Press Releases
Woonsocket Awarded Over $1.5 Million SAFER Grant for Additional Firefighters
WOONSOCKET, RI - In an effort to bolster firefighter response capabilities and keep the community of Woonsocket safe, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline today joined Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt in announcing $1,535,130 in federal funding to help the Woonsocket Fire Department recruit, hire, train and retain additional firefighters. The funding was awarded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) competitive Staffing for Adequate F… Continue Reading
09.25.17
Senators Seek Information on Mine Safety Violations by Mine Safety Nominee’s Former Company
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) are asking the U.S. Department of Labor to produce information on the coal company led by David G. Zatezalo, President Trump's pick for Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. "Mr. Zatezalo's tenure as a mining executive is checkered with violations of the same health and safety standards he'll be expected to enforce. We need a full account of those violations to ensure he answers the serious questions s… Continue Reading
09.22.17
Senators Urge FERC Action on Critical Renewable Energy Rule
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to newly installed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee to request swift action on a FERC rule that would help regional energy operators better integrate energy storage and small renewable energy installations like rooftop solar into their grids. The rule would aid operators in bringing renewa… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Whitehouse Statement on ‘TrumpCare 2’ and Collapse of Bipartisan Health Care Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement about the newest TrumpCare scheme, and Republicans' withdrawal from bipartisan health care talks in the HELP Committee: "Everything old is new again, as Republicans bring TrumpCare back from the dead. This lousy bill would do all the damage Americans rejected in Republicans' previous attempts to gut our health care system. I… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Whitehouse, Sanders and Colleagues Call on Trump to Crack Down on Offshoring
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who has long been a champion for Rhode Island manufacturers, has joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to urge President Donald Trump to stop rewarding companies that move operations out of the country. In a letter, the senators called on the president to issue an executive order terminating government contracts for companies that offshore American jobs."We need to send a very loud and very clear message to corporate America: the era of ou… Continue Reading
09.20.17
Whitehouse, Sanders Push New England Grid Operator to Study Benefits of Carbon Pricing
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on New England's electric grid operator, ISO New England, to study ways to incorporate a price on carbon pollution into the region's energy markets. ISO New England is already doing good work incorporating sound climate policies into its energy markets through the Integrating Markets and Public Policy (IMAPP) process, the Senators write. Now it should join other states in considering carbon pricing as a… Continue Reading
09.18.17
Whitehouse Legislation to Protect Servicemembers and Veterans from Foreclosure Clears Senate
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-RI) bill to extend vital foreclosure protection to servicemembers and their families passed the Senate today as part of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill. Whitehouse's legislation would extend through 2019 the one-year grace period protecting servicemembers leaving active duty from foreclosure. "The men and women of our armed forces serve our country nobly. When they return home, they should have time to adjust to civilian life an… Continue Reading
09.18.17
John Kerry to Headline Whitehouse’s Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day in RI
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that former Secretary of State John Kerry will headline Whitehouse's eighth annual Energy, Environmental and Oceans Leaders Day, which will be held in Providence next month. "I am thrilled that Secretary Kerry has agreed to come to Rhode Island to share with us his unique perspective on environmental and oceans policy, which has been informed by seeing the effects of climate change in every corner of the world," said Whitehouse. … Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Heitkamp, Capito, Barrasso Make Bipartisan Push for Carbon Capture Technology during Symposium in Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and John Barrasso (R-WY) today participated in a forum where they discussed strong, bipartisan legislation they introduced to encourage technological innovation in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) while also reducing carbon emissions and recognizing the need for a more diverse energy mix around the world for years to come. The forum, hosted by the Center for Climate and E… Continue Reading
09.14.17
Whitehouse, Merkley Demand Answers on EPA Enforcement Nominee
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called on Susan Bodine, "special counsel to the administrator on compliance" at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and nominee for the EPA's Assistant Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, to explain her role and answer important questions prior to allowing her nomination to proceed. The Senators signaled they would not consent to any time agreement to process Bodine's nomination u… Continue Reading
09.13.17
Whitehouse Lauds Introduction of Medicare for All Act
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement upon the unveiling of Senator Bernie Sanders's (I-VT) Medicare for All Act of 2017 today: "Many Americans already get quality health care coverage through single-payer plans. Single-payer veterans' care is often delivered by government doctors in government hospitals. Single-payer Medicaid is delivered in plans run by individual states. … Continue Reading
09.12.17
Day of Second Meeting, Whitehouse, Klobuchar Question Integrity of Presidential Election Commission
Washington, D.C. - On the day of the second meeting of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) questioned the integrity of the Commission and called for transparency and compliance with the law. To date, the Commission and the Administration have failed to respond to five congressional oversight requests seeking more information about the Commission's work. The Commission's requests for voter data received overwhelming… Continue Reading
09.11.17
Whitehouse Backs Sanders’ Medicare for All Act
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has announced his intention to cosponsor the Medicare for All Act, legislation authored by Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) to create a single-payer national health care insurance system. Sanders is set to introduce the Medicare for All Act on Wednesday, September 13. "We have come a long way under Obamacare, but I still hear from Rhode Island families and small business owners that health care costs are too high. I am committed to bringing dow… Continue Reading
09.11.17
Reed, Whitehouse Demand Action on Opioid Crisis Since Trump Administration Announcement of Intent to Declare National Emergency
Washington, D.C. - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined a group of ten senators led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in calling on President Donald Trump to take immediate action on the opioid crisis and answer specific questions about the President's overdue promise to declare the epidemic a national emergency. In July, the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, created by President Trump, provided a number of recommendations to help address the opioid c… Continue Reading
09.07.17
Senators Call on Pruitt to Enforce Methane Rule
Washington, DC - Today, eight Senators called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to enforce fully his agency's methane pollution rule. In a letter to Pruitt, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tom Udall (D-NM) raised concerns about EPA's announcement to apply the rule restricting methane emissions from new oil and gas wells on a "case by … Continue Reading
09.05.17
McCain, Whitehouse File Brief with Supreme Court in Landmark Gerrymandering Case
Washington, DC - Today, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are submitting a brief with the Supreme Court in a case that could address wildly partisan gerrymandering of political districts and loosen the grip of special interests on American politics. In their friend-of-the-court brief, the Senators describe the effects of hyper-partisan redistricting and special interest influence in Washington, and call on the Court to adopt a new standard for assessing the constitutiona… Continue Reading
09.05.17
Whitehouse Statement on Rescinding of DACA
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors to remain in their communities without fear of deportation: "This decision is shameful and cruel. These are children of our nation who had no say in coming here. They've studied diligentl… Continue Reading
08.31.17
Senators Call on Pruitt to End Secrecy at EPA
Washington, DC - Six Senators are calling out Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt for running the Agency under a veil of secrecy, possibly violating federal record-keeping laws. In a letter to Pruitt penned today, Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) raise questions about management policies that appear tailor-made to hide Pruitt's involvement with EP… Continue Reading
08.25.17
Whitehouse Statement on Pardon of Arpaio
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County, AZ, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty on criminal contempt charges for disobeying a federal court order to stop imprisoning people solely on suspicion of illegal immigration status: "Sheriff Arpaio systemically discriminated against Arizona Latinos in defiance of our Constitution and ignored our courts. He does not deserve a pardon. Now … Continue Reading
08.22.17
Whitehouse Statement on Afghanistan Announcement
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's announcement of an increase in troop levels and a new military strategy in Afghanistan: "The President's plan leaves out the details Americans expect from their Commander-in-Chief when proposing an escalation of U.S. military involvement overseas. Putting our troops in harm's way requires a clear statement of the mission and why it justifies the risks we expect the brave men a… Continue Reading
