Top Democrat Under Fire as Bombshell Allegations Spark Controversy
Top Dem Senator Under Fire Over Federal Grants Linked to Wife’s Past Employer
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) is under fire over allegations that federal grants directed toward an environmental nonprofit with ties to his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, may present a conflict of interest.
BREAKING: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is facing ethics violation accusations for backing legislation that benefited his wife’s environmental nonprofit, Ocean Conservancy. pic.twitter.com/P6fZfWNJP6
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) February 24, 2025
A conservative watchdog group, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), has called for a Senate ethics investigation, questioning whether the senator’s legislative actions have improperly benefited an organization linked to his spouse, Trending Politics reports.
FACT submitted its accusations of ethical misconduct to Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford (R), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, urging a review of whether Whitehouse violated Senate ethics rules. The organization highlighted federal grants totaling more than $12.2 million since 2008 that were awarded to Ocean Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit where Sandra Whitehouse previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor.
FACT argues that these funds were largely approved by the Senate, including recent grants stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and an annual appropriations bill, both of which Whitehouse supported.
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Sandra Whitehouse has built a career as a marine ecologist and ocean policy consultant, according to Fox News. Since 2017, she has been the president of Ocean Wonks LLC, a consulting firm.
Prior to that, she spent a decade working at Ocean Conservancy.
Tax records reviewed by FACT indicate that she has received $2,686,800 from Ocean Conservancy since 2010, either directly or through her consulting firm. The organization has also spent millions on federal lobbying efforts advocating for environmental policies that align with Sen. Whitehouse’s legislative priorities.
He co-founded the Senate Oceans Caucus and is a ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, roles that have positioned him at the forefront of ocean policy discussions.
In 2023, Ocean Conservancy received two federal grants totaling $5.2 million, one from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and another from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Fox News. Both grants were designated for marine debris cleanup efforts.
The NOAA grant was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a legislative priority of the Biden administration, while the EPA grant was derived from the agency’s annual appropriations bill. Whitehouse voted in favor of both funding measures, raising questions about whether his legislative support directly benefited an organization with which his wife has longstanding ties.
Kendra Arnold, executive director of FACT, pointed to what she described as a long history of legislation advanced by Whitehouse that has benefited groups associated with his wife. She argued that the latest grants only add to the pattern.
“While these two grants alone appear to be a conflict of interest, it is even more egregious in the context of Senator Whitehouse’s long history of working on legislation being lobbied for by organizations tied to his wife,” she wrote, per TP.
She also noted that Ocean Conservancy has lobbied extensively on environmental policies directly connected to Whitehouse’s legislative work, further complicating the ethical considerations.
A spokesperson for Ocean Conservancy defended Sandra Whitehouse’s role in conservation efforts and denied that she personally profited from the federal grants awarded to the organization. Jeff Watters, the group’s Vice President of External Affairs, stated that Dr. Whitehouse had not received compensation from these specific federal grants.
He emphasized that Ocean Conservancy has been a leader in marine debris cleanup for decades and was awarded the grants through a competitive, independent selection process.
“Ocean Conservancy’s selection was based on our decades of expertise in addressing marine debris and protecting the ocean,” Watters said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The request for an ethics review places pressure on the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to determine whether Whitehouse’s votes on federal funding present a conflict of interest. As of now, Sen. Whitehouse’s office has not responded to requests for comment.
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