Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to Secretary Spelling’s announcement on No Child Left Behind this morning. “I’m glad that Secretary Spellings recognizes the need to adjust the No Child Left Behind Act....

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to the FDA’s announcement that they have identified the contaminant in the blood thinner heparin, a chemical compound called oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. Senator Kennedy...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, sent the following letters to the FDA and four industry groups urging an investigation into the sourcing of ingredients used in drugs. The text of the letters are below.

BOSTON, MA- Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, today chaired a Senate field hearing on the challenges of college affordability in today's economy at Northeastern University. In the wake of the turbulence in the credit markets, access to student loan financing is...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to the passage of budget amendment #4023, which will provide an additional $2.1 billion in funding to NIH and $1 billion for LIHEAP. “This vote is a victory in two key areas....

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement in response to budget amendment #4198, which will increase the amount allocated to Indian Health Services by $1 billion. “I strongly support the additional $1 billion provided under this amendment for the Indian Health Services. The funds will be used to...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to the Senate passage of $5.1 billion in LIHEAP funding, which increases the formula allotment for Massachusetts to $154 million. This funding level will provide an average benefit of...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on the breakdown in negotiations between the United Auto Workers and American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc.: “I urge American Axle to work to reach a contract with the UAW. The men and...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act. The bipartisan legislation moves the program beyond the emergency phase of implementation into the sustainability...

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released an investigative report entitled “Report on the August 6, 2007 Disaster At Crandall Canyon Mine.” The report discusses the findings of Chairman Kennedy's investigation into...

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy issued the following statement on the launch of the online rally for paid sick days at EverybodyGetsSick.org. “To help stem the alarming outbreak of flu, health officials are urging sick workers to stay home from their jobs and sick children to stay home from school. But for millions...

BOSTON, MA- Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry today announced $ 3.9 million in federal funding has been awarded to Massachusetts under the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to support food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for persons facing non-disaster related emergencies. “No one in our Commonwealth...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Governor Deval Patrick met with Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to discuss the renewal of Massachusetts’ Medicaid waiver. The waiver helps hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts receive life-saving health care services. Today’s meeting was the first in what...

WASHINGTON, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement today in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Riegel v. Medtronic, which prevents injured patients from suing manufacturers of FDA-approved medical devices. “In enacting legislation on...

(As Prepared for Delivery) I commend Senator Dodd for holding this important hearing. Striking the right balance between work and family is never easy. But it’s especially difficult when serious illness or a medical emergency strikes. In these turbulent economic times, workers face great challenges. More and more families are already...

Washington, D.C.---Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry and Representatives Barney Frank, John Tierney, and William Delahunt today introduced bipartisan legislation to provide low-cost health coverage to fishermen and their families in Massachusetts and other coastal states. For Massachusetts, where the Fishing Partnership Plan currently...

(As Prepared for Delivery) In these hard economic times, Americans are anxious about the future. Balancing the demands of work and family is getting more and more difficult every day. Times are especially hard for families facing a health care crisis.It’s difficult enough to deal with a serious illness in your family without the added worry...

WASHINGTON, DC— On Thursday, February 14th, at 10:00am, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, will hold an executive meeting to mark up following pieces of legislation: S. 579, Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2007, S. 1810, Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions...

Washington, DC – Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder (D-CO), original authors of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act, will hail the law’s 15th anniversary, and critique the Department of Labor's new recommendations about the program at a press conference on Wednesday. They will also highlight the...

I want to thank Senator Sanders for his dedication to this topic and for working so hard on this hearing today. I also want to thank Senators Enzi and Murkowski for their work on this issue. To create a healthy nation we must not only have health care professionals that are excellently trained—we need health care professionals that are...