In 2007, the National Journal ranked Whitehouse the second-most liberal senator.

Whitehouse voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Budget Control Act.
He voted against Cut, Cap and Balance and the debt ceiling increase.
Earlier in his first term, he voted for the Stimulus package and the TARP.
He voted against cap and trade, but sponsored Offshoring Prevention and supported the Global Warming Reduction Act.

Whitehouse supports stem cell research, abortion rights, LGBT rights, and affirmative action.
He has publicly supported a reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Whitehouse opposed intervention in Iraq.

He voted to confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

Whitehouse supports a more progressive tax system and strongly opposed the Bush tax cuts and proposals to repeal the estate tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax.
He is in favor of gun control and has spoken out against the Patriot Act.
Whitehouse supported introducing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, saying that the United States must use caution in the future and avoid engaging in military action in Iran.

Despite a generally pro-rehabilitation stance on crime, Whitehouse supports federal use of the death penalty, but opposes its use at the state level in Rhode Island.
He also opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement and other similar proposals, styling himself as a supporter of fair trade and opposing the use of presidential authority to "fast-track" normalized trade relations.

In the spring of 2007, Whitehouse joined other senators in calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's resignation.
After Gonzales's first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee related to the controversy, Whitehouse told NPR, "[Gonzales] had a hard sell to make to me, and he didn't make it."
He continued to question Gonzales's service in the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.

Whitehouse has faced some criticism for alleged insider trading, avoiding big losses by trading stocks after top federal officials warned congressional leaders of "the coming economic cataclysm" in September 2008.

PolitiFact determined that Whitehouse falsely claimed Paul Ryan's 2012 budget blueprint "gets rid of Medicare in 10 years."
Whitehouse claimed to have meant that Ryan's plan would have ended Medicare "as we know it", turning it into a voucher program.

In a 2018 interview with the Providence Journal, Whitehouse expressed opposition to D.C. statehood.
He was dismissive of efforts to give District residents representation in Congress, suggesting they should be satisfied with the amount of federal activity nearby.

Whitehouse supported a vote that would limit continuing US support for the War in Yemen.
Initially, Whitehouse was one of the two Democratic holdouts in the Senate, but an activist effort, including mobilizing fans of the Rhode Island band Downtown Boys, contributed to changing his position.
In 2007, the National Journal ranked Whitehouse the second-most liberal senator.
Whitehouse voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Budget Control Act. He voted against Cut, Cap and Balance and the debt ceiling increase. Earlier in his first term, he voted for the Stimulus package and the TARP. He voted against cap and trade, but sponsored Offshoring Prevention and supported the Global Warming Reduction Act.
Whitehouse supports stem cell research, abortion rights, LGBT rights, and affirmative action. He has publicly supported a reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment. Whitehouse opposed intervention in Iraq.
He voted to confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.
Whitehouse supports a more progressive tax system and strongly opposed the Bush tax cuts and proposals to repeal the estate tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax. He is in favor of gun control and has spoken out against the Patriot Act. Whitehouse supported introducing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, saying that the United States must use caution in the future and avoid engaging in military action in Iran.
Despite a generally pro-rehabilitation stance on crime, Whitehouse supports federal use of the death penalty, but opposes its use at the state level in Rhode Island. He also opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement and other similar proposals, styling himself as a supporter of fair trade and opposing the use of presidential authority to "fast-track" normalized trade relations.
In the spring of 2007, Whitehouse joined other senators in calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's resignation. After Gonzales's first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee related to the controversy, Whitehouse told NPR, "[Gonzales] had a hard sell to make to me, and he didn't make it." He continued to question Gonzales's service in the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.
Whitehouse has faced some criticism for alleged insider trading, avoiding big losses by trading stocks after top federal officials warned congressional leaders of "the coming economic cataclysm" in September 2008.
PolitiFact determined that Whitehouse falsely claimed Paul Ryan's 2012 budget blueprint "gets rid of Medicare in 10 years." Whitehouse claimed to have meant that Ryan's plan would have ended Medicare "as we know it", turning it into a voucher program.
In a 2018 interview with the Providence Journal, Whitehouse expressed opposition to D.C. statehood. He was dismissive of efforts to give District residents representation in Congress, suggesting they should be satisfied with the amount of federal activity nearby.
Whitehouse supported a vote that would limit continuing US support for the War in Yemen. Initially, Whitehouse was one of the two Democratic holdouts in the Senate, but an activist effort, including mobilizing fans of the Rhode Island band Downtown Boys, contributed to changing his position.
Sheldon Whitehouse