Press Releases
Whitehouse, Merkley Ask How EPA Appointee Could Possibly Do Her Job Given Extensive Ethics Conflicts
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting information on an EPA appointee who appears to be unable to perform virtually any of the duties of the job due to her ethics conflicts. The letter concerns Elizabeth "Tate" Bennett, who has been appointed to serve as Deputy Associate Administrator of EPA's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations. Bennett … Continue Reading
05.15.17
Whitehouse, Langevin Highlight Bill to Invest $170 Million in Fixing RI Bridges, Creating Jobs
West Warwick, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today joined with state, town, and labor officials by the Factory Bridge in West Warwick to call on Congress to pass the Strengthen and Fortify Existing (SAFE) Bridges Act. The SAFE Bridges Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Whitehouse, and others last month and will be introduced in the House this week by Langevin. The bill would deliver up to $170 million to repair Rhode Island's defici… Continue Reading
05.15.17
Whitehouse Statement on Reported Disclosure of “Highly Classified” Information to Russian Officials
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on news from the Washington Post that President Donald Trump disclosed "highly classified" information to Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, during a meeting last week: "President Trump has long been careless with the truth, but now he appears to have gone further: he's been reckless with highly classified information. That not only threatens to expose intelli… Continue Reading
05.12.17
Whitehouse Statement on Criminal Justice Directive
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on Attorney General Jeff Sessions's memorandum issued today, which instructs federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious provable offense against crime suspects-the offenses most likely to carry mandatory minimum sentences: "This senseless move represents a step backwards for our justice system. As a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General, I know that pros… Continue Reading
05.12.17
Whitehouse Statement on Cybersecurity Executive Order
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Donald Trump's new executive order on cybersecurity: "I'm pleased at Tom Bossert's kind words acknowledging my work on cybersecurity, and I'm glad that the White House took note of the many thoughtful studies of this subject already done by experts in the field-including the Center for Strategic and International Studies Cyber Policy Task Force I co-chaired… Continue Reading
05.11.17
Senators Whitehouse & Carper Hear From Rhode Island Experts at U.S. Senate Coastal Infrastructure Roundtable
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus, and Tom Carper (D-DE), top Democrat on EPW, held a Senate roundtable highlighting the current state of coastal infrastructure across the country. The Senators were joined by Grover Fugate, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC); Jeffrey Diehl, Executive Director of the Rhode Islan… Continue Reading
05.11.17
Whitehouse, Reed, Langevin Lead Legislation to Harness Offshore Wind Energy
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, and Congressman Jim Langevin reintroduced legislation that would spur the growth of offshore wind energy in the United States by extending tax credits for this burgeoning renewable industry. The Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development (WIND) Act would extend the 30 percent Investment Tax Credit for offshore wind through 2025. "I'm proud to say that America's first offshore wind farm is powering Rhode Island homes and busin… Continue Reading
05.09.17
Whitehouse Statement on Termination of FBI Director Comey
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the termination of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey this evening: "While the White House is under investigation by the FBI, firing the head of the FBI raises massive questions, and the Senate should get to the bottom of it. America needs to have confidence that the Department of Justice will fill its traditional role of following the facts fear… Continue Reading
05.08.17
Graham, Whitehouse Lead Hearing on Russian Interference in the 2016 Election
Washington, DC - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, joined Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to lead a Subcommittee hearing on Russian meddling in the 2016 election with former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifying. Yates, addressing Congress for the first time since President Donald Trump fired her, raised serious concerns with the Trump administra… Continue Reading
05.06.17
Whitehouse Statement on Proposed Cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), author of the comprehensive addiction and recovery law that passed last year, released the following statement on the Trump Administration's dramatic proposed funding cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the lead federal agency charged with fighting the opioid drug crisis: "This President campaigned in state after state on promises to tackle the opioid crisis. Then he proposed massive cuts to public health funding and push… Continue Reading
05.05.17
Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Franken Push White House on Lack of Safeguards Against Political Influence Over Federal Law Enforcement
Washington, DC - Three U.S. Senators want to know if the White House has a policy to protect against political influence over federal law enforcement activities, citing a number of incidents of apparent White House meddling with federal investigations. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Al Franken (D-MN) have written to White House Counsel Don McGahn today pointing to four examples of Trump White House personnel contacting law enforcement officials to either secu… Continue Reading
05.04.17
Whitehouse Statement on Passage of Omnibus Spending Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on the omnibus spending bill that passed the Senate today, which will keep the federal government funded through September: "The bipartisan compromise agreed upon today rejects the Trump agenda and maintains our commitment to the vital programs Rhode Island families, businesses, and schools rely on. And it for the first time funds programs established by my Comprehensiv… Continue Reading
05.04.17
Whitehouse Statement on Trumpcare Vote
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives' vote today to pass the American Health Care Act, House Republicans' bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act: "All you need to know about this bill is that Republicans tried to exempt themselves from it before they got caught. That's because they know it's a raw deal. This legislation sets us on a path t… Continue Reading
05.02.17
EDA Awards $600K to Develop Innovative Business Cluster in Providence
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced a $600,000 federal grant from the Economic Development Agency (EDA) to help transform a vacant Providence property into a modern space for an innovative business cluster. According to estimates by the City of Providence, which was awarded the competitive grant, the business cluster project is expected to help create 360 jobs and generate $25 million in private invest… Continue Reading
05.02.17
Whitehouse Presses Justice Department on Ethics Documents
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sent a letter to the Justice Department asking for information on the Department's conflict of interest determinations for new Trump political hires, including ethics agreements, disclosures, and waivers. After the Department did not respond to an initial request for the information in February, Whitehouse calls on Acting Assistant Attorney General Samuel Ramer to provide the ethics documentation quickl… Continue Reading
05.01.17
Whitehouse Statement on Omnibus Spending Bill
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement on the omnibus spending bill announced today, which will keep the federal government funded through September: "A bipartisan Congress moved beyond the President's unhelpful rhetoric and reached an important compromise on federal spending. The $2 billion boost for the National Institutes of Health will support Rhode Island researchers working on cutting-edge health scien… Continue Reading
04.28.17
Whitehouse Statement on Offshore Drilling Executive Order
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus, released the following statement on the executive order on offshore oil and gas drilling, which President Trump signed today: "The only thing this order accomplishes is making a spectacle of putting dirty fossil fuel interests over the fishing, tourism, and other job-creating industries that rely on our oceans. There has never been commerci… Continue Reading
04.28.17
Whitehouse Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Bolster RI’s Growing Renewable Fuels Industry
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and 13 other senators in introducing bipartisan legislation to reform the biodiesel tax credit to benefit American producers and extend the new policy for three years. The previous biodiesel credit expired in 2016. "Biodiesel producers are reducing our carbon footprint and creating jobs in Rhode Island by transforming waste into clean, productive fuel," said Whitehous… Continue Reading
04.27.17
Whitehouse Responds to Pruitt Withdrawal from Oklahoma GOP Fundraiser Following Hatch Act Complaint
Washington, DC - Today, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt indicated he would no longer headline an Oklahoma Republican Party fundraiser after a complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, which called for an investigation into apparent Hatch Act violations by Pruitt. Whitehouse released the following statement on Pruitt's reversal: "This is the least he can do. But the Office of Special Counsel still must do a thorough invest… Continue Reading
04.27.17
Whitehouse Statement on Trump Tax Proposal
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today released the following statement on President Donald Trump's recent tax proposal: "The Trump tax plan is short on details, but this much is clear: it would deliver enormous tax cuts to the people who need them least, saddle future generations with major debt, and encourage companies to move jobs and assets overseas. That's bad, for Rhode Islanders and America." To respond to President Trump's proposal, Senator Whitehouse has introduced the P… Continue Reading
