Minority Press Releases
DODD MOVING FORWARD ON FINANCIAL REFORM
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) issued the following statement on the status of Financial Reform in the Senate. "Last night, Senator Shelby assured me that he is still committed to finding a consensus on Financial Reform, but for now we have reached an impasse." "While I still hope that we will ultimately have a consensus package, it is time to move the process forward." "I have instructed my staff to begin drafting legislation to present to th… Continue Reading
February 4, 2010
DODD CONTINUES TO PRESS NEED FOR FINANCIAL REFORM
WASHINGTON - Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) held his committee's second hearing on recent proposals by the Obama Administration to rein in Wall Street Banks and made the case for urgent action on financial reform. "… nearly two years after the collapse of Bear Stearns, we still have not updated the laws governing our financial sector, leaving our fragile economy with the same vulnerabilities that led to the economic crisis in the first place," Dodd warned. … Continue Reading
February 2, 2010
DODD HOLDS 1ST HEARING ON NEW PROPOSALS TO REIN IN WALL STREET
WASHINGTON - Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) held a hearing on recent proposals by the Obama Administration to rein in Wall Street Banks. "The Obama administration has proposed bold steps to make the financial system less risky. We welcome those ideas," said Dodd. "The first would prohibit banks - or financial institutions that contain banks - from owning, investing in, or sponsoring a hedge fund, a private equity fund, or any proprietary trading operation unrelat… Continue Reading
January 28, 2010
SENATE PASSES DODD-SHELBY IRAN SANCTIONS BILL
WASHINGTON - Today the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Dodd-Shelby Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act. "The Iranian regime has engaged in serious human rights abuses against its own citizens, funded terrorist activity throughout the Middle East, and pursued illicit nuclear activities posing a serious threat to the security of the United States and our allies," said Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. "With passage of this bill, we … Continue Reading
January 28, 2010
DODD STATEMENT ON BERNANKE CONFIRMATION VOTE
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) called on the Senate to vote to confirm Ben Bernanke for a second term as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System during the Senate debate on that nomination. "I am a strong supporter of this nomination, and I want to explain why," Dodd said. "Over the last year, the chairmanship of Ben Bernanke has in no small measure made it possible for this nation to avoid a catastrophe that I think would… Continue Reading
January 27, 2010
DODD, REED PRAISE SEC DECISION ON CLIMATE RISK DISCLOSURE
WASHINGTON - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) praised the Securities and Exchange Commission's decision to encourage companies to appropriately disclose climate-related issues facing their business. While climate change and laws to deal with climate change have the potential to seriously effect business operations, little information has been available to investors in the past. "Climate … Continue Reading
January 23, 2010
DODD AND GREGG ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT EXPRESSING CONFIDENCE THAT BERNANKE WILL WIN CONFIRMATION VOTE
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Banking Committee Member Judd Gregg (R-NH) issued a joint statement on their confidence that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be confirmed by the Senate for a second term. "In the last few days there have been a flurry of media reports on Chairman Bernanke's confirmation prospects, highlighting a very vocal opposition. Chairman Bernanke has done an excellent job responding to one of the most significant fi… Continue Reading
January 21, 2010
DODD STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT’S FINANCIAL REFORM MEASURES
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) joined President Obama at the White House for an announcement of a proposal to impose new restrictions on the size and scope of financial firms to rein in excessive risk taking and to protect taxpayers. "The financial crisis highlighted the dangers of excessive risk taking by financial institutions. I agree with President Obama that taxpayers should not be underwriting these risky activities. Companies that choose to t… Continue Reading
January 14, 2010
DODD CALLS ON CREDIT CARD COMPANIES TO WAIVE FEES ON DONATIONS TO AID HAITI
WASHINGTON - As donations pour in to humanitarian organizations to aid the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) called on credit card companies to waive the transaction fees that prevent the full amount of charitable donations from reaching the intended recipients. For every dollar Americans donate by credit card to the Haitian recovery effort, credit card companies charge the humanitarian organization around three cents in "tr… Continue Reading
January 14, 2010
DODDS SUPPORTS PRESIDENT’S FEE TO RECOUP TARP FUNDS
WASHINGTON - Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) voiced his strong support for the President's proposal for a Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee that would require the largest and most highly leveraged Wall Street firms to pay back taxpayers for the extraordinary assistance provided so that the TARP program does not add to the deficit. "The President has it right," said Dodd. "Wall Street owes a great debt to the American public and we have the right and the obligatio… Continue Reading
January 6, 2010
DODD REMARKS ON SENATE RETIREMENT
Photos of Senator Dodd Throughout His Career Available Here EAST HADDAM, CT-"Every six years over the past three decades, I have invited you to join me at our home to share in my decision to seek election and re-election to the United States Senate. On each of these occasions I have begun my remarks by observing that every important journey in life begins and ends at home. Today is no exception. What is different about today, however, is not to announce the beginning of yet anot… Continue Reading
December 23, 2009
DODD AND SHELBY ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON THE PROGRESS OF FINANCIAL REFORM
WASHINGTON - Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) issued a joint statement on the progress being made on financial reform. "The economic crisis our country faced over the last year exposed serious weaknesses in our financial regulatory structure." "The lesson was clear. Our country needs financial regulatory reform and we are committed to working together on legislation to create a sound regulatory structure." "In this … Continue Reading
December 17, 2009
SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE APPROVES BERNANKE
WASHINGTON - Today the Senate Banking Committee approved the nomination of Ben Bernanke to continue as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on a vote of 16 to 7. President Obama announced Bernanke's reappointment on August 25th. The nomination will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration. "As I have said, I will vote to pass that nomination out of this committee and to the full Senate," said Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Com… Continue Reading
December 14, 2009
DODD STATEMENT ON CITIBANK REPAYING TARP FUNDS
WASHINGTON - Today, Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, issued the following statement on the announcement that Citibank would repay $20 billion in TARP funds. "We provided this assistance to avert an economic collapse. It worked, and today's announcement by Citibank is another sign that things are turning around on Wall Street," said Dodd. "But it is little consolation to taxpayers that Citi's stock is up 20% when they face unemployment rates of over 10%. Now th… Continue Reading
December 11, 2009
DODD APPLAUDS FEINBERG CAP ON EXECUTIVE PAY FOR TARP RECIPIENTS
WASHINGTON - Today, Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT), congratulated Ken Feinberg, Special Master for Executive Pay in the Obama Administration, on news that he has set $500,000 salary limits for employees at four companies that received "exceptional" U.S. bailout funds. "This holiday season, millions of Americans are struggling with tight budgets," said Dodd. "I appreciate Mr. Feinberg's continued efforts to rein in outrageous compensation so that folks running companies that c… Continue Reading
December 8, 2009
DODD, MENENDEZ APPLAUD ADMINISTRATION’S TRANSIT SAFETY PLAN, WILL PUSH FOR TRANSIT INVESTMENTS IN NEW JOBS BILL
WASHINGTON - Today, as the Obama Administration unveiled a proposal for federal transit safety regulation and began to outline a potential jobs bill for the new year, the Chairmen of the Senate Committee and Subcommittee that oversee transit called for the jobs bill to include additional funding to help strengthen our nation's transit systems. Chris Dodd (D-CT) Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing, T… Continue Reading
December 3, 2009
DODD SUPPORTS BERNANKE’S CONFIRMATION
WASHINGTON - Today Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, announced his support for Ben Bernanke to continue serving as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. "Today, we are faced with two separate questions," Dodd began. "First, should Ben Bernanke, our nominee, stay on as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve? And second, as this Committee works to create a financial regulatory structure for the 21st century, what should be the role of the institution that the nominee would… Continue Reading
November 20, 2009
DODD ANNOUNCES DATE FOR BERNANKE CONFIRMATION HEARING
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced that the Committee will hold a hearing on December 3rd to consider President Obama's nomination of Ben Bernanke to continue as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Read Dodd's August 24th Statement on Bernanke's appointment: http://banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Newsroom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=12aa6b7c-07cc-1bfb-09a2-6439994588cd&Region_id=&Issue_id=… Continue Reading
November 19, 2009
DODD OPENS COMMITTEE MARKUP OF FINANCIAL REFORM LEGISLATION
WASHINGTON - This morning, Senate Banking Committee Chris Dodd (D-CT) delivered opening remarks as the Committee began debate on his Restoring American Financial Stability Act, a comprehensive bill to reform our financial system. "The security of our economy is at stake. This is one of those moments in our nation's history that compels us to be bold," said Dodd. "The American people have been through a lot over the past year. There is not a Senator in this room who doesn't hear the… Continue Reading
November 17, 2009
DODD CALLS FOR FURTHER ACTION TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM BANKS’ OUTRAGEOUS OVERDRAFT FEES
WASHINGTON - Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) called for further action to protect consumers from outrageous fees charged to bank customers enrolled in overdraft coverage programs at a hearing on the issue. The committee questioned witnesses from Citibank, the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, the Center for Responsible Lending, and the Consumer Federation of America. Mario Livieri, a Connecticut consumer, told his story of his being hit with $140 in fees before he knew h… Continue Reading