Chris Dodd

He has been tremendously helpful as we have worked together, through my 37 or 38 months as chairman of the committee, very closely on the housing issues, on the credit card legislation. There have been some 42 measures that have come…

I hope we can stay away from filibusters and get everybody to have an up-or-down vote. This is a very important bill, and it is also about how this institution functions and whether we trust each other to be able to offer an amendment…

One of the important things about this amendment is this: There will be amendments offered in which we will take things out of the bill or put things in, but this is an idea which has great value as a freestanding idea in many ways. That…

I thank the Senator from Texas and the Senator from Montana and the others involved. This is a very constructive amendment and a very solid idea to add to the bill. It alleviates the burden financially on smaller institutions. It adds that…

I know there are others as well. The Boxer amendment I hope we can get up. Senator Shelby and I have worked on a larger amendment to deal with the too-big-to-fail provisions. Again, all of us want to see language, but let me say in the…

I support the amendment. I think this is a strong amendment that will require the FDIC...to change how it charges for deposit insurance...This is a great help to community banks across the country...The change will help ease the burden of…

Let me emphasize again my hope that today and over the weekend and Monday, Members who have amendments to this bill, Democrats and Republicans, if they would let us know what those amendments are so we can begin to process them and…

I agree with everything he just said. I hope that mentality and attitude will prevail in the coming week or two we are going to be engaged in this discussion. ... Canada has a much smaller economy. Obviously, it is a smaller country than…

I have always said, there is nothing wrong with partisanship. In fact, the country was not built on anything but partisanship. It was the contest of ideas. But the ability to have a civil debate in the context of some partisan ideas, with…

I think we have done that work, but I respect the fact that others may have additional ideas to make this work even better. I know he raised the issue here, and we are going to try to work over this weekend to try to put together the legal…

I begin by thanking and commending my colleague from Alabama. We have disagreements about this bill. He is a good friend and someone I work with closely, as we will on this bill as we move forward. We want to accommodate Members on all…

I want to express my strong support for this treaty. And I think we need to move on this.

I have great affection for my friend from Nebraska and I appreciate his comments about the bill. He wants to fix the bill. That is a noble goal. And the way to fix the bill, of course, is to begin debating the bill. So I am delighted to…

If you get that wrong, it doesn't make any difference what you do on the other end.

I spent a lot of time and started the Children's Caucus with Arlen Specter in the Senate.

Education begins at birth, not when children show up in your schools.

I wrote the Family and Medical Leave Act, which took 7 years, several vetoes.

I will try and be brief with my colleagues.

I think would be unwise to change the current filibuster rule threshold and limit the rights of the Minority.

For over two centuries, the Senate has been the bulwark within our democratic political process of Minority rights and the freedom of speech.

The Founders intended the Senate as a continuing body that allows for open and unlimited debate, and the protection of Minority rights.

I worry deeply that we may change that in such a way that the Senate would lose the essence of its existence.

That fence is the United States Senate.

I'm delighted to be here this afternoon and to introduce, along with obviously Joe, my great pal and friend here.

I want to congratulate President Obama for this excellent nomination.