Ted Kennedy: A Lifetime of Service
"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."
Supporting the Troops and Defending the Nation
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower, Senator Kennedy fought tirelessly for the men and women of our armed services and their families.
Ensuring Disabled Americans Can Live Productive Lives
A sponsor of landmark legislation including the Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Kennedy worked his entire career to secure a higher quality of life for men and women with disabilities.
Ensuring High Quality Education for All
Making sure everyone had access to a high-quality education – particularly the most disadvantaged – was a major legislative priority for Senator Kennedy throughout his career in the United States Senate.
Protecting the Environment and Promoting Energy Efficiency
Senator Kennedy had a long and distinguished record as a supporter of clean, renewable sources of energy who sought to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Providing a Leading Voice for Human Rights and Democracy around the Globe
During his career in the United States Senate, Senator Kennedy was a leading voice for human rights, social justice and democracy throughout the world.
Fighting for Quality, Affordable Health Care
Throughout his Senate career -- and especially during his service as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- Senator Kennedy championed the cause of quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
Championing Civil Rights & Promoting Fairness and Equal Opportunities for All
Senator Kennedy believed that civil rights remain America’s great unfinished business, and he had a major role in every civil rights battle in Congress for the past half century.
Fighting for Workers’ Rights and a Fair Minimum Wage
Senator Kennedy spent his career standing up for the rights of workers, the backbone of America's economy, battling for workplace safety, mine safety, fair wages, the right to organize and more.
Not many other elected officials can even come close to these accomplishments. Sen. Kennedy's lifework was within the Democratic Party and these are standards in the Party. Without Sen. Kennedy's work and devotion, so many things we see today would not have gotten done. There are those people on the right who have continued to say, "The time isn't right for (fill in the blank- Civil Rights, raising the minimum wage, equal rights, health reform, safety in the workplace, immigration reform, fixing education, improving and safeguarding the environment, etc....)." For some on the right, there will never be a time appropriate for reform, and they will continue to thwart efforts. With the leadership and inspiration of Sen. Kennedy, we must not back down on health care reform. Let us use this time to call our elected officials and tell them to pass health reform-now.
