WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 17: While the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision this week extending employment protections to gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans in the workplace, Congress still needs to take additional steps to ensure equal protection under the law in other key areas. U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined with 44 colleagues in urging Senate Majority Leader Mi  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 16: While the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision this week extending employment protections to gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans in the workplace, Congress still needs to take additional steps to ensure equal protection under the law in other key areas. U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined with 44 colleagues in urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following remarks on June 15: House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), took part in a panel discussion on COVID-19 social media disinformation at George Washington University's Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics this morning. * * * Good morning, and thank you for having me at today's important conversation on the real-world effects of social media disinformation on people's health and safety  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following remarks on June 17: U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) urged swift passage of the Justice in Policing Act during today's House Judiciary Committee consideration of the bill. * * * Thank you, Mr. Chairman for your extraordinary leadership that brings us to this markup today. I'd also like to recognize the magnificent leadership of Congresswoman Karen Bass, the Chair of the Crime Subcommittee and the Cong  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement on June 18 after the Supreme Court blocked President Trump from ending the DACA program: "I am pleased that the Supreme Court made the right decision today. Dreamers are American citizens in every sense of the word. "They were brought here as children. The President and his allies claim they are a burden on our country. "To the contrary, they make rich contributions to our society every day. They hav  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement on June 15 on the Supreme Court ruling LGBT individuals cannot be denied employment due to sexual orientation or gender identity: "Fairness and equality of opportunity are core American values. As a country, we have not always lived up to these ideals for all of our citizens, but today's Supreme Court decision marks a major step towards ensuring that LGBTQ Americans enjoy the same rights and responsibili  more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, June 17 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been awarded a landmark $65 million federal grant to overhaul Route 146. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant, also known as an INFRA Grant, will fund the replacement of multiple bridges along the Route 146 co  more

WARWICK, Rhode Island, June 20 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement: Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) joined 206 of his fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives in recognizing this year's observation of June 19, 2020, as Juneteenth Independence Day. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. * * * "On Juneteenth Independence Day, we reflect on the courage and sacrifices of those who struggled so l  more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, June 17 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been awarded a landmark $65 million federal grant to overhaul Route 146. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant, also known as an INFRA Grant, will fund the replacement of multiple bridges along the Route 146 corri  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Representatives Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Committee on Armed Services' Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, will introduce the National Security Innovation Pathway Act, legislation to help the nation retain top talent by providing a pathway to an immigrant visa for non-citizens engaged in essenti  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 18: After the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling to block the Trump Administration from terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senator Jack Reed hailed the decision to preserve protections for hundreds of thousands of young unauthorized immigrants, known as "Dreamers." Reed noted the decision means that nearly 650,000 young, undocumented immigrants who were b  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 17: U.S. Senator Jack Reed scored a significant victory in the push to make it easier for Rhode Island small businesses to apply for federal loan forgiveness. After requests from Senators Reed and his Democratic Senate colleagues, and in response to a recent law Senator Reed cosponsored and helped pass, the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a revised, borrower-fr  more

WEST POINT, New York, June 15 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement on June 13: The U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point held a special, mandatory, socially-distanced graduation ceremony for the 1,123 members of the 2020 class, the Academy's 222nd. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), West Point class of 1971 and the Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement congratulating the class of 2020 and their families, who were not permit  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 16: In an effort to mobilize the power of national service, assist communities in need, and put more Americans to work combating the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and building a better future while also making higher education more accessible and affordable, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joined with a bipartisan coalition led by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Li  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: As parents, kids, camps, and coaches prepare to navigate a challenging summer amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Senator Jack Reed hailed the allocation of $7.5 million in federal funds to help ensure the health, safety, and well-being of young people during summer programming. Senator Reed led efforts to create the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, a  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement: "To keep our democracy healthy, the U.S. military has avoided partisanship, and to keep our military strong, elected officials should avoid partisan interference with the military's merit-based promotion system. "The military defends our nation and is not aligned with a political party. There are laws and traditions to prevent individuals from polarizing the U.S. Armed Forces to the detriment and demoralizat  more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, June 17 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been awarded a landmark $65 million federal grant to overhaul Route 146. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant, also known as an INFRA Grant, will fund the replacement of multiple bridges along the Route 146 corridor  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release on June 19: As health and education officials develop novel coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines, precautions, and restrictions for reopening schools this fall, Senate Democrats are urging Congress and the Trump Administration to act with the same sense of urgency and provide additional federal funding to help students safely return to the classroom. Without swift, comprehensive Congressional action, it will   more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: After the Trump Administration backtracked on an earlier commitment to publicly release data and declared it will not disclose where over $500 billion in U.S. taxpayers funds have gone, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) called for Congress to take bipartisan action to prevent U.S. taxpayers and small businesses from getting fleeced. Last week, in a major departure from good government policy, Treasury Secret  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and a bipartisan group of 29 senators in calling for the expansion of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic to be made permanent. Previous COVID-related legislation allowed Medicare beneficiaries to utilize telehealth services, and freed up more types of health care prov  more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, June 17 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been awarded a landmark $65 million federal grant to overhaul Route 146. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant, also known as an INFRA Grant, will fund the replacement of multiple bridges along the Route 146  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper demanding answers regarding the current status of U.S. security assistance to the government of Afghanistan. Calling for transparency with Congress and Afghan government officials alik  more