Press Releases
Whitehouse, Engel Make Bicameral Push to Increase Social Security COLA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) have introduced bicameral legislation that will ensure American seniors receive adequate annual support from their Social Security benefits. The Guaranteed 3% COLA For Seniors Act would guarantee every senior a reasonable Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) with an annual floor of no less than 3 percent. The bill would also update the formula that the government uses to determine seniors' yearly… Continue Reading
06.24.19
Senators Whitehouse, Hirono, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Access to Shingles, Tdap Vaccines
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier this month, Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation that would provide Medicare beneficiaries access to vaccines at no additional cost. S. 1872, the Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019, would improve access to all recommended vaccines for Medicare beneficiaries, including shingles and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), with the goal of helping to increase vacci… Continue Reading
06.21.19
Whitehouse, Public Safety Officials Call for Increased Mental Health Funding for Police Officers
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today joined with public safety officials and mental health advocates to call for increased federal funding for mental health and suicide prevention services geared toward police officers. Whitehouse has introduced the bipartisan Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act to authorize $7.5 million annually for the next five years for law enforcement mental health and support services that have gone unfunded for almost two decades. "… Continue Reading
06.20.19
Whitehouse, Jeffries, Blumenthal, Harris Introduce Bill to Protect Justice Department from White House Meddling
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced the Security from Political Interference in Justice Act, to increase transparency in the relationship between the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House and prevent political interference in law enforcement decisions. The bill would impose important reporting requirements for contacts between the Justice Department and White Ho… Continue Reading
06.20.19
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances McElroy Nomination
Washington, DC - Four years after she was initially nominated by President Barack Obama, and over a year after she was nominated and then re-nominated by President Trump, Mary S. McElroy's long delayed nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island took an important step forward today when she was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan vote of 19-3. This marks the third time that McElroy, who leads the office of the Rhode Island Public Defender, has been app… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Whitehouse Statement on Clean Power Plan Replacement Rule
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Trump administration's rule to replace the Clean Power Plan: "Trump's EPA is delivering yet another handout to polluters at the expense of Americans' health and environment. Market forces are moving us rapidly away from polluting energy like coal and toward renewables. There's nothing Trump or the fossil fuel industry can do to stop … Continue Reading
06.18.19
Whitehouse, Grassley Introduce TITLE Act to Curb Proliferation of Anonymous Shell Corporations in U.S.
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced legislation that would make it more difficult for criminals and foreign enemies to hide assets from law enforcement and tax authorities. The True Incorporation Transparency for Law Enforcement (TITLE) Act would require states to obtain information on the true owners of corporations and LLCs formed within their borders. "It is appallingly simple for a domestic criminal or a foreign strongman to set up… Continue Reading
06.18.19
Money Laundering Bill Targets Terrorists, Tax Evaders, Cartels & Crooks
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of Senate Judiciary Committee members today introduced legislation that modernizes and strengthens criminal laws against money laundering - a critical source of funding for terrorist organizations, drug cartels and other organized crime syndicates. The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2019 updates criminal money laundering and counterfeiting statutes, and promotes transparency in the U.S. financial system. It was introduce… Continue Reading
06.14.19
RI Delegation Announces $518K Grant to Bolster RI Shipyard, Boost Economy
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a federal grant totaling $518,538 to help local shipyard J. Goodison Company purchase needed equipment, expand its workforce, and stimulate Rhode Island's economy by creating additional opportunities for its vendors and subcontractors. The funds are being granted through the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) FY19 Small Shipyard Grant program. The fun… Continue Reading
06.13.19
Whitehouse Slams Meaningless Supreme Court Travel Disclosures
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on travel disclosures released today from the Supreme Court: "These disclosures fall woefully short of the transparency Americans deserve from top federal judges who are not subject to ethics rules. Particularly when the Court has become so politicized, and so surrounded by anonymous dark-money interests, real transparency matters. It's too late to find out abo… Continue Reading
06.10.19
Whitehouse, Brown, Warren Call for IRS to Justify Billions in Coal Tax Credits Based on Questionable Pollution Data
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on the IRS to justify allowing major coal refiners to claim roughly $1 billion annually in tax credits for alleged reductions in dangerous pollution when new analysis shows the burning of their coal may fail to meet the credits' minimum pollution reduction standards. The senators' request for the data that the IRS used to justify the tax credits comes as the group Resources for the Futu… Continue Reading
06.08.19
Senate Recognizes Contributions of Senior Corps Volunteers
Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate earlier this week passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recognizing the contributions of the more than 220,000 senior volunteers across the country who serve in the Senior Corps. "To the hundreds of thousands of Senior Corps volunteers who are so giving of their time and talents, we say thank you," said Whitehouse. "It's important that Congress continue making bipartisan investments in national s… Continue Reading
06.06.19
Disaster Relief Bill Provides $50 Million for Whitehouse’s Coastal Resiliency Fund
Washington, D.C. - A disaster relief bill that includes $50 million for the National Coastal Resilience Fund was signed into law today by President Donald Trump. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse created the National Coastal Resilience Fund to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities while safeguarding wildlife habitats. "I'm fighting every day in the Senate to prepare Rhode Island homes and businesses for the growing threat of sea level rise caused by… Continue Reading
06.06.19
In Normandy, Whitehouse and Langevin Honor RI WWII Veterans on 75th D-Day Anniversary
Normandy, France - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today attended an official ceremony in Normandy, France to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron also took part in the ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. At the event, Whitehouse and Langevin met with World War II veterans from Rhode Island and across the United States who made the trip for the special occasion. Members of the… Continue Reading
06.05.19
Whitehouse Introduces ‘Buffett Rule’ to Ensure Wealthiest Americans Pay Fair Share in Taxes
Washington, DC - With income inequality soaring to a level not experienced in America since prior to the Great Depression, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced legislation to prevent America's top earners from paying lower tax rates than middle-class families. The Paying a Fair Share Act, also known as the "Buffett Rule," would ensure that multi-million-dollar earners pay at least a 30 percent effective federal tax rate. The measure would reduce the federal deficit by an est… Continue Reading
06.05.19
Langevin, Whitehouse Reintroduce Bill to Fix Rhode Island’s Aging Bridges
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have reintroduced the Strengthen and Fortify Existing (SAFE) Bridges Act, which would create a new federal grant program to repair and replace bridges in poor condition. In its 2019 Bridge Report, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) identified more than 47,000 bridges as being "structurally deficient". The report finds that Rhode Island has a higher proportion of structurally… Continue Reading
06.04.19
Senator Whitehouse, Rep. Grijalva Introduce Success in the Middle Act to Increase Funding for Middle Grade Education
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) today introduced the Success in the Middle Act to increase funding for middle grade education. The legislation would create a grant program to support middle schools' efforts to identify and implement best practices for improving student outcomes and increasing high school graduation rates. "Teachers know that getting kids on a strong path in middle school can make all the difference for… Continue Reading
05.24.19
$50 Million for Whitehouse’s Coastal Resiliency Fund Included in Disaster Relief Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that the disaster relief bill passed by the Senate yesterday evening includes $50 million for the National Coastal Resilience Fund to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure that protects coastal communities while safeguarding wildlife habitats. Whitehouse wrote the legislation that created the fund, which was originally authorized as the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund. "I'm fighting every day in the Senate… Continue Reading
05.23.19
Whitehouse, Reed, Sullivan Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Military’s Energy Security
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today introduced legislation to improve the U.S. military's energy security and reduce carbon emissions. The Securing Energy for our Armed Forces Using Engineering Leadership (SEA FUEL) Act would direct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to pioneer new technologies that will capture carbon dioxide from air and seawater and convert it to clean fuels or other useful products. This … Continue Reading
05.23.19
Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Illegal Robocalls Passes Senate
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today cheered Senate passage of legislation he cosponsored to crack down on disruptive illegal robocalls. In a 97-1 vote, the Senate approved the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which is sponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and John Thune (R-SD). "In addition to being a persistent nuisance, robocalls can lead to data theft and financial fraud," said Whitehouse. "I'm pleased that this legislati… Continue Reading
