Press Releases
RI Nets $17.8M Federal Grant to Help Fund Hiring Of 95 Firefighters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today joined with Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung to announce $17,776,750 in federal funding to help Providence and Cranston hire and train new firefighters. This direct federal assistance, provided through the competitive Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, will help fill a total of 95 firefighter positio… Continue Reading
07.13.16
Whitehouse, Blumenthal Release GAO Report Detailing Federal Highway Administration’s Failure to Address Dangerous Guardrails
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailing the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) failure to properly address defective highway guardrails. Whitehouse and Blumenthal requested the report following accounts across the country that "ET-Plus" guardrails fail to absorb impact during a crash-and instead can spear through the vehicle and impale passengers. Approximately … Continue Reading
07.13.16
Whitehouse Introduces Carbon Capture and Utilization Bill
Washington, D.C. - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and five Senate colleagues introduced today the Carbon Capture and Utilization Act of 2016 to spur investment in next-generation carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. The bill would provide tax credits for the capture and sequestration of carbon emissions from electricity generation facilities and industrial sources, and for carbon utilization-the conversion of carbon dioxide into useable products and fuels. As the United St… Continue Reading
07.08.16
Whitehouse Praises House Passage of Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act with Langevin, Cicilline Support
Washington, DC - Today, the House approved a House-Senate conference committee's version of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which will address the addiction crisis unfolding throughout the country. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, principal coauthor of the Senate version of the bill that passed in March, applauded the House's vote and praised Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline for supporting the measure. "This opioid crisis reaches into every corner of the nation, inflicting… Continue Reading
07.08.16
Whitehouse Issues Statement on Violence in Dallas, Louisiana, Minnesota
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has issued the following statement on the violence in Dallas, Louisiana, and Minnesota this week. "Law enforcement officers make a solemn choice each day to protect and serve our communities and face down danger in whatever form it takes. The vicious mass murder of officers in Dallas as they went about their duties is heartbreaking and horrifying. I have had the honor to work alongside the brave and selfless public servants in law enforcement, and I… Continue Reading
07.07.16
$1.3 Million in New Funding to Fight Homelessness in Rhode Island
WASHINGTON - U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced today that the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and Social Finance is receiving nearly $1.3 million in new federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Pay for Success Permanent Supportive Housing Demonstration Program. "This grant will provide critical housing and support services to thousands of hom… Continue Reading
07.05.16
Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin Announce Ocean Observation Funding for URI
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today announced that the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) has been awarded funding from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) to support the GSO's ocean monitoring contributions to the Northeast Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS). "I commend URI and GSO for winning this federal grant… Continue Reading
07.01.16
RI Delegation Announces $500K for Providence-Cranston Partnership to Reduce Recidivism
Providence, RI - Rhode Island's federal delegation today announced a $499,672 federal grant to support a new partnership between the cities of Providence and Cranston and the correctional system to connect transitioning offenders with services to help them find employment and re-enter the community. "I am pleased that Providence and Cranston are taking the lead and working with the federal government to create new opportunities for people who have served their time and need help getting a new j… Continue Reading
06.30.16
Senators Introduce Legislation to Restore Educational Opportunity for Incarcerated Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act, a bill that would restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals in order to reduce recidivism rates, lower corrections spending, and improve safety. "Giving those in prison the opportunity to earn an education has not only proven to be a successful tool for reducing recidivism and crime, we also know it will save taxpayer money," said Senator Schatz. "The REAL Act will pro… Continue Reading
06.30.16
Congressional Delegation Announces Over $8 Million to Enhance RI Emergency Preparedness
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to ensure that Rhode Island's emergency responders and their federal partners are prepared to react to a range of crises and security challenges - from plane crashes to natural disasters to a mass-shooting - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that the state will receive $8,066,145 in federal national preparedness funds. These federal funds, which are awarded by the U.S. Department… Continue Reading
06.29.16
Reed, Whitehouse Join Senators in Urging Senate Leadership to Support Funding for Gun Violence Prevention Research, Remove Anti-Gun Safety Riders from Appropriations Legislation
Washington, DC - As the Senate considers Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations legislation, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and 20 other U.S. Senators in urging Senate leadership to remove from appropriations legislation any anti-gun violence prevention research riders, including a rider that is commonly known as the "Dickey amendment." A 1996 Republican appropriations rider authored by former Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) prohibits federal funds … Continue Reading
06.28.16
Authors of Bipartisan Senate Addiction Bill Call on Conferees to Adopt Comprehensive Approach
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) sent the letter below to the House and Senate conferees negotiating a joint House-Senate agreement on legislation to address the nation's opioid addiction crisis. The group of Senators worked together closely to craft the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which passed the Senate in March by a vote of 94-1 and is in the process of being merged with House addicti… Continue Reading
06.27.16
Whitehouse Lauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Women’s Reproductive Rights
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today lauded the Supreme Court's ruling in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, which rejected Texas's efforts to interfere with a woman's constitutionally-protected right to make her own health care decisions. "Today's ruling by the Supreme Court is one of the most important for women's health care since Roe v. Wade," said Whitehouse. "This landmark decision strikes down barriers erected by politicians to block access to safe and legal abortion. As… Continue Reading
06.27.16
Delegation Cheers NOAA Funding to Help Rhode Island Fishermen
Providence, RI - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline welcomed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) announcement that it will be able to cover a significant portion of Northeast groundfish fishermen's at-sea monitoring (ASM) costs for this fishing season-relieving a significant financial burden for the Rhode Island groundfish industry. Citing a federal court finding, NOAA shifted the cost of at-sea monitoring to fishe… Continue Reading
06.23.16
Senators Collins, Whitehouse Hold Hearing on Care Models that Relieve Suffering, Respect Patients’ Choices in the Face of Serious Illnesses
Click HERE for a high resolution photo of Atul Gawande at today's hearing Click HERE for a copy of Senator Collins' opening statement Click HERE for a copy of Senator Whitehouse's opening statement as prepared for delivery Washington, D.C.- "The goal is not a good death. Instead, the goal is to have as good a life as possible all the way to the very end," was the message Dr. Atul Gawande, surgeon and author of the New York Times best-selling book, "Being Mortal," delivered today in testimony… Continue Reading
06.23.16
Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin Announce $1.25 Million Plan to Expand Auto Import & Offshore Wind Capacity at Quonset
QUONSET, RI - In an effort to help create jobs and increase Rhode Island's port capacity, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representative James Langevin today announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) will award a new $625,000 federal grant to increase shore-side capacity at the Port of Davisville. The federal funding will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) for a total of $1.25 million to expand the port's cap… Continue Reading
06.23.16
With the NRA Blocking Meaningful Gun Reform, Senate Dems Call for Vote and Passage of #WetthePeople Legislation to Break NRA's Grip on Elections, Senate Republicans
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following Senate Republicans blockade of commonsense legislation to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists and expand background checks and House Republican leadership's refusal to even schedule a vote on such bills, Senators Charles Schumer, Sheldon Whitehouse, Tom Udall and Jeff Merkley today called for a vote and passage of the We The People Act, to break the grip of special interests, such as the NRA, on elections and Congressional Republicans. This push by Sen… Continue Reading
06.23.16
Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Improve Care for Patients with Advanced Illnesses
Washington, DC - At a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse unveiled a bill to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries with advanced illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and heart disease. Approximately 90 million Americans are living with advanced illness, and that number is expected to more than double in the next 25 years. Whitehouse's Removing Barriers to Person-Centered Care Act would promote better coordination between health care provi… Continue Reading
06.22.16
Whitehouse Attends Signing of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act
The White House - Today, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined President Barack Obama for the signing of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act), to protect families from chemicals in everyday products and provide businesses with greater regulatory certainty. The new law overhauls the long-broken Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which failed to protect the public from dangerous chemicals like asbestos. The Lautenberg Act mandates review of all c… Continue Reading
06.21.16
Bipartisan Senators Comment on Deficiencies in Monitoring Eligibility of Controlled Substance Prescribers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, along with Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), commented on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today that assesses the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ability to screen and monitor individuals and businesses licensed to manufacture, handle and prescribe controlled subst… Continue Reading
