Chair's Press

The FDA is responsible for assuring the safety of the food we eat, and the medicines we rely on to keep us healthy. An FDA Commissioner must have the vision to lead, the competence to make crucial public health decisions, and the integrity to keep FDA’s decisions free from political manipulation. I look forward to a careful evaluation of Dr....

Washington, DC: Today, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee continued its negotiations of a Republican plan that would raise the premiums and lower the benefits for millions of Americans who already have health coverage today. Although the bill has been presented as legislation for small businesses, the effects of this bill go...

“By rejecting our amendment, the Republican Senate turned its back on countless struggling students in communities around the country. It’s wrong to deny them the help they need to afford the skyrocketing cost of college. Locking the door to the American dream can only make America a lesser nation in the years ahead.” ###

“By rejecting our amendment, the Republican Senate turned its back on countless struggling students in communities around the country. It’s wrong to deny them the help they need to afford the skyrocketing cost of college. Locking the door to the American dream can only make America a lesser nation in the years ahead.” ###

Money isn’t everything, but it’s a measure of a nation’s priorities. Budgets are moral documents. They represent who we are, and what we value. Just six weeks ago, the President delivered a State of the Union Address that gave hope to many of us in Congress for a budget that meets the needs of the American people. The President...

Washington: DC: Today at his address before the National Newspaper Association’s Government Affairs Conference, President Bush responded to a question on health care and touted the Republican association health care plan being debated in the Senate. Senator Kennedy, who is leading the fight against this plan, responded with the following...

I commend our colleagues for all their work on this legislation and their commitment to strengthening pensions. Millions of Americans are increasingly concerned about their retirement security, and rightly so. For years, each leg of the three-legged stool of retirement—private pensions, private savings, and Social Security—has been...

Washington, DC: Today the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee is considering a Republican plan that would raise the premiums and lower the benefits for millions of Americans who already have health coverage today. Although the bill has been presented as legislation for small businesses, the effects of this bill go far beyond the...

Today’s Senate action to move to debate on increasing funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for this winter will hopefully become a step in the right direction. Democrats have pressed for months to increase funds for LIHEAP to the authorized level of $5.1 billion. We’ve urged the Republican leadership and the President...

KENNEDY, COLLEAGUES CALL FOR AN EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE BUDGET THAT AMERICA DESERVESWashington, D.C.--Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy joined Senators Boxer, Harkin and Stabenow and Congressmen Chris Van Hollen and Xavier Becerra, and hundreds of students and workers to rally against the Bush Administration’s budget that slashes vital...

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee), today applauded the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office for issuing a “Call to Action” to encourage Americans to step up efforts to combat underage drinking and alcohol abuse...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on the release of the Mine Safety Health Administration’s emergency temporary standard on mine evacuation: “The temporary rule is a welcome improvement in mine evacuation readiness, but it fails to deal with the many safety hazards that cause mine...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on the naming of pension conferees: “I am pleased that we are starting the conference on the pension bill. Millions of hardworking Americans fear that their secure retirement might disappear, and they are depending on Congress to act to protect their...

We must do everything in our power to see that not a single life is lost in mining because of ineffective enforcement, outdated technology, or inadequate safety standards. Twenty-four miners have already died this year, 21 of them in coal mines, just one short of the total number of coal mine deaths for all of last year. Today we must ask where...

Washington, D.C. – Today, under the leadership of Senators Enzi and Kennedy, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held the first hearing on the reauthorization of the “Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act,” (RWCA). Believing that this issue is too important to be slowed by politics,...

Washington, D.C. – With the release of America’s Second Harvest’s recent hunger report, Senator Edward M. Kennedy continued the call for an increased minimum wage and denounced President Bush’s budget cuts to low-income programs. America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest organization of emergency food...

Washington, DC: Today Senator Kennedy and Senator Dodd sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Leavitt urging him to stop a provision in the FDA drug labeling regulation that would undermine State consumer protection laws, including product liability laws. The Senators ask Secretary Leavitt to explain the justification behind...

Boston, MA—Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy was at Northeastern University to deliver a major address on his plan to reinvest in America’s competitiveness and turn around damaging impact of the global economy. He was joined by President Richard Freeland, business leaders, students and educators to share his ideas of how to this country...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on a new report on the rising costs of health care: "Today's report shows that health care costs are out of control, but all the Bush Administration has to offer are gimmicks that make working families pay more for the health care they need, and do nothing to...

Washington, DC —Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement on the indictment of a former foreman at Sago Mine: “The indictment raises more questions about the safety record at Sago Mine. Mine inspectors must be qualified, and mining companies must be diligent in their oversight and follow-up of inspections. Mining...