Dodd Plans to Keep Chairing Banking Committee

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said he will continue to serve as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, ending weeks of speculation that he might jump to another committee to work full-time on healthcare reform. "The banking committee is of vital importance to Connecticut," said Sen. Dodd who is up from re-election next year. He noted his the committee's efforts to advocate for consumers dealing with "greedy" lenders and that the committee has "more work to do to create an independent consumer financial protection agency." Following the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sen. Dodd could have become the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee and the Connecticut senator said he will continue to play a leadership role in passing healthcare reform. He said both economic recovery efforts and healthcare reform are critical issues for him and his constituency.