Sheldon Whitehouse

Electoral integrity

Criminal justice

Fiscal policy

Healthcare

Education

Economy and labor

Environment and energy

Immigration

National security and foreign policy

Civil rights and liberties

Social policy

Technology and data

Civil liberties and government power

Government accountability and transparency

Infrastructure and public investment

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Resolution 736 supporting the goals and ideals of National Hospital Week to be observed from May 10 through May 16, 2026.

Whitehouse moved to proceed to S.J. Res. 155, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of a Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection rule on Fair Credit Reporting Act preemption of state laws, and spoke in opposition to the rule, stating that states like Rhode Island need to maintain their own consumer protections including restrictions on medical debt affecting credit reporting.

Whitehouse asked for the yeas and nays on the Warsh nomination and voted nay.

Whitehouse came to the floor to request unanimous consent on S. Res. 552 and presented data on ocean warming, stating that oceans are absorbing 23 zettajoules of excess heat annually and have broken the ocean heat content record for nine consecutive years.

Whitehouse delivered a speech on the Senate floor warning about fossil fuel industry influence in the Trump administration, stating that polluters have mounted a fraud operation to propagate climate denial and spent massive amounts of dark money to control American politics, particularly the Republican Party.

Whitehouse spoke in advance of Senator Bennet's effort to seek redress regarding pollution from a coal facility in Colorado, stating that coal is America's dirtiest, deadliest, and most expensive energy source and that the Trump administration has taken actions to benefit the coal industry at the expense of public health and consumer costs.

Whitehouse introduced S. RES. 551, a resolution recognizing that sea levels are rising at accelerated rates due to human-caused climate change, and explained the scientific basis for sea level rise caused by ocean thermal expansion and glacier melt.

Whitehouse co-sponsored S. 4350, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish the Southeast New England Program.

Whitehouse co-sponsored S. 4350, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish the Southeast New England Program.

Whitehouse co-sponsored S. 4350, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish the Southeast New England Program, and co-sponsored S. 4355, a bill to require the Department of Health and Human Services to release documents relating to drug pricing agreements.

Whitehouse requested that the names of the Senators from Iowa, Wyoming, and Arizona be added as cosponsors of S. 567, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment.

Whitehouse requested that the name of Senator Rounds from South Dakota be added as a cosponsor of S. 567, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment.

Whitehouse introduced S.J. Res. 119 and S.J. Res. 120, joint resolutions providing for congressional disapproval of Environmental Protection Agency rules relating to air plan approval in Montana and effluent standards.

Whitehouse discussed how climate change is affecting American family finances through impacts on groceries, construction costs, outdoor industries, and insurance markets, and warned that climate risks could trigger an economic cascade similar to the 2008 recession.

Paul Amdt. No. 4272

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4236

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4234

Motion to Table Lee Amdt. No. 4286

Sanders Amdt. No. 4290

Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Merkley Amdt. No. 4287

H.R. 7148, as Amended

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 7148

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to S. 3627

Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 6938

H.R. 6938

Is the Point of Order Well Taken Re: To the Privilege Status of S.J. Res. 98

Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 84

Whitehouse stated that climate change is a demonstrated fact caused by human fossil fuel emissions, that this scientific consensus has existed for over a century beginning with Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius in 1896, that physicist Edward Teller warned fossil fuel executives in 1968 about greenhouse gas effects, and that the fossil fuel industry suppressed its own scientists' findings about climate change from 1968 to 2003 despite commissioning reports that confirmed human-caused climate change.

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 6938

Motion to Discharge S.J.Res. 98

Confirmation: Alexander C. Van Hook, of Louisiana, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana

Motion to Proceed to S.J.Res. 86

Whitehouse moved to proceed to Calendar No. 290, S.J. Res. 86, which provides for congressional disapproval of an Environmental Protection Agency rule relating to South Dakota's Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period.

Whitehouse declared a pause in the permitting reform process and explained that the Trump administration issued two stop work orders against the Revolution Wind offshore wind project off Rhode Island, with the first being invalidated by a federal judge and the second issued without explanation on December 22.

Confirmation: Joshua Simmons, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency

Confirmation: Sara Bailey, of Texas, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy

Confirmation: Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense

Whitehouse submitted for the Congressional Record a poem titled "The Ballad of Jane Goodall" by L. M. Levie commemorating Dame Jane Goodall's life and scientific contributions to primatology and environmental conservation.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Resolution 479 supporting the goals and ideals of Red Ribbon Week during October 23 through October 31, 2025.

Whitehouse co-sponsored S. Res. 479, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Red Ribbon Week during October 23-31, 2025.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Resolution 472 supporting the designation of October 30 as the "International Day of Political Prisoners."

Whitehouse co-sponsored S. Res. 472, a resolution supporting the designation of October 30 as the "International Day of Political Prisoners," and co-sponsored S. Res. 475, a resolution designating November 1, 2025, as "National Bison Day."

Whitehouse rose to speak for the 302nd time to address the fossil fuels industry's influence over the Trump administration and outlined four phases of climate denial by the fossil fuel industry.

Whitehouse requested that the names of Senator Wicker and Senator Bennet be added as cosponsors of S. 2918, a bill to amend the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act to improve the implementation of the seizure of Russian sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine.

Whitehouse stated that the federal government was heading into a shutdown situation due to Republicans' unwillingness to negotiate with Democrats on funding bills and their focus on cutting healthcare benefits including Medicaid and Medicare.

Whitehouse delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the Environmental Protection Agency's rule regarding emissions budget and allowance allocations for Indiana under the revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update.

Whitehouse extended a welcome to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on his visit to Washington to receive the Templeton Prize and acknowledged his environmental advocacy and the contributions of Orthodox Christians to America, including the Church of the Annunciation in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor about climate change's potential to trigger an economic crisis through the collapse of property insurance markets, linking this cascade to possible systemic financial damage similar to the 2008 recession.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Amendment 3707, which proposed modifications to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 regarding exemptions for agents of foreign principals from countries of concern.

Whitehouse suggested the absence of a quorum during consideration of the nomination of Brian Burch to be Ambassador to the Holy See.

Whitehouse stated that a proposal made to Republicans to resolve the customary August backlog of nominees would put President Trump ahead of the number of appointees that Republicans had allowed President Biden at the same point in his presidency.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Amendment 3661, which proposed modifications to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to limit exemptions for agents of foreign principals from designated countries of concern.

Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor to object to the nomination of Emil J. Bove III to judicial office, describing three episodes of prosecutorial misconduct he alleged Bove committed over a six-month period.

Whitehouse stated his opposition to David Wright's nomination to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and urged all colleagues to vote against it, citing concerns about DOGE and Department of Energy infiltration compromising the NRC's independence and causing the departure of qualified staff.

Whitehouse voted nay on the Cole nomination.

Whitehouse co-submitted Senate Concurrent Resolution 18 recognizing a health and safety emergency affecting children due to fossil fuel directives and suppression of climate science.

Whitehouse asked for the yeas and nays on the Bedford nomination.

Whitehouse corrected the record on section 60002 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, stating that the Congressional Budget Office scored the repeal and rescission of unobligated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund monies at $19 million, not the $17 billion that the Department of Justice claimed Congress had rescinded.

Whitehouse delivered his 300th "Time to Wake Up" speech on climate change, discussing the scientific consensus on climate change, political obstruction of climate solutions, the fossil fuel denial apparatus, dark money funding, and the connection between fossil fuel interests and Supreme Court capture.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Resolution 294 to designate the week of May 18 through May 24, 2025, as "National Public Works Week."

Whitehouse spoke in opposition to David Fotouhi's nomination as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, stating that Fotouhi's legal work defending polluting industries and his role in repealing environmental regulations during the first Trump administration made him unsuitable for the position.

Whitehouse co-submitted Senate Resolution 266 to designate May 2025 as "ALS Awareness Month."

Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor for the 299th time regarding climate change, stating that President Trump's actions since his inauguration defy reality and obey the fossil fuel industry, citing specific examples including an executive order declaring wind and solar energy are not energy, the EPA Administrator's intention to undo the Agency's finding that carbon pollution endangers human health, and the EPA's readiness to rescind a rule limiting carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired powerplants.

Whitehouse introduced S. 1943, the Protecting Seniors' Data Act of 2025, and requested unanimous consent for the Senate to consider and pass the bill on the same day.

Whitehouse spoke in the Senate about the 253rd anniversary of the Gaspee Raid on June 9, 1772, reading historical accounts from "Burning the Gaspee" by Rory Raven and "An Empire on the Edge" by Nick Bunker to describe the incident involving the HMS Gaspee and Rhode Island colonists.

Whitehouse entered into the Congressional Record a statement explaining that California's clean air waiver had been reviewed and approved by the EPA 131 times over 56 years without being treated as a rule subject to the Congressional Review Act.

Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor to describe the legislative strategy regarding Congressional Review Act resolutions, explaining that the majority was initially planning to challenge California's clean air waiver but shifted to a hydrogen vehicle rule after a Parliamentarian ruling.

Whitehouse rose to oppose the nomination of Sean Donahue of Florida to serve as General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency, stating that Donahue lacked the legal experience and qualifications necessary for the position.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Resolution 230 supporting the goals and ideals of National Hospital Week to be observed from May 11 through May 17, 2025.

Whitehouse co-submitted Senate Resolution 219 directing the Senate Legal Counsel to bring a civil action to enforce the Foreign Emoluments Clause against President Trump.

Whitehouse delivered his 298th "Time to Wake Up" speech on the Senate floor, comparing the heat energy from fossil fuel emissions entering the oceans annually to seven Hiroshima nuclear detonations per second.

Whitehouse stated that he was a "no" vote in committee and would be a "no" vote on the nomination of Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration, citing concerns about privatization pressure from the White House and others.

Whitehouse asked for the yeas and nays on the Johnson nomination and voted nay.

Whitehouse co-sponsored an amendment submitted by Senator Baldwin relating to a deficit-neutral reserve fund for closing the carried interest loophole.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Amendment 1645, which proposed a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to healthcare coverage and Medicaid enrollment and benefits for fiscal years 2025 through 2034.

Whitehouse called attention to what he characterized as a rightwing scheme to capture courts and detailed an episode involving a climate fund, describing actions by Trump's Justice Department officials Emil Bove and Ed Martin regarding a criminal investigation into the fund.

Whitehouse spoke on the Senate floor regarding EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's announced plan to reconsider over 30 environmental and health protection rules, stating that the rollbacks would keep Americans dependent on expensive dirty fossil fuels while other countries advance with energy innovation.

Whitehouse marked the centennial of the Probation Act of 1925 by speaking about the Federal probation system's 100-year history, its current employment of around 7,600 personnel, and two successful reentry programs in Rhode Island called the HOPE Court and the Deferred Sentencing Program.

Whitehouse stated that a recent Senate vote signals "the utter and complete subservience of the Trump administration and the Republican Party to the polluters of the fossil fuel industry" and explained that methane is more than 80 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

Whitehouse co-sponsored Senate Amendment 995, which proposed a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to closing the carried interest loophole for hedge fund managers.

Whitehouse stated that Trump executive orders constituted an unconstitutional power grab aligned with Project 2025, and described impacts on Rhode Island's Medicaid system, addiction recovery services, and law enforcement grants.

Whitehouse rose to direct attention to climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions for the 296th time and detailed Trump administration actions he characterized as benefiting the fossil fuel industry, including executive orders to weaken vehicle emission standards, review of EPA greenhouse gas findings, withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and stopping offshore wind development.

Whitehouse delivered his 295th "Time to Wake Up" speech discussing a trip he took with Senator Markey to COP 29 in Azerbaijan, where he reported that global leaders conveyed the clean energy transition is happening regardless of U.S. leadership, and he outlined climate policy efforts by states, the European Union, and other nations.

Whitehouse requested a roll call vote on the Hawley nomination.