Joseph Biden

New programs similar to those provided to World War II-era veterans

February 29, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), announced his continuing support today for a comprehensive educational benefits package for returning veterans. Sen. Biden is a cosponsor of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S.    » read more »

February 27, 2008 -- Washington, DC – United States Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Kit Bond (R-MO), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) sent a letter today to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, calling for the Department of Defense to investigate repeated delays in getting wartime equipment to our troops on the frontlines.    » read more »

February 13, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) chaired a Committee hearing today on the Administration’s foreign affairs budget and foreign policy priorities. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified at the hearing.

Chairman Biden’s prepared remarks are included below:

“Secretary Rice, welcome back to the Committee.    » read more »

Biden Legislation to Completely Eliminate the Unjust 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Sentencing Structure and Replace with 1-to-1 System

February 12, 2008 -- Washington, DC – At a hearing addressing the federal cocaine sentencing laws today, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) called for an end to the current crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity. Currently, it takes 100 times more powder cocaine than crack to trigger the five- and ten-year mandatory minimum sentences under federal law.    » read more »

February 11, 2008 -- Washington, DC -- Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today, honoring the life of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA):

“Tom Lantos was one of my closest friends in life. He and his wife Annette, both survivors of the Holocaust, defined the resilience of the human spirit in a way few words can express. He taught me, as Elie Wiesel said, that “Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.”    » read more »

February 7, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) today introduced a resolution expressing condolences for the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and urging a concerted effort on the part of Pakistan and the United States to ensure that the government of Pakistan returns to the democratic path in the wake of her assassination.    » read more »

February 6, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Following recent statements by the U.S. Attorney General and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) reiterated his call for the Senate to support the National Security with Justice Act (S.1876), legislation that prohibits all United States personnel from using on a detainee any interrogation technique not expressly authorized by the Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation.    » read more »

February 4, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and author of the landmark 1994 Crime Bill, Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), criticized President Bush's FY 2009 Budget Proposal today because it fails to fund critical law enforcement and crime prevention programs.

“This President is out of touch with reality if he thinks we can keep crime down and our neighborhoods safe, while at the same time denying our folks in law enforcement the tools and resources they need to do their job,” said Senator Joe Biden.    » read more »

February 4, 2008 -- Washington, DC – United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and author of the landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) took the Administration to task today for drastic cuts in funding for crucial domestic violence programs.    » read more »

February 1, 2008 -- Washington, DC - Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) called on the President today to restore funding for critical law enforcement and crime prevention programs - the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.    » read more »

January 31, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement on the President’s signing statement asserting that he is not bound by the provision in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that bars the use of appropriated funds in this Act for the construction of permanent American military bases and U. S. control over Iraqi oil resources:    » read more »

January 31, 2008 -- Washington, DC – At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan today, Committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) proposed a new strategy for success in Afghanistan, involving 1) establishing security on the ground; 2) improving reconstruction efforts; and 3) getting our counter-narcotics strategy right. Sen. Biden delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on Afghanistan:

“As I see it, here’s the situation in Afghanistan:    » read more »

Badge Honors Exceptional Acts of Bravery in the Line of Duty

January 29, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Today Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) introduced the Federal Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act (S.2565). This bipartisan legislation establishes an award that honors federal law enforcement officers who perform exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty.    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) are introducing a bipartisan resolution today urging the members of the international community, including the United States, to provide the resources the African Union and United Nations need to carry out their joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur.    » read more »

January 24, 2008 -- Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) sent the following letter in December 2007 to the President regarding a White House plan for a new, long-term security agreement with the Iraqi government. To date, Sen. Biden has not received a response.

December 19, 2007

The President
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:    » read more »