Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today issued the following statement on the Federal Reserve Board’s establishment of a foreclosure prevention program.  Chairman Dodd wrote a provision into the financial rescue law that directs agencies such as the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to establish such programs:

Remarks as Prepared: A year ago, the CEO of a trusted, respected securities firm and a former Chairman of Nasdaq said the following:

I wanted to share with you my floor statement on President Obama's Decision to Close Guantanamo Bay and other CIA Prisons.

Mr. President, I once again come to the floor to discuss an issue that goes directly to who we are as a country and what we stand for.

Specifically, I want to comment on the executive orders President Obama signed today to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility within a year, close secret prisons operated by the CIA, and review the procedures for detaining and trying accused terrorists.  In so doing, he sends a long-overdue message not only to the world, but also to the American people here at home, reaffirming our values as Americans and our commitment to the rule of law.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, submitted the following statement today for the hearing to confirm Susan Rice as the Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations:

“The United Nations is an imperfect institution, but it is still a remarkable one that serves vital humanitarian needs for the world’s most vulnerable and in many cases forgotten populations.  From the thousands of troops deployed on peacekeeping missions, to providing vital services to millions of refugees, from combating global disease, to feeding the world’s hungry, tens of millions of men, women and children have been given a lifeline by United Nations programs—programs which the United States must continue to support.  Dr. Rice, I look forward to working with you in advancing America’s interests at the United Nations and to reforming and strengthening that institution to better serve us all.” 

Remarks as Prepared: This morning, we meet to consider five distinguished individuals who President-elect Obama has designated for nomination to the Securities and Exchange Commission, to the Federal Reserve and to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers – positions critical to restoring confidence in our financial system and to stabilizing our underlying economy. I want to thank each nominee for appearing before this Committee today.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today delivered the following remarks at the Global Action for Children’s first annual Children’s Champion Award Ceremony.  Dodd was honored for his leadership in passing “The Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008,” and for authoring “The Global Child Survival Act,” which would drastically reduce child and maternal mortality rates abroad. 

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Children and Families submitted the following statement today for the hearing to confirm Arne Duncan as the Secretary of Education:

"Today, we all recognize that if our children fall behind for a decade, America falls behind for a century. It’s that simple. But the flip side of that equation is that if we get the challenge of educating our children right—and I believe we can—everything else will follow. Whatever the issue, America’s leadership—its economic and national security—rests on her commitment to educate and prepare our children to succeed in a global economy, from pre-k to college... It is clear, Mr. Duncan, that we have much work to do... I believe you have the experience and heart needed to excel as Education Secretary, Mr. Duncan, and I look forward to working with you, Chairman Kennedy, and my colleagues on the Committee to provide a quality education to all children."

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today made the following statement at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing to confirm Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State:

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd today will address the Regional Transportation Forum presented by the Connecticut Sierra Club and the National Corridors Initiative. Dodd will speak about the need for investing in our state and nation’s infrastructure in order to create jobs and spur economic growth.

"We have a golden opportunity in the coming months to not only rebuild existing transportation infrastructure and provide new capacity – and we need to – but to also start thinking differently about the role transportation plays in America – about how we get to work and school, how our businesses move and ship products. Not just how we live our lives today, but how we want to live our lives tomorrow."