A prominent liberal Democrat in the U.S. Senate is facing backlash from conservative activists online over a potential pay-to-play arrangement involving himself, his wife, and allegedly profitable legislative actions. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a right-leaning ethics watchdog, was the first to highlight a connection between Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and an environmental nonprofit controlled by his wife, Sandra Whitehouse.
The nonprofit has received as much as $12.2 million in federal funding over the past several years, much of which was allocated through legislation approved by the Senate. FACT provided evidence of the arrangement to Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, with a request “to determine whether he violated the Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest.”
Sandra Whitehouse has been the president of the consulting firm Ocean Wonks LLC since 2017, according to her LinkedIn page, which was reviewed by Fox News. Her background in the industry includes a 10-year tenure at Ocean Conservancy, where she served as Senior Policy Advisor. Since 2008, Ocean Conservancy has received at least $12.2 million in federal grants, as revealed by FACT.
Last year alone, the organization secured two grants totaling $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for ocean debris cleanup. Both grants were funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a key initiative of the Biden-Harris administration, which Sen. Whitehouse voted for. The EPA grant was also funded through the agency’s annual appropriations bill, another piece of legislation addressed by the Senate.
“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,” wrote FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold. “Altogether, Ocean Conservancy has spent millions on federal lobbying expenses over the years on issues relating to oceans, climate change, and environmental cleanup—issues directly championed by Senator Whitehouse, a longtime member (and current Ranking Member) of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee and the co-founder of the Senate’s so-called ‘Oceans Caucus.”
Tax records show that Sandra Whitehouse has received $2,686,800 from Ocean Conservancy since 2010, either directly or through her consulting firm. A spokesperson for the nonprofit praised Sandra Whitehouse’s contributions to conservation efforts. “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’s Vice President of External Affairs Jeff Watters told Fox News Digital in a statement.