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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), an ardent and vocal opponent of granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have participated in the Administration's warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, today offered an amendment that he co-sponsored with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to strip the egregious retroactive immunity provisions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act.  This amendment would ensure that courts have the ability to fulfill their constitutional duty to determine whether or not these companies should be held accountable for their actions. 

As the nation experiences a dramatic economic slowdown and Congress considers economic stimulus packages to present to the President, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, held his first hearing of the year on the root cause of the current problems in the economy: the tumult in the mortgage markets and the rising number of home foreclosures.  Dodd focused the hearing on both short- and longer-term solutions to address the housing crisis, based on the premise that the mortgage meltdown is largely responsible for the current economic downturn. 

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today spoke on the Senate floor about ways to stimulate the weakened U.S. economy. Dodd, who has repeatedly tied the recent economic downfall to the foreclosure crisis, has urged Congressional leaders to incorporate provisions that deal with the housing crisis in any stimulus bill they present to the President. Dodd will hold a hearing on this issue on Thursday. 

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today rose again to speak on the Senate floor in opposition to a vote to end debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform legislation that would grant immunity to telecommunications companies who cooperated with the Bush Administration’s secret wiretapping program.  The full text of his remarks as prepared appears below: 

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Mr. President: Last night we saw into the heart of Republican priorities. Since last month, day after day after day, opponents of retroactive immunity have been warning about its underlying motive: shutting up the president’s critics.

Pass immunity, we’ve said, and the debate will be shut down, the critics will be shut up, and the actions of the president’s favored corporations will be shut in the dark, for good.

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) this morning continued his fight to strip the provision granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that cooperated with the Bush Administration’s secret wiretapping program from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform legislation by speaking on the Senate floor in support of the Leahy amendment, which would eliminate the retroactive immunity language from the bill.  The full text of Senator Dodd’s remarks as delivered are below: 

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As the Senate today prepares to consider, for the second time, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform legislation that would grant immunity to telecommunications companies who cooperated with the Bush administration’s secret wiretapping program, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) made the following remarks:

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today held a press conference to discuss the recent market volatility and downturn in the American economy, as well as the priorities that the Banking Committee will focus on over the year ahead to help working families and businesses achieve economic security and prosperity.  Below are his remarks as prepared:

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today spoke on the Senate floor about his efforts to stop the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform legislation, in its current form, from being considered by the full Senate and from receiving a vote on the Senate floor.  Last week Dodd announced he has placed a hold on the bill, a tool available to Senators to stop legislation from moving forward. 

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Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today went to the Senate floor to speak in support of the Feingold-Reid-Dodd amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill.  The amendment, which Dodd cosponsored, would set firm and enforceable timelines for the phased redeployment of combat troops out of Iraq.