Press Releases
House Passes Reform for Regulations Covering New Medical Therapies, Bill Heads to President’s Desk
Washington, D.C. - A new measure that would bring predictable timeframes to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) scheduling process so new treatments can reach patients in a timely and transparent manner has passed in Congress and is now on its way to the President's desk. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member and former chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, lauded House passage of… Continue Reading
11.18.15
Patriotic Millionaires Endorse Sen. Whitehouse’s DISCLOSE Act
Washington, DC - Today, the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of high-net worth individuals advocating for greater political and economic fairness, called for the passage of the DISCLOSE Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse to crack down on unlimited, secret spending in American elections. The endorsement is part of an agenda unveiled by the group to reverse the harmful concentration of "dark" political power in the hands of the very wealthy. "Since the Supreme Court's … Continue Reading
11.13.15
Sens. Whitehouse and Reed Honor RI Veteran for Service in WWII
Johnston, RI - Today, U.S. Sheldon Whitehouse awarded Senate certificates of recognition to 96-year-old Francis Norman Saran in honor of his service in the Army during World War II. Whitehouse presented Saran with the certificates on behalf of himself and his colleague, Senator Jack Reed. Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena was also on hand to recognize Saran. Francis Saran, a lifelong Rhode Island resident, joined the Army as a young man and spent four years in the 272nd Infantry Regiment, a part … Continue Reading
11.06.15
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Rejection of Keystone Pipeline
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding President Obama's decision to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline: "The Keystone pipeline would have been a disaster for our environment and public health and would create only a few dozen permanent jobs. As the State Department's Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the project made clear, at present and expected oil prices the additional carbon pollution from the pipelin… Continue Reading
11.05.15
Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Protect Aircraft from Drones
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a bill to help protect American air traffic from the growing risk posed by drones. Whitehouse's Drone Operator Safety Act would make it a criminal offense to fly a drone in a way that interferes with the operation of manned aircraft in federal airspace. It also prohibits operators from flying drones in an airport's arrival or departure flight paths without permission from the airport's air traffic control tower. Violators woul… Continue Reading
11.05.15
Sen. Whitehouse Continues Focus on Campaign Finance Abuses by Nonprofit Groups
Washington, DC - Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Stuart F. Delery to be the Associate Attorney General of the United States. When questioning Delery, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) brought up a topic which he has long sought to highlight: the failure of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to refer cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) that appear to represent clear violations of the rules governing the political activity of tax-exempt 501(c… Continue Reading
11.04.15
Sen. Whitehouse Supporting Bill to Improve Treatment for Pregnant Women and Moms with Substance Use Disorders
Washington, DC - This week, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve treatment programs for pregnant women and mothers who have a substance use disorder. The Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act would reauthorize residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women supported by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The bill would als… Continue Reading
11.03.15
Senators to CEOs: Don’t Give Up on Congress in Climate Efforts
Washington, DC - With more than 80 major corporations now signed onto the White House's American Business Act on Climate Pledge, a group of U.S. Senators is writing to the CEOs of those companies to applaud their commitment, but to also deliver an important message: don't forget about Congress. "All of the President's work is critical, but Congress can play a key role in achieving our climate goals," the Senators write. "From our perspective your commitments have yet to resonate with many in C… Continue Reading
11.02.15
Whitehouse: Let’s Give States an Incentive to Reduce Inefficient Medicare Spending
Washington, DC - Last week, as the Senate prepared to vote on a two-year budget deal to avert a government shutdown and a default on our debt, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) spoke about how high health care spending continues to hamper our federal budget, and suggested a new approach to reduce spending. While noting that he supports the new budget deal, he also described how we can do better in future budget discussions. Using a series of charts, Whitehouse described how higher amounts… Continue Reading
10.30.15
Whitehouse Cheers Return of Volvo Ocean Race to Newport
Washington, DC - Today, the Volvo Ocean Race named Newport an official stopover for its 2017-2018 race following a highly successful visit to the Rhode Island city in May 2015. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the following statement regarding the announcement: "This is fantastic news for the City of Newport, the state of Rhode Island, and our ocean economy. The Volvo Ocean Race is a world-class competition that brings together some of the most talented sailors in the sport and draws … Continue Reading
10.29.15
Senators to Exxon: Are You Still Funding Climate Denial?
Washington, D.C. - In recent weeks investigative reports from InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times have shown that ExxonMobil knew about the link between carbon pollution and climate change as far back as the 1970s, and not only failed to act on it, but actively funded a campaign into the mid-2000s to sow public doubt about the facts. Now, a group of U.S. Senators are asking Exxon whether it is continuing to fund such efforts through an anonymous dark-money group called Donors Trust. I… Continue Reading
10.28.15
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on Two-Year Budget Deal
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the two-year budget deal negotiated by the White House and Congressional leaders: "This budget deal will provide much-needed relief from harmful sequester cuts and give the nation a measure of certainty we have lacked amid the patchwork of stop-gap spending bills passed in recent years. It will also avert a hike in Medicare Part B premium payments and protect benefits for Rhode Islanders in the… Continue Reading
10.27.15
Senate Passes Major Cybersecurity Legislation
Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate today passed the Cyber Information Sharing Act (CISA), legislation that will encourage greater coordination between the government and private sector to identify and respond to cyber threats. The final bill includes a provision authored by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to eliminate a loophole that allows foreign cybercriminals who traffic in stolen American financial information to escape prosecution in the United States. "Cyber attacks are among the greate… Continue Reading
10.27.15
Senate Passes Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act
Washington, DC - The Senate has passed a bipartisan measure that would bring predictable timeframes to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) scheduling process so new treatments can reach patients in a timely and transparent manner. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who sponsored the legislation, lauded Senate passage of the Improving Regulatory Transparency for New Medical Therapies Act. "Right now, patients too often have to wait for promising new treatments because of a … Continue Reading
10.26.15
$9 Million Federal TIGER Grant Paves the Way for a New Travel Plaza & Welcome Center on I-95 in Hopkinton
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to provide new retail, food, and fuel services for both local residents and travelers, as well as a multimodal transit hub, Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation was joined by Governor Gina M. Raimondo today in announcing a $9 million federal grant to build a new, state-of-the-art travel plaza and welcome center at Exit 1 off Interstate 95. The U.S. Department of Transportation approved the state's application for a competitive Transportation Investment Generatin… Continue Reading
10.23.15
Reed & Whitehouse Seek to Close Unfair “Carried Interest” Tax Loophole
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to restore an important measure of fairness to the tax code, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are seeking to close the "carried interest" loophole, which lets Wall Street managers at investment partnerships treat most of the money they make as capital gains rather than as ordinary income. Reed and Whitehouse, along with U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and several of their colleagues, sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Lead… Continue Reading
10.22.15
Judiciary Committee Clears Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act
Washington, DC - The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which grants judges greater sentencing flexibility for certain low-level drug offenders and establishes recidivism reduction programs, while targeting violent criminals. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 15-5. The bill passed today includes minor clarifications to the original bill text. The bill is the product of a thoughtful bipartisan deliberation that included U.S. Senator Sheld… Continue Reading
10.22.15
Senate Passes Legislation to Combat Pirate Fishing
Washington, DC - Last night the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015. The bill, which implements the policies of a treaty that was first approved by the Senate last year, increases enforcement capabilities for a number of international fishery agreements that combat IUU (or pirate) fishing, to protect fisheries across the entire United States. It was supported by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and his fellow co-ch… Continue Reading
10.19.15
Sen. Whitehouse Statement on New Corporate Climate Commitments
Washington, DC - Today, the White House announced that more American companies are signing on to the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, bringing the total number of committed companies to 81. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who has long encouraged stronger political engagement on climate change by corporations, released the statement below regarding the announcement: "While I appreciate these efforts from corporate America for a good outcome in Paris and to reduce their own carbo… Continue Reading
10.15.15
Sens. Reed and Whitehouse Call on Social Security to Recommend Changes to COLA Calculation
Providence, RI - Following an announcement today that Social Security recipients throughout the country will not receive a benefit increase in the coming year, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are asking the Social Security Administration for a formal review of the calculation used to determine annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). "As you know, the Social Security Administration (SSA) today announced there will be no increase in benefits in 2016, the third tim… Continue Reading
