Press Releases
Whitehouse-Murkowski Bill Would Advance Understanding of Oceans, Great Lakes, and Coasts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus, have introduced legislation to advance data collection of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts. The Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, or BLUE GLOBE Act, would accelerate technology innovation, plan for a stronger maritime workforce, and develop a better understanding of the Blu… Continue Reading
01.27.21
TODAY: Whitehouse to Deliver Final ‘Time to Wake Up’ Speech
STREAM THE SPEECH HERE Washington, DC - Today, at ~4 p.m. on the Senate floor, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will deliver his final "Time to Wake Up" speech on the urgent need for climate action. Alongside his trademark green poster, Whitehouse has delivered his climate speeches virtually every week the Senate has been in session for nearly nine years. Now, with a new administration committed to climate action and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, Whitehouse will draw his tr… Continue Reading
01.25.21
Reed & Whitehouse Call for Congressional Gold Medal to Be Awarded to Officer Eugene Goodman for Heroism on Jan. 6
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal to honor his heroic actions on January 6, 2021. Goodman confronted rioters in the Capitol, delaying their access to the Senate chamber and protecting the lives of those inside. "Officer Goodman is a hero whose courage and quick thinking saved lives. He has our sincere thanks and is deserving of this h… Continue Reading
01.22.21
Portman, Shaheen, Capito, Whitehouse Introduce Bipartisan Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act to Combat Ongoing Drug Crisis
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the bipartisan Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act in order to provide flexibility to Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions during the COVID-19 pandemic by temporarily allowing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to waive the program's local matching requirements if the grantee is unable to meet them due to the … Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Supports Biden Plan to Fully Utilize Defense Production Act, Increase Supply of Necessary Medical Equipment and Supplies
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a letter to President-Elect Joe Biden, supporting his incoming administration's plan to quickly utilize all available authorities under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to rapidly increase the production and stockpiling of medical, testing and protective equipment supplies. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Senate Democrats have been calling on the Trump Administratio… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Statement on Inauguration of President Biden
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States: "I was filled with hope as I watched President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris being sworn in this afternoon. With President Biden in the Oval Office and Democrats in control of Congress, the work begins immediately to make significant progress on the issues that matter to Rhode Islanders. "Our work is cut out for us. T… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Whitehouse Cheers DC Circuit Decision Striking Down ACE Rule, Urges Ambitious Action on Biden 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 U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's decision striking down the Trump administration's "Affordable Clean Energy" (ACE) rule: "The DC Circuit's decision recognized the Trump administration's new rule for what it was: a scam. Trump's polluter toadies at the EPA never meant to replace the Clean Power Plan with something effective; … Continue Reading
01.19.21
Whitehouse Calls on IRS to Review Right-Wing Group’s Non-Profit Status after Superspreader Events
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today to call attention to COVID-19 "superspearder" events organized by the right-wing non-profit Turning Point USA, including one held at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. The holiday gatherings went forward with total disregard for COVID-19 regulations and placed hundreds of young people at risk of infection. Whitehouse points … Continue Reading
01.19.21
Whitehouse Statement on Yellen Nomination
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the nomination hearing for President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, in the Finance Committee today: "Rebuilding our economy out of the ashes of the COVID recession and the mismanagement of the Trump administration calls for experience and deep understanding of the economic challenges Americans face. Janet Yellen demonstrated th… Continue Reading
01.16.21
Reed & Whitehouse Concerned Over Cambodian Government’s Apparent Lack of Commitment to Democratic Norms and Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse issued the following statement regarding the ongoing trials of opposition activists in Cambodia: "We are deeply concerned by the backsliding of democratic norms and apparent lack of respect for the rule of law in Cambodia. It is a critically important principle that prosecutions are in fact not politically motivated nor have the appearance of political motivation. Further, defendants should not be prevented from being presen… Continue Reading
01.15.21
Whitehouse Welcomes Biden-Harris COVID Relief Package
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement on the incoming Biden-Harris administration's COVID-19 emergency relief package, which is being unveiled this evening: "COVID-19 continues to take an enormous toll. It's robbed us of hundreds of thousands of lives and millions of jobs, and exacted damage that is impossible to measure, taking away precious time with our loved ones. Battling back this disease and reclaiming life as usual is vital. That's why … Continue Reading
01.14.21
Whitehouse Statement on DOJ Watchdog’s Family Separation Report
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General's damning new report showing how DOJ leadership helped push for the Trump administration's family separation policy: "This report confirms that senior Department of Justice officials-including the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General-abetted President Trump's plan to tear apart famili… Continue Reading
01.13.21
Reed and Whitehouse Demand Fixes to Trump’s “Significant Failures” of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Providence, RI - In an effort to improve the nationwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and 43 Senate Democrats in penning a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar demanding the Trump Administration take immediate action to fix the significant failures of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as coronavirus cases continue to climb. In the letter, the 46 Se… Continue Reading
01.11.21
Whitehouse Statement on Insurrection, Colleagues’ Role
Providence, RI - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in connection with the insurrection on January 6 and certain members of the Senate: "The Senate needs to oversee federal investigation of the attack and ransacking of our national Capitol, through the Judiciary and perhaps Homeland Security Committees. We may also be the client in federal civil suits for damages and for restraining orders, likely also under Jud… Continue Reading
01.08.21
Senators Call on DOJ & FBI to Detail Steps to Investigate Capitol Attack
Washington, DC - This evening, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote to Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and FBI Director Christopher Wray calling for a detailed report on actions the Department of Justice and FBI are taking to investigate the mob attack on the Capitol on January 6. The Senate Judiciary Commi… Continue Reading
01.08.21
Whitehouse Congratulates Raimondo on Cabinet Selection
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today issued the following statement on the selection of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to serve as U.S. Secretary of Commerce: "Governor Raimondo has done an exceptional job in Rhode Island, particularly as she steered our state through the coronavirus crisis. I believe Rhode Islanders will continue to benefit from Raimondo's leadership as she takes on a major role in overseeing the national economic recovery and making American busi… Continue Reading
01.07.21
Whitehouse Statement on Garland Nomination
Providence, RI - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. Attorney, released the following statement today regarding President-elect Biden's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to serve as Attorney General: "For four dark years, Donald Trump and his cronies waged all-out war on the traditions, values, and independence of the Justice Department. They spurned long-held norms and rules that stood in their way. They pushed career at… Continue Reading
01.05.21
Whitehouse Statement on Trump EPA Science Rule
Washington, DC - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding the Trump administration's new rule aimed at limiting the universe of scientific research available to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in crafting public health safeguards: "This scheme is corrupt, crooked, and cynical. Its purpose is to eliminate public health science by threatening disclosure of private health informatio… Continue Reading
01.05.21
Members of Congress Slam Treasury Rule Limiting Climate Risk Policies by Banks
Washington, DC - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Cynthia Axne (D-IA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Steven Lynch (D-MA), and Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-CA) wrote to the Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) in opposition to a proposed rule that would serve t… Continue Reading
01.01.21
Senate Votes to Nearly Double Funding for National Estuary Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Tom Carper (D-DE) today announced that legislation to reauthorize the National Estuary Program (NEP) at nearly double its previous annual funding levels passed the Senate yesterday. The legislation previously passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the President's desk. The NEP was first established in 1987 by the late Senator John Chafee (R-RI) to protect and restore estuarine habitats threatened b… Continue Reading
