Chris Dodd

A year later, taxpayers are forced to pump billions of dollars into our major banking institutions to keep them afloat.

People are furious right now, and they should be.

The administration had expressed reservations about the amendment. They came to us and asked for modifications.

The alternative was losing, in my view, the entire section on executive excessive compensation. Given the choice -- this is not an uncommon occurrence here -- I agreed to a modification in the legislation, reluctantly.

When I left the Senate, it was not in there. So, when I wrote the language, there was no such language like that. I can't point a finger at someone who offered the change at all.

If this is the way Wall Street and AIG and all the others continue to do business, we cannot help with any amount of money we put forth to them.

The only reason that they even have a job is because of the taxpayers and their ability to put forth money to this.

We need tough insurance regulations that promote common sense and prevent Wall Street from building castles in the sand at Main Street's expense.

This is incredibly unacceptable, and the fact is that these companies going broke, companies like AIG, it makes perfect sense to me now.

We should not be financing one dime of bonuses for AIG employees, for executives whose actions took the form of reckless endangerment.

We can design that system if we focus on doing what is best for the American people and the U.S. economy in the long run.

The American people, as we all understand, are outraged, and they should be.

This gets you over a hump but doesn't deal with the long-term problems.

Preserving, renewing, and reinvesting in our nation's infrastructure is absolutely inextricably linked to the economic well-being of our nation.

I am particularly heartened that you responded favorably to the issue of the bias that occurs bureaucratically between modes of transportation.

I think all of us appreciate very much your knowledge of these issues.

Thank you very much.

If we all of a sudden fundamentally alter this funding scheme, then the idea of doing one of the things we are talking about is dealt a significant blow.

I was disappointed that the administration's budget included a provision that would weaken these guarantees.

This is not a question of being anti-highway. We understand that.

Our communities are moving way ahead of us and we need to catch up with them.

As Chairman of this Committee, I intend to make public transportation a priority.

I have written President Obama, urging him to establish a White House Office of Sustainable Development.

Transit is a fundamental building block of economic growth.

Federal leadership in transportation is one of the keys to getting our economy growing again.