Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Faces Ethics Complaint Over Federal Grants to Wife's Environmental Group

Watchdog group alleges conflict of interest in senator's support for legislation benefiting Ocean Conservancy, where his wife is a consultant.

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) has filed an ethics complaint against Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for allegedly voting on legislation that benefited Ocean Conservancy, where his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, works as a consultant.
Ocean Conservancy received $14.2 million in federal grants since 2008, with nearly half allocated in 2024 alone, including a $5.2 million NOAA grant and a $1.7 million EPA grant, both supported by Whitehouse-backed legislation.
Sandra Whitehouse has been employed by Ocean Conservancy since 2008 and has received $2.6 million in compensation through direct payments and her consulting firm, Ocean Wonks LLC.
Ocean Conservancy denies any wrongdoing, stating that Sandra Whitehouse was not compensated from federal grants and emphasizing the bipartisan and competitive nature of the grant selection process.
This is not the first ethics complaint against Whitehouse; similar allegations were raised in 2024 by Judicial Watch, citing concerns over potential personal and financial benefits tied to his legislative actions.