Sheldon Whitehouse

Supporting Rhode Island's Working Families

Rhode Islanders, like families across the nation, are experiencing economic anxieties the likes of which we have not seen in a generation.  Once a manufacturing capital, Rhode Island has lost thousands of well-paying industrial jobs in recent years.  A policy of unbridled free trade has encouraged companies to move jobs overseas where labor is cheap and regulations are few.  While President Bush’s economic policies have left the wealthiest better off than ever before, wages for working Americans have stagnated against a backdrop of soaring health care, housing, fuel, and education costs.  Many Rhode Island families are struggling to get by.   

We need to attack the problem of our floundering economy on two fronts: we must reexamine our failed trade policies, and we must give relief to middle-class families.  I believe it’s foolish to enter new permanent free trade agreements before we examine why so many jobs have been lost as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and our other previous agreements.  Trade shouldn’t benefit multi-national corporations at the expense of America’s workers.  I voted against the Peru free trade agreement and will continue to oppose new agreements until we reexamine our larger trade agenda.      

I also believe that relief for struggling families is long overdue.  I proudly supported the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 which provided $300 to $600 rebates to most Rhode Island families.  I have also joined with Senator Jack Reed in his fight to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps 30,000 Rhode Island families heat their homes each winter.  We succeeded in thwarting President Bush’s attempts to slash funding for the program and increased appropriations for it by over $400 million for 2008.  On the housing front, I support legislation that will crack down on poor-quality “subprime” mortgages, such as the Senate-passed FHA Modernization Act, which would make reasonable government-backed mortgages more widely available and give families new refinancing options.         

I will continue to support initiatives to boost our economy and deliver relief to struggling families.  Through my position on the Budget Committee, I am working toward crafting budgets that that are focused on middle-class priorities and programs.  

Return to the list of Issues »