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.

I want you at that table. So I am going to be insistent that you be at that table as these debates and discussions go forward.

In my view, the Secretary of State's leadership is key, and a well-coordinated strategy including aggressive diplomatic initiatives... is absolutely essential.

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

I don't think it's overstating the case to say that you will be inheriting some of the largest and most difficult international challenges the United States has faced in over half a century.

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

The world is now, as Senator Dodd said, in the crosscurrents of the most severe global economic contraction since the Great Depression.

This crisis has inflicted serious and wide-reaching damage from which no nation is immune.

I am fully confident that under your leadership we can restore not only American foreign policy but also our leadership in the world.

grave questions remain as to whether or not we have chosen our battles correctly, pursued the right strategy, defined the right goals.

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

The threat of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction still loom large.

If we do our job correctly as we begin a new Presidency and a new Congress, we stand on the brink of a new era of American diplomacy.

This committee and the Congress in its role in foreign policy has been at its strongest when we've been bipartisan.

Opening statement of Senator Dodd

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

the country has been facing a growing housing problem that had its origins in the scourge of predatory lending.

I think Senator Lugar, again, spoke for the committee in expressing our desire to have a Secretary of State in place and ready to go as rapidly as possible.

I believe most Americans perceive that, for the last 8 years, we've had a government that has stood with the wealthy and the powerful and ignored the needs of working families.

I look forward to working with you to restore OSHA to its mission of protecting all American workers.

Today, unemployment is rising. Incomes are stagnating--while at the same time the cost of health care, housing, education, and even groceries are skyrocketing.

Thank you, Congresswoman Solis, for the time you will take today to answer our questions and discuss the vital work that goes on at the Department of Labor.

I strongly believe that the creation of good-paying, green collar jobs is critical to both our economic and energy security.

I have grown deeply concerned about the direction the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has taken.

I think it's, from my perspective, perhaps the very best appointment that President-elect Obama has made.