Evidence shows that large sums of government money have flowed to his wife's employers
Washington, D.C.— February 25, 2025 — Yesterday, the non-partisan ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), filed a complaint requesting the Senate Select Committee on Ethics investigate and take appropriate action on Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Sen. Whitehouse appears to have violated the Senate Ethics Rules on conflicts of interest by advocating and voting for legislation that resulted in nearly $7 million being paid in the fall of 2024 to an organization his wife works for.
Senator Whitehouse’s wife, Sandra Whitehouse, has worked for the advocacy group Ocean Conservancy since 2008. Since then, Ocean Conservancy has been awarded nineteen government grants worth approximately $14.2 million. It is important to note that nearly half of this $14 million was given to the group in the fall of 2024 alone--a $5.2 million grant in September 2024 and a $1.7 million grant in December 2024. Senator Whitehouse directly supported and voted for the legislation that led to these grants.
In addition to these apparent conflicts of interest, Sen. Whitehouse has a long history of working on legislation being lobbied for by organizations tied to his spouse.
Senate Ethics Rules clearly prohibit Senators from taking official action when they have a conflict of interest. The rules prohibit Senators from using any official action to obtain or appear to obtain a financial benefit, whether the benefit is obtained directly by the Senator or their spouse. It is these rules that Sen. Whitehouse appears to have directly violated.
“Senator Whitehouse advocated and voted for legislation that led to $6.9 million of taxpayer funds being paid to an organization that his wife works for and receives an income from. It is this type of circular relationship between a Senator and an organization that lobbies and pays his wife a salary that the public is rightfully fed up with. Congressional rules are in place to ensure our taxpayer dollars are going to serve our nation and that our Senators are not behaving in a manner that would call this into question. We hope the Senate Select Committee on Ethics will investigate this matter and take swift action.” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
A full copy of the complaint can be found here.
FACT is a nonprofit organization promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit: http://www.factdc.org
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