Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and a senior member of both the Committees on Foreign Relations and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, held a press conference today where he announced that he will continue to serve as the Chairman of the Banking Committee and laid out what his priorities will be for Connecticut and the Committee.

On Thursday, The Hill published the following op-ed by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH). Senator Dodd is the Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and Senator Greg is ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee.

The United States is facing the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Long before the spectacular fall of entities such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns and AIG, millions of American families had been suffering their own financial collapses.

U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, are asking Pfizer Inc.'s chief executive officer to reconsider plans to replace local contractors at its southeastern Connecticut campuses with foreign workers.

In a letter Monday to Jeffrey B. Kindler, Pfizer's chairman and chief executive officer, Dodd and Courtney said they are concerned about a companywide policy dubbed Procedure 117 that would replace local information-technology contract workers at its Groton and New London sites with workers from outside firms, including those from overseas.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) sent the following letter today to Jeffrey B. Kindler, CEO of Pfizer Inc, expressing their concern over recent reports that suggest the company has been training foreign contractors to replace local workers at their facilities in New London and Groton.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, along with several other members of the Committee, today sent a letter to President Bush urging the Administration to address the root cause of our nation’s economic problems – the foreclosure crisis.  The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act gives the Administration considerable new authority to prevent foreclosures.  While recent news reports have indicated that the Administration plans to use this authority – which was granted nearly four weeks ago – the Treasury Department has yet to announce any efforts dedicated to helping people keep their homes.

“Today's interest rate cut is a welcome step to the extent that it facilitates the unlocking of our credit markets so that businesses can continue to operate and American families are able to afford homes, cars and to send their children to college.  Recent rate cuts, including today's, also underscore Chairman Bernanke's foresight in rejecting calls by other Federal Reserve Governors to raise interest rates several months ago.

NEW BRITAIN - For years, Richard Ahern labored to put food on his family's table and a roof over their heads. Then, three years ago, he was injured and went on Social Security disability. Unable to pay his heating bills, he turned to the Human Resources Agency of New Britain for help.

Ahern's story was one of several Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd heard Monday in a visit to the Human Resources Agency's Arch Street office.

NEW BRITAIN - For years Richard Ahern labored to put food on his family's table and a roof over their heads. Then, three years ago he was injured and went on Social Security disability. Unable to pay his heating bills, he turned to the Human Resources Agency of New Britain for help.

"I found people here wanting to help me, to keep my family in our home," he said. "If it hadn't been for HRA, we'd be on the streets."

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, announced that the Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday entitled “Turmoil in the U.S. Credit Markets: Examining Recent Regulatory Responses.” Tomorrow’s hearing will focus on the federal regulators’ role in the economic crisis and solutions to restore stability and soundness to our financial markets.

CHESHIRE - U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) fielded questions from more than 120 high school juniors and seniors Tuesday and defended his support of the $700 billion bailout - or what he called a "workout."

"The idea isn't so much to have a bailout as a workout," Dodd said.