Two New TV Ads Tout Whitehouse Record on Coastal Jobs, Defending Social Security and Medicare

Providence, RI – The Whitehouse for Senate campaign has released two new thirty-second television ads touting Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s record of boosting Rhode Island’s coastal economy and defending Social Security and Medicare. The ads will air simultaneously on cable and broadcast starting today.

One of the television spots features successful South Kingstown-based oyster farmer and entrepreneur, Perry Raso. Raso, who owns the nationally acclaimed Matunuck Oyster Bar and Matunuck Oyster Farm, explains how Whitehouse’s focus on protecting the environment is essential to Rhode Island’s economy and the many jobs that rely on the coast. The state’s 73 shellfish farms sold more than 8.4 million oysters last year, according to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.

The rising sea levels and ocean acidification caused by climate change represent enormous threats to major Rhode Island industries like commercial fishing and tourism. Whitehouse is a leading champion in Congress for preserving ocean resources, strengthening bridges, ports, and other infrastructure near the coastline, and addressing climate change.

In the second ad, Whitehouse pledges to do everything in his power to stop Republicans’ attempts to slash Rhode Islanders’ Medicare and Social Security benefits. The Republican-led tax law that passed last year is set to fuel the national deficit to $1 trillion by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office. President Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said last month that there will likely be an effort by Republicans to cut these so-called “larger entitlements” in 2019 to address the ballooning deficit.