Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today on the recent news that the number of Connecticut households applying for home heating assistance has more than tripled as compared with this time last year.  Last winter, more than 86,000 households in Connecticut received assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a number which is expected to increase dramatically before the season is over.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately investigate the cases of contaminated candy made in China and distributed  in Connecticut over the last few days.  Dodd wrote to FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach urging the FDA to take immediate action and ensure that no additional Americans are put at risk. 

Eleven Connecticut cities and towns will receive equipment worth a total of $148,870 to help improve first responder capabilities, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman announced today. The equipment will be provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). The initiative provides resources such as communications interoperability equipment, information sharing technology, chemical detection devices, sensors, personal protective equipment, and rescue tools. The CEDAP also provides first responders with training in how to use the equipment, devices, and technology.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) today announced they secured more than $19.2 billion for the Connecticut defense industry and $106 million for military construction projects in the state.  The funding, which was approved by the Senate today as part of the Defense and the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Acts, will boost Connecticut’s economy and help ensure that soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen - active duty, national guard, and reserve forces, have the resources and support they need to successfully perform their missions. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, announced today that Connecticut will receive more than $25 million for communities who have been affected most by the foreclosure crisis.  The funding is provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Program under The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), released the following statement today after the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense approved a preliminary version of the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations Bill.  If passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President, the bill will provide critical funding for Connecticut’s defense industry, particularly in the areas of submarine and aircraft purchases, as well as critical radar technology research. 

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), along with Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT-4) and Chris Murphy (D-CT-5), today sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell requesting that the FAA carry out the analyses recommended by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in its report on the FAA’s proposed airspace redesign.  The Connecticut elected officials also requested that the FAA respond to several shortcomings highlighted in the GAO report and present a detailed airspace redesign implementation plan to Congress that includes a time and cost schedule, risk mitigation plan, transition planning, and monitoring and evaluation plan.

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) today announced they have filed an amicus brief in support of court challenges to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed airspace redesign over Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  On Friday, the Senators submitted the brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for the case of County of Rockland, et. al v. U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today praised approval of a provision requiring the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to report back to the Senate after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases its review of the FAA’s proposed airspace redesign.  The provision, which was introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, would require the FAA Administrator to report the agency’s attempts to address any concerns or recommendations raised in the GAO’s report to the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Transportation. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a former Peace Corps volunteer and an outspoken advocate for national service programs, today announced he will introduce the AmeriCorps: Together Improving Our Nation (ACTION) Act of 2008. Dodd’s bill would raise AmeriCorps’ Segal Education Award to reflect the rising cost of college, make the award tax-exempt so AmeriCorps Members can apply the full amount of the award to their tuition, and elevate the Corporation for National and Community Service to Cabinet-level status, while empowering the Corporation to partner with other federal agencies.