November 9, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) delivered the following speech today in recognition of Veterans Day and the tremendous sacrifice that military veterans in Connecticut and across America have made for their country. Dodd spoke about the profound debt of gratitude we owe the brave men and women who serve our country.

“We are proud to be a nation with an all volunteer military. No one comes to your door and tells you that you have been chosen to shoulder the burden of protecting that which we all hold dear. It is a burden welcomed by our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen,” said Dodd. “And if all they did was to raise their hands, we would owe them a profound debt of gratitude. But for those who do volunteer, military service isn’t just a patriotic obligation – it’s an honor and a way of life. And our men and women in uniforms fulfill their duties with unparalleled skill and pride.”

November 10, 2009

A resolution introduced by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) to empower and strengthen the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) passed the Senate last night by unanimous consent.

“If U.S. development policy and, by extension, U.S. foreign policy is to succeed in the long run, USAID must be an independent body that can advocate for what it knows best—how to effectively deliver and implement U.S. foreign assistance. It must have a meaningful seat at the table,” said Dodd, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a Senate floor statement. “It has long been understood that international development is a critically important aspect of our foreign policy. It was high time we matched this reality with a real and meaningful commitment.”

Dodd: “Vaccines should go to people who need them most, not people who happen to work on Wall Street”

November 5, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) demanded an immediate explanation from federal officials today after reports that Wall Street firms are in possession of H1N1 vaccines despite widespread shortages that have left the most vulnerable members of the public unable to get vaccinated. In his letter to officials, Dodd stressed that several hospitals in Connecticut alone do not have enough vaccines to meet demand, and that several schools in Connecticut have been closed due to the spread of the virus among Connecticut children.

November 2, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today praised the Peace Corps’ announcement that the organization will be reestablishing a program in Sierra Leone.

“The Peace Corps’ return to Sierra Leone after a 16-year absence is a testament to the progress Sierra Leone has made in recent years, and a critical development in U.S.-Sierra Leonean relations,” said Dodd. “I wish this first group of Peace Corps volunteers luck, and look forward to hearing of their many successes.”

October 28, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Obama signed into law the Department of Defense Authorization bill, legislation that included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Amendment. Dodd was an original cosponsor of the underlying legislation, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

“Hate crimes destroy families, damage communities, and offend our core American values,” said Dodd. “The shared values that define us as Americans are stronger than our differences. This legislation makes it clear that in a country where so much unites us, there is simply no place for hatred and discrimination, and I applaud the President for signing this important measure into law today.”

October 23, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today praised the historic passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Amendment, which passed last night as part of the Department of Defense Authorization bill. Dodd was an original cosponsor of the underlying legislation, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

“The passage of this long-overdue measure makes a statement that this Senate considers hate crimes to be not just an affront to these families and our communities, but to our core American values,” said Dodd. “The shared values and shared destiny that define us as Americans are stronger than our differences. This amendment makes it clear that in a country where so much unites us, there is simply no place for hatred and discrimination.”

October 8, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) issued the following statement following back-to-back floor speeches from women Democratic Senators emphasizing the benefits of health insurance reform for women and highlighting the need to provide maternal health benefits as part of that reform. The floor speeches are in response to recent comments from Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) that health insurers should not have to cover basic maternal care since he, as a man, would never need it.

October 6, 2009

In honor of their work combating violence and oppression against journalists around the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) was awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights yesterday.

CPJ executive director Joel Simon, founder Michael Massing and Mariane Pearl, the wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, spoke at the event, held on the plaza outside the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.

October 6, 2009

Speaking at an award ceremony for the Committee to Protect Journalists Monday, Mariane Pearl, the author and wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, described a private conversation she once had with the famed, and now also slain, Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya.

"She told me, 'You know Mariane, I don't want to go back to Chechnya. I have a family. I want to go home. I am tired. I don't want to see people suffer anymore. I can't take it anymore.

Legislation named in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter killed on the job in Pakistan

October 1, 2009

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, legislation that would direct the State Department to include information relating to freedom of the press worldwide in annual country reports on human rights practices.