Texas Weekly Online

Menu
Menu
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Author:

Meet Sandra Whitehouse, whose husband’s votes funneled millions into NGO that pays her

Meet Sandra Whitehouse, whose husband’s votes funneled millions into NGO that pays her

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has emerged into the spotlight amid a new ethics complaint due to his voting in favor of laws that ultimately funded millions in grants to a nonprofit climate group that pays his wife’s consulting firm.  But who is his wife, Sandra Whitehouse?  Whitehouse earned her bachelor’s degree at Yale University, similar to her now-senator husband, according to her LinkedIn page.  TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION After that, she earned her master’s degree at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, studying there from 1986 to 1994. She and Sheldon Whitehouse married in 1986 at the St. George’s School Chapel in Newport, Rhode Island, according to a newspaper announcement.  The couple live in Newport and have two children, Molly and Alexander, as well as two grandchildren, according to the senator’s website. Throughout her career, Whitehouse has advised nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, a state agency, a legislative body and private companies, according to a biography from the Atlantic Council, where she was a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. TRUMP’S BIPARTISAN-BACKED LABOR PICK CLEARS LAST HURDLE BEFORE CABINET CONFIRMATION Her husband was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. She first began working for the group at the center of the latest ethics complaint roughly two years later, in 2008.  Whitehouse started working for Ocean Conservancy in September 2008, according to her LinkedIn page. She served as a senior policy advisor, and her “consulting work includes providing strategic advice for the Executive Team and Program Directors, raising awareness of ocean policy issues at various workshops and conferences, and engaging key stakeholders in Ocean Conservancy’s mission. Areas of policy focus include climate change, ocean plastics, and ocean planning.” Whitehouse is no longer directly employed by Ocean Conservancy, but the organization does pay her firm, Ocean Wonks LLC, for similar consulting.  She became president of Ocean Wonks LLC in 2017, and in this capacity, she “consults for various non-profit organizations, leveraging decades of scientific, regulatory, and policy experience to educate on and advocate for ocean policy issues,” according to her LinkedIn. INSIDE ELON MUSK’S HUDDLE WITH GOP SENATORS: DOGE HEAD TOUTS $4M SAVINGS PER DAY Ocean Conservancy has notably received more than $14.2 million in federal grants since 2008, according to USASpending.gov. It was given two sizable grants in just 2024, one for $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and another for $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), both for marine debris cleanup. The former was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the latter was funded through the EPA’s annual appropriations bill. The senator voted for both. According to tax documents, Ocean Conservancy has paid Whitehouse a total of $2,686,800 either directly or through her firm since 2010.  This was cited in last month’s complaint to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman James Lankford, R-Okla., and Vice Chairman Chris Coons, D-Del., from ethics watchdog the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT).  EXCLUSIVE: ELON MUSK PAC THANKS TRUMP FOR ‘SAVING THE AMERICAN DREAM’ IN NEW MILLION-DOLLAR AD In a statement to Fox News Digital, Whitehouse spokesperson Stephen DeLeo said, “This is a repeat dark money performance, and the previous attempt by a dark money group to plant these same smears was roundly dismissed by Senate Ethics. The billionaires and Supreme Court capture operatives behind FACT would like to try to stop Senator Whitehouse from shining a light on what they’ve done to deprive regular people of a fair shake before the Court.” “But false accusations from far-right special interests and billionaires will not impede the Senator’s pursuit of an accountable, ethical government that responds to Americans’ needs,” he added. Whitehouse’s office also provided a letter to Fox News Digital from the committee last year informing another watchdog group, Judicial Watch, that the senator’s actions did not violate “federal laws, Senate rules, or other standards of conduct.”  The group had filed a similar ethics complaint to FACT. 

Travel headaches show need for feds to focus on airline tech jobs as true major delay culprit revealed

Travel headaches show need for feds to focus on airline tech jobs as true major delay culprit revealed

With airline safety being top-of-mind after several deadly or near-death incidents on America’s tarmacs and in its skies, maintenance experts and lawmakers alike are calling for more support for specialized training in jet maintenance. President Donald Trump has also called for reforming the education system and increasing overall government efficiency, which experts Fox News Digital spoke with said falls in line with their goals as well. Delays and gate changes at airports are also often attributed to urgent maintenance of aircraft. In the last congressional session, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., unsuccessfully introduced the Aviation Workforce Development Act to expand the “529” qualified-tuition program to include expenses for aviation maintenance and pilot training. Scott’s hometown of Charleston is notably a hub for the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and the Senator said that pilot and aviation maintenance jobs are in high demand and provide well-paying careers. CHARITY LEADER, FORMER NY GIANT SLAM BIDEN RESPONSE TO PLANES SHOT IN HAITI “Unfortunately, the extensive and expensive training they require has undermined Americans’ ability to tap into this vital industry,” Scott said, adding that he plans to reintroduce his bill in Congress soon. “By giving parents flexibility with the hard-earned money they invest into 529 plans, this commonsense legislation provides a pathway to turn today’s students into tomorrow’s pilots. Affording our aviation sector the workforce necessary to sustain the tremendous growth South Carolina has enjoyed will ensure tourists continue to flock to our great state and will provide South Carolinians with reliable and efficient travel.” Meanwhile, the leader of one of the nation’s largest aircraft maintenance training centers said the challenge to properly staff jobs in the increasingly needed field is one that needs support to continue feeding its “pipeline of skilled professionals.” Jason Pfaff, president of Aviation Institute of Maintenance – a school with 15 campuses nationwide that aims to fill the 13,000 annual job openings in its field of study – said support is needed now for these crucial roles. “The aviation industry relies on highly trained experts to keep planes safe and operational, yet many people don’t realize the demand for these roles—or the impact they have on air travel,” Pfaff said. He spoke of meeting with a student who felt a social stigma about pursuing an aircraft maintenance career, compared to what her friends were seeking to do in life. However, that feeling changed when she took a tour firsthand to watch aircraft maintainers do their work. HOW JIMMY CARTER TRANSFORMED THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY With the deadly crash off Hain’s Point, DC into the Potomac River last month, a jet landing upside down in Toronto and several other incidents, Pfaff said that maintenance workers play a crucial role in ensuring safe air travel. “[The institute] is thrilled to see a renewed focus on trade careers, and we applaud leaders like Senator Tim Scott for championing aviation education. Aviation maintenance isn’t just a job—it’s a high-paying, high-skill career that keeps the world moving. As industry leaders and policymakers, we have a shared responsibility to spotlight the incredible opportunities in this field.” Pfaff noted some jobs in the field earn upwards of $150,000 per year for a person in their 20s and that thousands of applicants are needed – and Scott and others are right to draw attention to the need for such jobs. Jose-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University in South Dakota, said that higher education is not “one-size-fits-all” and that universities must play a big role in meeting the changing needs of the U.S. job market – whether it be in the industrial sector or otherwise. “Higher education institutions must adapt to meet the needs of students at different points in their lives and careers,” she said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In the House, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, also introduced a bill similar to Scott’s in the last cycle, to increase awareness of tech education opportunities in the same way Pfaff described. Miller’s bill, if reintroduced, would establish a $1 million grant program for such training in airline maintenance and the similar fields, with the lawmaker saying in a statement that career and technical education “empower students to explore exciting career options, discover their passions, and develop real-world skills that are in high demand.” “A four-year degree is not right for everyone, and our young people should know that they can lead successful careers based on technical expertise. We cannot continue to diminish the role of career and technical education in this country,” he said, as nationwide pressure continues to direct students toward standard collegiate postsecondary education.