Joseph Biden

May 21, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) held a hearing this morning entitled, “Defense Trade Cooperation with the United Kingdom and Australia.” The Committee heard testimony from John C. Rood, Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs at the State Department.

The full text of Sen. Biden’s opening statement from this morning’s hearing is below:

“Forty years ago, the Arms Export Control Act was enacted to fashion an orderly process for promoting U.S. arms sales while preventing the spread of advanced military technology and equipment to our enemies or to countries that might misuse those exports.    » read more »

The Center for American Progress, May 20, 2008

May 20, 2008 -- I want to thank John Podesta for bringing me here today and the entire team at the Center for American Progress for the work you do every day to move our country in a better direction.

John McCain and George W. Bush: Photo by talkradionews (CC)

We often talk about post-presidencies. John has had the most successful post-chief-of staff-dom I can think of. His work outside of the White House has been as important as his work inside the White House. John, progressives everywhere are in your debt.    » read more »

May 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Joseph Biden (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and John Kerry (D-MA) sent a letter to President Bush today calling for the administration to take specific actions to help resolve the crisis in Tibet, including making a presidential visit to Tibet during the Olympics, establishing a consulate in Lhasa and calling for expanded access to the region for international humanitarian officials and journalists.

The full text of the letter follows:

May 9, 2008

The President

The White House

Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:    » read more »

April 29, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of their resolution expressing strong support for NATO's statement at the recent Bucharest Summit that the Alliance welcomes the eventual membership of Ukraine and Georgia.

The resolution (S. Res 523), which passed last night, is co-sponsored by Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), Barack Obama (D-IL), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Gordon Smith (R-OR), George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA).    » read more »

Effort Calls for Increased Funding for Community Oriented Policing Services Program

April 9 ,2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is urging his Senate colleagues to fully fund a program that provides critical resources to train new law enforcement officers, invest in crime-fighting technologies, fight methamphetamine abuse, and support a range of additional law enforcement priorities.

Wisconsin police motorcycle: Photo by Michael Pereckas (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Joseph Biden released a report detailing the lack of American leadership in the Iraqi refugee crisis. An estimated two million Iraqi refugees have been displaced from their homes and are living in Syria and Jordan, with another two million displaced within Iraq.

A young Iraqi refugee in Syria: An Iraqi refugee boy stands beside his mother, who holds her registration certificate from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Photo by Catholic Relief Services (CC)    » read more »

"Good morning. I'm Joe Biden, Democratic Senator from Delaware and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In January 2007, President Bush announced the surge of an additional 30,000 American forces into Iraq. Next week, the President is expected to tell the American people what comes next. It's an important moment for America's future.

"The purpose of the surge was to bring violence in Iraq down so that its leaders could come together politically. Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together. The country remains terribly divided among Sunni, Shi'a and Kurds. There is little evidence the Iraqis will settle their differences peacefully any time soon.    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- BIDEN: “This Administration Continues to Define Success in Iraq Downward. Treading Water Does Not Equal Progress.”

Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement after President Bush delivered a speech on Iraq:

“President Bush failed again today to address the question most Americans want answered: what is this Administration’s plan for ending the war?

“The surge has helped bring violence down, but when it ends, we will be right back where we started: with 130,000 troops in Iraq, with the country no closer to self-sustaining stability and with no end in sight for America.    » read more »

“Treading Water in Iraq Does Not Equal Progress”

March 18, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War:    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Earlier today, the Senate successfully passed an amendment to restore the full amount of the President’s request – $39.5 billion – to the international affairs budget. This amendment, sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and cosponsored by Ranking Member Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), passed by a vote of 73 – 23. Last week, the Budget Committee reduced the President’s budget request by $4.1 billion. Sen.    » read more »

Biden: “This is a national problem that is going to require a coordinated, national solution.”

March 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Today U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Drugs and Caucus on International Narcotics Control, held a joint hearing entitled “Generation Rx: The Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs.” The hearing focused on the alarming trends associated with abuse rates of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and the need to robustly fund drug education and prevention programs.    » read more »

How We Approach the Upcoming NATO Summit is Critical to the Future of the Alliance

March 11, 2008 -- BIDEN: “We always say that a summit is “critical.” But this one really is – it’s critical to the construction of Europe, to the war in Afghanistan and to the future of the alliance itself.”    » read more »

Holds First in a Series of Hearings to Examine the Use of all Non-Military and Military Resources to Promote Our National Interests

March 5, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) held a hearing today entitled, “Rebuilding America’s ‘Smart Power’” to discuss building back up the non-military tools for our foreign policy. This is the first in a series of hearings Sen. Biden plans to hold in the coming months on the topic of “smart power.”

The full text of Sen. Biden’s opening statement is below:    » read more »

Biden Urges Serbia to Take European Path

March 4, 2008 -- BIDEN: “For eight years now, the people of Kosovo – and the region – have struggled to build their economy and societies on a foundation of uncertainty. Today, we have an opportunity to remove that veil of doubt…Kosovo’s new government must protect the magnificent heritage of Serbia’s past, but we must help safeguard Kosovo’s future.”    » read more »

March 3, 2008 -- Washington, DC –Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement on Sunday’s elections in Russia:

“Dmitry Medvedev is taking over one of the toughest jobs in the world. Russia is facing endemic corruption, demographic collapse, a brewing insurgency in the North Caucasus and spiraling inflation.    » read more »