Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) confidently says, “This Congress, this Presidency, are going to sign into law a national health care program for all Americans.” (0:15)

 

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At a press conference Thursday marking the release of the Senate health care bill, HELP Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) says, “This is an opportunity that comes oh so rarely to any Congress to make a difference for 100% of your fellow citizens…[to] improve the quality of life for every single American for decades to come.” (0:34)

 

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Rep. Chris Dodd (D-CT) announces that Iran must make a clear choice: come clean or be sanctioned. (0:41)

 

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“I am committed, as I think my colleagues are as well, to ensuring that this Congress equips this President with all of the tools he needs to confront the threats posed by Iran,” Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) said during a hearing Tuesday. (1:00)

 

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Filmmaker Michael Moore warned Congressional Democrats Tuesday that their re-elections could be at stake if they fail to deliver a public option and stronger financial regulation.

“When [voters] see a hypocrite … they will be relentless in working against you, even if it means the Democrat doesn’t win,” Moore said during a speech hosted by the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen.

“We’ll find Republicans who are smart enough to realize that the majority of Americans want universal health care,” Moore added.

Moore singled out Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) as one member of Congress particularly vulnerable to being ousted in 2010.

The filmmaker also criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the health care reform debate.

“It saddens me when I see you, President Obama, out there stumping for health care reform. There is no enthusiastic support for your position,” Moore said. “The reason for that… is that you started with a compromise.”

“Anybody who’s negotiated anything knows you don’t start with your final position,” Moore said. “You started in a place where you had no wiggle room.”

Moore directed the controversial documentaries “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11.” His next film, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” will be released Friday.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) praised the contributions of Senate Republicans to the markup of the Affordable Health Choices Act, noting that the act includes 160 Republican added amendments. “I know that some of our Republican friends don’t want to admit their contribution, but they made good contributions to the bill, and we listened,” Dodd said. (0:27)

 

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By Mariko Lamb- Talk Radio News Service

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md) praised the Affordable Health Choices Act that passed through the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) Wednesday.

“We’re not going to sit with the status quo. We’re moving ahead with healthcare reform,” said Senator Harkin.

“[The bill] offers to fix what is broken in our healthcare system without ruining that which works in our nation,” said Dodd. “It offers every American choice, stability, and lower costs.”

Although the bill passed through the committee with a 13-10 vote, not one Republican member voted in favor of the legislation. Regardless, Dodd praised the Republicans’ contribution to the markup of the bill, which includes 160 Republican added amendments. “I know that some of our Republican friends don’t want to admit their contribution, but they made good contributions to the bill, and we listened,” he said.

“Now is the time to rejoice on what we’ve done, but the battle must go on,” said Mikulski. HELP’s Affordable Health Choices Act is expected to be merged with a healthcare bill by the Senate Finance Committee, which is under pressure from President Obama to release its version as early as next week.

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

Senate Democrats are pushing to get a health care reform bill moving forward and closer to passage. Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) held a press conference Wednesday to discuss the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s efforts to improve the healthcare system. Dodd is leading the committee’s mark-up of the health reform bill and said over 200 amendments to the bill have been made in the past five days.

The Senators appeared in front of an ambulance that featured the words “Pass Health Care Reform.” The ambulance from Families USA included a ticker of the number of families losing health care coverage.

“The present situation on health care is not just unacceptable, it’s unsustainable from an economic standpoint. You cannot have as much of our gross domestic product be consumed by health care costs [that are] mounting everyday in this nation and expect our economy to thrive and prosper in the years ahead. This is the issue that makes our economic recovery, in the long term, the most difficult,” said Dodd.

Murray said reform is not just for the uninsured since families with health care coverage are having to pay for those without. The current system is not working, according to Murray, who assured that Congress will “do what’s right for America.”

Dodd said he would like to have the bill out of the committee before the Senate’s July 4th recess, but noted that doing so may pose a challenge.

“I would love to complete all of it but realistically it may be impossible to get all of that done,” said Dodd. “I hope during the 4th of July break what we have done already could be melded with what the Finance Committee is dealing with so they don’t lose the opportunity of time over the following week.”

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) says the current situation of the health care system is unacceptable, particularly from an economic standpoint. He said that this issue is vital to restoring the U.S. economy. (0:21)

 

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During a press conference Wednesday, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) says the current health care system is broken and that 14,000 people a day lose their health care coverage. (0:48)

 

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