Press Releases
Bicameral Task Force Calls on Inspectors General to Ensure Federal Action on Climate Change
Today, the co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, joined by new co-chairs Rep. Ed Markey and Sen. Ben Cardin, wrote to nearly 70 Inspectors General throughout the federal government requesting input on what each agency, government corporation, or independent establishment can do to confront the growing threat of climate change. The letters ask for information on how each department or agency is currently responding to existing … Continue Reading
02.22.13
Providence Fire Department Receives $400,000 Federal Grant
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today joined Providence Mayor Angel Taveras in announcing a $421,064 federal grant to help the Providence Fire Department purchase new equipment. All four Members of the Congressional delegation wrote letters to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which administers the grants, supporting the fire department's application. This competitive federal Assistance to F… Continue Reading
02.22.13
RI Awarded $1.6 Million in Federal Health Care Funding
Providence, RI - U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today joined with Governor Lincoln Chafee and Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts in announcing $1,631,042 in federal funding from a State Innovation Model award to improve health care quality and lower costs. Rhode Island was one of 25 states to receive State Innovation Model funding, which was made available by the Affordable Care Act. Rhode Island will use the funding to devel… Continue Reading
02.14.13
Senate Democrats’ Sequester-Replacement Plan Includes Whitehouse’s Buffett Rule
Washington, DC - Today, Senate Democratic Leaders unveiled a legislative package to replace the looming across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester. Among the core components of this plan to raise new revenue and make responsible cuts is the Buffett Rule, which was originally written and introduced by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) last year. The Buffett Rule provision, based on Whitehouse's Paying a Fair Share Act, would ensure that multi-million-dollar earners pay a minimum… Continue Reading
02.14.13
Bicameral Task Force Co-Chairs React to GAO Decision to Place Climate Change on the High Risk List
Every two years, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases its High Risk List, identifying the areas that pose the highest risk to the U.S. government. Today, GAO announced that for the first time, it is adding the fiscal exposure resulting from climate change to the High Risk List. In designating climate change as a high risk, GAO recognized that climate change threatens to inflict huge costs on the U.S. taxpayer, including damage to physical infrastructure, increased in… Continue Reading
02.14.13
Sen. Whitehouse to Speak at “Forward on Climate” Rally in Washington
Update: You can watch Sheldon's speech below. Washington, DC - This Sunday, climate change activists from around the country - including several busloads from Rhode Island - will converge on the National Mall in Washington, DC for what is being billed as "the largest climate rally in U.S. history." Today it was announced that U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of the leading voices for action on climate change in Congress, will be speaking at the rally. "I have been fighting ha… Continue Reading
02.12.13
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on President’s State of the Union Address
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below following President Obama's State of the Union address: "Tonight President Obama laid out a positive agenda for job growth and a strong middle class, and also reiterated his commitment to combating the effects of climate change - an issue which hits home for Rhode Island in the form of stronger storms, higher seas, and polluted air. I've been frustrated by the barricade of special interests blocking action on c… Continue Reading
02.12.13
Senate Passes Legislation to Protect Women from Abuse
Washington, DC - By a vote of 78-22, the U.S. Senate today passed legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, a landmark law originally passed in 1994 that protects women from domestic violence. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) was a cosponsor of the legislation, which also contains a provision he authored to prevent dating violence among teenagers. "This law has saved women's lives," said Whitehouse. "Today's action will strengthen protections for victims of domestic viol… Continue Reading
02.11.13
Whitehouse Introduces Sequester Replacement Plan to Preserve Jobs
Washington, DC - With the so-called budget "sequester" set to begin on March 1, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced two bills to replace the across-the-board cuts. The bills, which are cosponsored by U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), would raise the revenue needed to replace the sequester by closing tax loopholes that currently benefit the wealthiest Americans and big corporations. The sequester is a series of harsh across-the-bo… Continue Reading
02.09.13
With Blizzard Approaching, Delegation Requests Federal Emergency Declaration for RI
PROVIDENCE, RI - With a severe winter storm approaching, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline are urging the federal government to make federal assistance available to Rhode Island, if requested, to support emergency operations and recovery due to the winter storm bearing down on the state. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for the entire state of Rhode Island and is forecasting the storm could cause on… Continue Reading
02.08.13
Whitehouse to Support Lew Nomination for Treasury
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) met yesterday in his Washington office with Jack Lew, President Obama's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury. He released the following statement after their meeting: "Mr. Lew and I talked today about the economic issues facing our country, particularly the foreclosure crisis that has forced so many Rhode Islanders out of their homes, and the rising health care costs that are the primary contributor to our federal budget deficit. I am co… Continue Reading
02.08.13
New England Senators Applaud Regional Effort to Reduce Carbon Pollution
Washington, DC - Today, Senators from New England states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) are applauding their states' recently announced commitments to prevent carbon emissions from exceeding the 2012 emissions levels of 91 million tons and to further reduce emissions in the years ahead. This commitment will boost local economies by sparking further investment in energy efficiency programs and renewable energy development. RGGI is a market-based effort to reduce g… Continue Reading
02.08.13
RI Oceans Leader to Join Sen. Whitehouse for State of the Union Address
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced today that his guest for this year's State of the Union address will be Grover Fugate, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), and a local expert on the effects of a changing climate on the state's coastal communities and resources. So far this year Senator Whitehouse has continued his leadership on issues related to climate change and oceans. He gives weekly speeches on the Senate flo… Continue Reading
02.01.13
RI Delegation Announces Federal Funding to Help State Prepare for Effects of Climate Change
Providence, RI - Rhode Island's Congressional delegation today announced the award of $250,000 in federal funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help the state address and prepare for health effects associated with climate change. The Rhode Island Department of Health will be able to use the funding to help the state and municipalities create an action plan and coordinate activities to investigate, prepare for, and respond to such effects. According to the CDC, we… Continue Reading
02.01.13
Whitehouse Stands Up for Social Security Benefits
Washington, DC - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) participated in a press conference with Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Jeff Merkley, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumpka, and others to oppose the use of a "chained CPI" formula for Social Security and veterans' benefits - a change that would ultimately result in reduced payments to Rhode Islanders who depend on these programs. Watch Senator Whitehouse's remarks at the press conference here. Currently, cost-of-living adjustments… Continue Reading
01.31.13
Bicameral Task Force Asks for Best Ideas to Address Climate Change
WASHINGTON, DC- Today, the co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, wrote to over 300 businesses and organizations, soliciting their views on actions the federal government could take to reduce carbon pollution and strengthen our resiliency to climate change. The members have called for ideas for action that can be taken using the Administration's existing authority as well as ideas that might need congressional approval. The me… Continue Reading
01.28.13
Whitehouse Statement on Passage of Sandy Relief Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the statement below following the Senate's vote today to authorize emergency funding for states affected by Hurricane Sandy: "After visiting our communities damaged by Hurricane Sandy, I'll never forget what I saw: family homes that had stood for generations pulled into the sea, businesses destroyed, and so many memories swept away. This much-needed federal funding will help Rhode Island communities hurt by Hurricane Sandy to rebuild. … Continue Reading
01.24.13
Bicameral Task Force Urges President Obama to Take Executive Action to Fight Climate Change
As their first order of business, Task Force Co-Chairs Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, joined by Rep. Ed Markey, sent a letter to President Obama applauding his recognition of climate change in his inaugural address, pledging to stand with him in the fight to address this issue, and urging him to develop a comprehensive climate change plan as expeditiously as possible. The text of the letter is below and online here. … Continue Reading
01.24.13
Rep. Waxman and Sen. Whitehouse Form Bicameral Climate Change Task Force
NOTE: For a one-pager about the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, please click here. Washington, DC - Following President Obama's recent statement in his inaugural address that failing to respond to the threat of climate change would "betray our children and future generations," U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced the formation of a bicameral Task Force on Climate Change to address this important issue. The Task Force wi… Continue Reading
01.23.13
Senators reintroduce the FAST Voting Act to help states improve their elections
Washington, DC - Just two days after President Obama used his second inaugural address to renew his call for election reform, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced their legislation to make substantial improvements in the states' administration of their elections and to make voting faster and more accessible to all voters. The Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act would create a competitive… Continue Reading
