John Kerry

June 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.-- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement in response Lebanon's successful parliamentary elections:

"Today's parliamentary elections marked a significant step forward for democracy in Lebanon. The people of Lebanon should be commended for rejecting violence and showing their commitment to legitimate political discourse with a spirited campaign and high voter turnout.

“If early results hold, the leaders of the March 14th movement deserve a great deal of credit for persevering through difficult times. They will have our continuing support as they work to build a better future for the Lebanese people.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- BOSTON, MA – Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that The Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust will receive $185 million in funds through the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Water State Revolving Fund” and the “Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.” The funds were made available through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund has awarded $133 million to promote and protect water quality protection projects in Massachusetts through wastewater treatment, pollution control, and watershed and estuary management. In addition, The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund has also provided $52 million to sponsor clean and safe drinking water throughout the Commonwealth.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- BOSTON, MA - Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that Massachusetts will receive $666 million in economic recovery funds through the U.S. Department of Education’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. The funds are being made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year.

The $666 million for Massachusetts will be used to protect and create jobs and improve education in the Commonwealth. The funds are intended to save education jobs and keep teachers in the classroom, modernize and strengthen public schools, and provide support to colleges in the current the economic crisis.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- BOSTON, MA - Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that 50 grantees at seventeen biomedical research and research training institutions in Massachusetts have been awarded a total of $9,902,161 in federal funding. The funds come from the National Institute of Health through a program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support biomedical research projects that will stimulate the economy, create or retain jobs, increase student-teacher training opportunities in all aspects of biomedical research, and make significant scientific progress in the next two years.    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Senator John Kerry today released the following statement on President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

“President Obama has made a history-making selection that meets his own criteria of an excellent mind coupled with real world empathy but also passes Justice Potter Stewart’s famous test of someone who is neither liberal nor conservative but simply a great judge.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, today praised the Obama administration for its plan to establish the first ever nationwide regulation for greenhouse gases. Obama also called for increasing fuel economy standards for new cars and light trucks and pushing up the timeline for implementing those standards.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) released the following statement last week in response to recent charges brought against Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi:

“The Obama Administration and Congress are reviewing America’s policy toward Burma. At this critical time, some in the junta are trying to leverage the recent alleged unauthorized entry into Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound to extend her detention. This action sends precisely the wrong message to the citizens of Burma, the people of Southeast Asia, and all those in the global community who seek for the Burmese people the opportunity to live in a country where universal human rights are respected, not trampled.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 04/22/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today applauded Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) introduction of the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (companion of legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Madeline Bordallo of Guam) on the day before the EU Fisheries Ministers consider a new Plan of Action for Sharks that covers all European Union Member States’ waters.

“Sharks, the top predators in the marine environment, are rapidly disappearing from the world’s oceans,” said Joshua S. Reichert, Managing Director of the Pew Environment Group. “We are hopeful that this week’s events mark a turning point where governments around the world will take concrete steps to stop the widespread killing of these animals.”    » read more »

06/17/2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry today sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to express his grave concerns over the Burmese military junta’s restricting foreign aid to millions devastated by the recent cyclone, and to ask whether the junta’s actions may constitute “crimes against humanity” under international law. Kerry has requested a legal opinion from the State Department.    » read more »

06/17/2008 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to explain the long delays in getting new generic prescription drugs out on the market.

People across Massachusetts and throughout the nation are facing rising costs for medications they depend on every day. For some, especially the elderly and low-income families, affordable generic drugs can be the difference between life and death.

The FDA is currently required to review a generic drug application within 180 days. However, the median approval time for a generic drug application now takes longer than 21 months - well beyond the 180 day requirement. These delays create a serious backlog of applications.    » read more »

06/16/2008 -- BOSTON – Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy today, along with Congressman Edward Markey, announced that Lumus Construction, Inc of Woburn has been awarded at $1.35 million contract from the United States Coast Guard. The contract includes miscellaneous asphalt and concrete repair work at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

“Our young men and women of the Coast Guard need the best possible working and training environment and I’m proud that a Woburn company was chosen to make sure the Academy stays in tip top shape. Winning a competitively rewarded contract is another reminder that Massachusetts can compete and win when it comes to delivering the best possible services for our military,” said Senator Kerry.    » read more »

06/13/2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry today released the following statement in response to the death of Tim Russert:

"Today’s awful news about Tim Russert’s sudden passing is a swift kick for everyone who knew, respected, and loved Tim and had the honor of sharing his company. It's hard to describe the shock.

Tim was the best political newsman of his generation, and he was a trailblazer in the unique way he brought his personal love of politics, honed by Moynihan and Cuomo, right into our living rooms every Sunday.    » read more »

06/12/2008 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today sent a letter to the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), urging her to answer for smoke detectors that have continuously proven to be unsafe. Kerry’s letter is a follow up on a letter sent by Deputy Chief Joseph Fleming of the Boston Fire Department, who raised the issue with the CPSC earlier this year.

In his letter, dated March 12, 2008, Chief Fleming drew attention to safety issues surrounding ionization smoke detectors and asked the CPSC to investigate. The CPSC, which had expressed concerns about the detectors as early as 1995, has failed to investigate or to even respond to Chief Fleming’s concerns.    » read more »

06/09/2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. John Kerry, Bob Menendez, Byron Dorgan, and Frank Lautenberg today introduced legislation that will prohibit the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from using appropriated funds for propaganda and will require the DoD Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to deliver reports to Congress within 90 days.    » read more »

In Next Week's Climate Change Debate, Kerry Amendments will Advance Climate Change Solutions

05/29/2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – As the Bush Administration finally released a key climate change report three years after its required release date, Senator Kerry today addressed the Administration’s report and stressed the urgency of a major policy change to combat global climate change.    » read more »