. Justice Jackson is a wa… Continue Reading
06.30.22
Supreme Court’s Right-Wing Rampage Continues: Whitehouse Decries Decision Curtailing EPA’s Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
READ WHITEHOUSE'S BRIEF HERE. Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works and Judiciary Committees, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision today in West Virginia v. EPA, which undermines the EPA's power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants: "The fossil fuel industry's Republican lackeys challenged an EPA rule that does not exist, meaning there was no 'case or contr… Continue Reading
06.28.22
Reed, Whitehouse, & Cicilline Applaud Biden Administration Expansion of Protections for Liberians in the U.S.
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) applauded the Biden Administration's extension and expansion of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and employment authorization for Liberians who have long called the United States home. Under the President's memorandum, "the removal of any Liberian national, or person without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, who is present in the United States and wh… Continue Reading
06.24.22
Whitehouse Slams Supreme Court Decision Striking Down Roe v. Wade
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision today in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which strikes down Roe v. Wade's protection of a woman's right to obtain an abortion: "This is a sad, dark day for women everywhere, who have relied on the protection of Roe as settled law, and for the Court, whose reputation degrades further. Today's decision shreds a ha… Continue Reading
06.23.22
Whitehouse Votes to Pass Bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on passage tonight of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act-a bipartisan measure to address gun violence in America. The bill cleared the Senate by a vote of 65 to 33 and now awaits action in the House. "Gun violence touches every corner of our society, from schools to places of worship to grocery stores. On the day when a Supreme Court the NRA helped build struck down more gun safety protections, action i… Continue Reading
06.23.22
Whitehouse Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Major 2nd Amendment Case
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision today in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, striking down a vital protection against deadly firearms from falling into the wrong hands: "The Court That Dark Money Built just handed a massive win to a gun industry that drives horrific violence in this country. The NRA, gun manufacturers, and their dark-money allies have spearheaded a 'project' to wipe all… Continue Reading
06.22.22
Whitehouse Makes the Case for Boosting Retirement Savings
Today, the Senate Finance Committee held a markup of the Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act, which would improve the U.S. retirement system. The Committee approved the bill on a unanimous, 28-0 vote. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered the following remarks at today's Committee markup about his proposal to boost retirement savings for American workers: "Nearly half of American workers have no personal retirement savings at all. Given workers' stagnant wages in this country,… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Whitehouse, Grassley, Durbin, Cornyn Applaud Signing of Their Bipartisan Bill to Improve the Bankruptcy Process for Small Businesses & Working Families
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and John Cornyn (R-TX) welcomed President Joe Biden's signing of their bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy. The senators guided the bill through the Senate with unanimous support. "The bankruptcy process should help small businesses and working families to weather financial hardship and emerge stronger. This new law will help them do that," said Whitehouse.… Continue Reading
06.18.22
Whitehouse Applauds News of International Fisheries Agreement to Begin Leveling Playing Field for Domestic Industry
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today applauded news from the World Trade Organization's Ministerial Conference that the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, has secured an international agreement that will help preserve fish stocks and take a step toward leveling the playing field for the domestic fishing industry by curbing harmful subsidies abroad. "This agreement was two decades in the making, and the Biden administration showed real leader… Continue Reading
06.17.22
Whitehouse & Colleagues Raise Concerns About Cryptomining’s Heavy Toll on Environment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ed Markey (D-MA) have sent a letter to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy raising concerns that energy-intensive cryptomining is taking a heavy toll on the environment and threatens to pull the nation further off track from meeting its climate commitments. The Senators propose requiring that cryptominers use verified new zero-carbon energy sources and … Continue Reading
06.17.22
Whitehouse, Schatz, Warren, Senators Call For Stronger Emissions Disclosure Requirements, Dark Money Transparency In Proposed SEC Climate Risk Rule
Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) submitted a comment letter on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) mandatory climate disclosure rule, highlighting several areas for improvement and key elements that the SEC should preserve in its final rule. In addition to Whitehouse, Schatz, and Warren the comment letter was signed by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and U.S. Senators Martin Heinri… Continue Reading
06.16.22
Senate Judiciary Committee Gives Bipartisan Approval to 1st Circuit Nominee Montecalvo
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee has backed the nomination of Lara E. Montecalvo to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. In a 12-10 vote, the Committee voted this morning to send the nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation, which requires approval by a simple majority. Montecalvo's nomination was announced by the White House in April after Whitehouse and U.S. Senator J… Continue Reading
06.16.22
Whitehouse, Grassley & Colleagues Mark International Day against Drug Abuse & Trafficking with Bipartisan Resolution
Washington, DC - This week, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), co-Chairs of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, led a bipartisan group of their colleagues, including all Caucus members, in introducing a resolution recognizing June 26, 2022 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. This day has been observed by the United Nations since 1987 to raise awareness about the dangers of the illicit narcotics trade and the dark econ… Continue Reading
06.14.22
Whitehouse, Warren, Sanders, Markey, Klobuchar Introduce Bill to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced today the Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System Act. Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other youth of color are vastly overrepresented in America's juvenile justice system, and those youth are more likely to face more severe treatment. The senators' new bill would expand access to vital funding for juris… Continue Reading
06.13.22
Whitehouse & Sullivan Lead Bipartisan Call for International Agreement on Curbing Harmful Fisheries Subsidies, Leveling Playing Field for Domestic Industry
Washington, D.C. - With the World Trade Organization's Ministerial Conference underway in Geneva, Switzerland, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) have led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling on the United States Trade Representative to seek a meaningful international agreement that will curb harmful fisheries subsidies and level the playing field for America's domestic fishing industry. "An agreement is long overdue. At next week's Ministerial Confere… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Whitehouse, Grassley, Durbin, Cornyn Bill to Help Small Businesses & Families in Bankruptcy Heads to Biden’s Desk
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and John Cornyn (R-TX) applauded passage of their bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy in the House of Representatives last night. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and now heads to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. "This is a win for the small businesses and working families trying to regain their financial footing after a… Continue Reading
