A watchdog organization is calling for an ethics investigation into Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) for supporting legislation that resulted in nearly $7 million being paid to a firm his wife works for.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed an ethics complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee Monday requesting an investigation into Whitehouse’s votes on legislation that led to $6.9 million in grants to Ocean Conservancy, an environmentalist group his wife Sandra works for.
“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,” said FACT executive director Kendra Arnold.
“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.”
FACT’s ethics complaint is addressed to Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford (R., Okla.) and Vice Chairman Chris Coons (D., Del.).
National Review has reached out to Whitehouse’s office for comment.
Ocean Conservancy has received more than $14 million from 19 government grants dating back to 2008, with almost half that money coming in the past year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave Ocean Conservancy a $5.2 million grant in September for marine debris cleanup with funds allocated from the bipartisan infrastructure law former President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
Ocean Conservancy received another $1.7 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in December with congressionally appropriated funds. Senator Whitehouse voted for both pieces of legislation along with many of his Democratic colleagues and some Republicans.
Whitehouse is a progressive best known for his partisan push to pack the Supreme Court and get dark money out of politics. He is currently ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Previously, Whitehouse has pushed for legislation backed by Ocean Conservancy and other environmental organizations with ties to his wife, according to FACT’s complaint.
“Ocean Conservancy urged Congress to pass the International Maritime Pollution Accountability Act—legislation first introduced by Senator Whitehouse in 2023. Ocean Conservancy also advocated and secured billions in funding for coastal restoration projects in the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Whitehouse not only voted for that legislation, but touted $3 billion in grant funding for ports and coastal restoration among the ‘Whitehouse-backed measures in the bill,'” the complaint asserts.
Senate ethics rules prohibit a lawmaker from using official actions of obtain financial benefits for themselves or their spouse. They also advise Senators to avoid the appearance of impropriety or conduct that reflects unfavorably on the institution.
Ocean Conservancy has paid Sandra Whitehouse $2.6 million directly or through her consulting firm since 2010, tax records show. The firm has denied that Sandra Whitehouse received compensation from the federal funding her husband voted for.
“Dr. Sandra Whitehouse, a well-respected marine ecologist and ocean policy consultant, has not received compensation from these federal grants allocated to Ocean Conservancy,” Ocean Conservancy Vice President of External Affairs Jeff Watters told Fox News.
“The marine debris cleanup grants Ocean Conservancy received from NOAA came from laws passed with broad bipartisan support that then went through a competitive, independent selection process which designated Ocean Conservancy to be one among hundreds of NGOs to receive funding. Ocean Conservancy’s selection was based on our decades of expertise in addressing marine debris and protecting the ocean.”