Chairman's Press
Chairman Kerry On Proceeding To New START
Washington, D.C.-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today released the following statement on the start of debate on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START): "Today the Senate will take up the New START Treaty. This has been a long time coming. The process began last spring. The meetings, briefings, and hearings have been exhaustive. The questions have been answered. The only question that remains is whether or not we will be remembered for approving New … Continue Reading
December 14, 2010
Chairman Kerry Welcomes Floor Debate On New START
Washington, D.C. - Following Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) announcement this afternoon regarding the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released this statement: "This comes down to a question of the Senate's will, not our capacity. The truth is, it's well past time to protect the safety of the American people and reduce the odds of a nuclear catastrophe. Now is the time to put aside political differences an… Continue Reading
December 14, 2010
Chairman Kerry: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Approves Historic Legislation To Combat Violence Against Women And Girls
Washington, D.C. -The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today passed bipartisan legislation written by Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) that will establish a comprehensive, five-year strategy to reduce the levels of violence against women and girls globally. The landmark International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) identifies ways to tackle the global epidemic in order to achieve real progress improving the lives of women and girls worldwide. The Committee passed the legislation by a vote of 11 … Continue Reading
December 14, 2010
Chairman Kerry On The Passing Of Richard Holbrooke
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) tonight released the following statement on the passing of U.S. diplomat and special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke: "This awful news is almost incomprehensible, not least of all because I cannot imagine Richard Holbrooke in anything but a state of perpetual motion. He was always working. He was always a man on a mission, the toughest mission, and that mission was waging peace through tough as… Continue Reading
December 13, 2010
Chairman Kerry Welcomes The Appointment Of Special Advisor For Darfur
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry released the following statement today after the Administration announced the appointment of Ambassador Dane Smith as Special Advisor for Darfur: "I am pleased Special Envoy Scott Gration today announced the appointment of Ambassador Dane Smith as Special Advisor for Darfur. No one should doubt America's commitment to helping create conditions for peace and security in Darfur. The pr… Continue Reading
December 07, 2010
Chairman Kerry Delivers A Speech On U.S.-China Relations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a major speech on China policy today at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) stressed the need for a balanced American policy that recognizes and addresses China's strengths and weaknesses. He also urged the Chinese to use their influence to bring North Korea's behavior into line with international norms and to work together with the United States to address major issues like climate change and n… Continue Reading
December 03, 2010
Chairman Kerry On U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
Washington, DC -Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement this evening after the United States and South Korea reached an agreement on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS): "I am happy to hear that the United States and South Korea have reached a deal on the Korea-U.S. Trade Agreement, and look forward to reviewing the pact and working hard to secure its early ratification. The Obama administration is sparing no effort to send Congress … Continue Reading
December 03, 2010
Chairman Kerry Rebuts Romney’s Recycled, Tired, Debunked Claims About New START Treaty
Washington, DC - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) this afternoon rebutted an op-ed published this morning by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the Boston Globe repeating inaccurate assertions about New START that have already been thoroughly debunked. Chairman Kerry's rebuttal is now also in the Boston Globe. The full text of the op-ed is below: The Boston Globe New START debate: John Kerry responds to Mitt Romney By John F. Kerry The Senate has be… Continue Reading
December 01, 2010
Chairman Kerry: National Lab Directors “Very Pleased,” And Now The Senate Needs To Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said today that the heads of the nation's three primary nuclear weapons laboratories have declared their support for President Obama's updated, 10-year plan to maintain U.S. nuclear weapons. Senator Kerry welcomed the support and said the verdict from the nation's top nuclear weapons experts should help the Senate move forward in ratifying New START, the arms control agreement with Russia. "This le… Continue Reading
December 01, 2010
Chairman Kerry Marks World AIDS Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in honor of World AIDS Day: "Today, on World AIDS Day, we mourn the millions of people who have lost their lives over the decades at the same time we celebrate all that has been accomplished in the fight against this devastating disease. Within the past year, new HIV prevention breakthroughs have been announced. One of them, microbicides, offers women a means of pr… Continue Reading
November 29, 2010
Chairman Kerry’s Floor Statement On New START
Washington, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today delivered remarks regarding the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on the Senate floor. Highlights from Chairman Kerry's remarks as prepared for delivery: "Again and again, senior military leaders have said unambiguously that this treaty does not limit our missile defense plans. So, the chief substantive concern about this treaty has been laid to rest." "One of our most solemn responsibili… Continue Reading
November 29, 2010
Chairman Kerry On International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement in recognition of tomorrow's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: "Violence against women is a human rights problem with far-reaching consequences. When women are subjected to violence, whether in the form of trafficking in persons, domestic violence or rape, entire communities suffer. Such acts impose significant barriers to the achievement of our globa… Continue Reading
November 29, 2010
Statement By Chairman Kerry On Leaked State Department Documents
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement in response to the release of classified State Department documents by WikiLeaks: "The release of classified information under these circumstances is a reckless action which jeopardizes lives by exposing raw, contemporaneous intelligence. This is not an academic exercise about freedom of information and it is not akin to the release of the Pentagon Papers, which involved an analys… Continue Reading
November 22, 2010
Chairman Kerry On North Korea’s Nuclear Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In reaction to reports that North Korea has built a new facility to secretly enrich uranium, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement: "Today's troubling report underscores the need for continued close consultations with South Korea and our other partners with the goal of reconvening multilateral talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's activities should also prompt the UN to reexamine the ef… Continue Reading
November 19, 2010
Senators Kerry and Lugar Call For Free And Transparent Parliamentary Elections In Moldova
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ahead of the November 28 parliamentary elections in Moldova, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) issued the following statements announcing the Senate's passage of a resolution recognizing Moldova's democratic accomplishments and expressing its support for free and transparent elections: "The people and the government of Moldova have overcome a daunting set of economic and political challenges. The success of thes… Continue Reading
November 17, 2010
Chairman Kerry Opening Statement At Nomination Hearing For State Department And USAID Nominees
Washington, DC - This morning, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) chaired a nomination hearing for Thomas Nides to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, William Brownfield to be Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and Paige Eve Alexander to be an Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia for the U.S. Agency fo… Continue Reading
November 16, 2010
Secretary Clinton and Senators Kerry and Lugar To Hold Press Availability On New START
Washington, DC- Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA), and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) will hold a press availability to discuss the need for the Senate to approve the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The availability will take place outside of room S-116 in the U.S. Capitol. New START will advance critical national security objectives: reducing the number of deployed nuclear weapons … Continue Reading
November 16, 2010
Chairman Kerry: “Ratifying New START Is Not A Political Choice, It’s A National Security Imperative”
Washington, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement today on ratification of the New START Treaty: "I talked with Senator Kyl today and I do not believe the door is closed to considering New START during the lame duck session. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Lugar, Senator Kyl, our colleagues, and the Administration to get the New START treaty ratified by the Senate this year. Ratifying New START is not a politica… Continue Reading
November 15, 2010
Chairman Kerry: One Third Of U.S. Civilian Assistance Funding For Pakistan Will Be Used For Flood Recovery
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released a statement following the announcement that the United States will direct one third of Kerry-Lugar-Berman (KLB) funds to help Pakistan recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the flooding that devastated the country earlier this year: "I am pleased the United States will commit $500 million of the first year of Kerry-Lugar-Berman funds - one third of our civilian assistance budget for Pakistan - to … Continue Reading
November 13, 2010
Chairman Kerry On The Release Of Burmese Political Prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi
Washington, DC - Today, Burma freed Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, she is known worldwide for her courageous championship of democracy and human rights for the people of Burma. Daw Suu, as she is respectfully known in Burma, along with many other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been unjustly confined by the military junta that controls Burma for most of the past 20 years. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John… Continue Reading
