Chris Dodd

We must work together to address the challenges we face.

Regulatory modernization will be a priority in the 111th Congress and I look forward to joining them in this important debate.

I appreciate Senator Shelby has shared his thoughts with me, as well--that we tried 2 years ago to raise the issue, the closure issue, on numerous occasions in this very room, and had very little response to it.

President Bush has made the request. President-elect Obama has endorsed the request, and said that this is a tool that he needs as the President-elect coming in.

I think we really do need to think about it.

I would like to create an entirely new process within the Commission so that these matters are centralized.

We have to go with full force and fervor against anyone who violates investors' trust.

I want to hear from you that you are willing to take no prisoners and question everything about the way the industry does business.

We need to do it soon, in my view.

We are going to be watching very carefully the TARP program.

The SEC is supposed to be the cop on the beat, but it seems to have been off duty for the past few years.

The SEC is in dire need of a strong leader who is not afraid to make drastic changes and tough decisions.

This is a huge set of issues with a lot of work to do.

The SEC should be, and it used to be, about providing protections for our investors and our markets.

Halting this program would, in my view, be the height of irresponsibility.

The choice of Dr. Rice for this elevated position is further evidence of the Obama's administration commitment to a renewed diplomatic and multilateral presence on the world stage.

I believe that President-elect Obama has made an outstanding choice in Dr. Susan Rice.

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations is, without question, one of the most important national security and diplomatic posts in the administration.

I commend the President for suggesting your nomination to us, and we all look forward to working with you.

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. I'll be very, very brief.

If we get the challenge of educating our children right--and I believe we can--everything else will follow.

Today, we all recognize that if our children fall behind for a decade, America falls behind for a century.

We ought to help get the President's cabinet in place as quickly as possible.

I think it is very important that you utilize those skills and find means by which you can be heard.

What you saw in HOPE for Homeowners was sort of a creation created by a Committee, which is not always the best way to operate, but trying to fashion something that would gather 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to get us through.