Sheldon Whitehouse

Unfortunately for the Ranking Member, Oklahoma is one of the three States that has a higher percentage than Rhode Island of structurally deficient bridges.

I have introduced the Regulatory Capture Prevention Act to create an office within the Office of Management and Budget that would investigate and report on regulatory capture wherever it may appear.

I will just thank both of you for your interest in improving regulation for the American people and how best to regulate.

I appreciate the difficulty of that choice, and I appreciate the courtesy both of the Chairman, Senator Lieberman, and the Ranking Member, Senator Collins, in allowing me this time.

People may disagree about particular cases, but I hope that we can all recognize that powerful special interests have a constant interest in capturing our regulatory agencies.

This is an exciting week for a Rhode Island company because on Friday in Shenandoah, Iowa, they will be opening a very significant bioprocess algae plant that is a, creates kind of a wonderful tableau.

The Victims Fund is victims' money, and that is where it should be going.

If that money should go away or be reduced in any way, we would see further cuts in already damaged victim services.

I am watching carefully to see that.

I have heard the same thing that you have, that the reduction from $6 billion to $1 billion is an accounting adjustment and would not have immediate effects in the actual expenditures that are available to the victims of crime group in the…

There is no reason that they should be bearing the cost here.

I wanted to ask Mr. Cloud and Mr. Neslin, when Deputy Administrator Perciasepe was here, he said that companies that used diesel in fracking and did not seek a permit under the Safe Drinking Water Act would be in violation of that Act.

Why isn't it helpful to simply know what is being used as the frack fluid so that you don't have to investigate where diesel is being used because the company would have reported it already since it is being injected into public land…

You take Exxon-Mobil's last profits, and if I recall correctly, with five percent of their annual profits they could outspend both Presidential Candidate McCain and Presidential Candidate Obama.

I would be happy to have it apply across the board.

I find it interesting that we think it is corrupting for a corporation to give me money which I then use to buy ads, but not corrupting for the same corporation to buy its own ads through Citizens United.

If, in fact, this is really about the deficit and if, in fact, this is really about reducing spending and if, in fact, this is really about ensuring the military remains funded, why is it necessary to have it be a nonnegotiable condition…

We have to adapt to those changes, but I do believe that we can bring the same principles and the same desire for a sensible balance.

I really appreciate Chairman Leahy having called this hearing.

I think it is important that we take up a cyber security bill this year and begin to move to repair some of the very wide open vulnerabilities that we have that are being exploited to vast effect by our economic rivals and our National…

Pretty significant national security cost to precipitate with a Government shutdown.

I do not know that there is an established privacy right cognizable under the Fourth Amendment regarding your location.

We have 95 high hazard dams in Rhode Island. Obviously, we need your help with them.

We just want to know how bad the situation is in terms of the likelihood of what we need getting funded

The flooding was so significant, and the evidence that climate changes are in fact creating far more heavy precipitation events