PITTSFIELD, MA -- "I think it's completely up to Hillary Clinton to make the decision about what she thinks is the right thing to do," said Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

That's his opinion on whether Hillary Clinton should drop out of the presidential race. Although some suggest the long fight for the democratic nomination is hurting the party, Kerry says that's not the case.

"I think, personally, in the end this is strengthening our party. We're campaigning in states we don't normally organize in. We're registering new people to vote by the tens of thousands. And I think in the end, the party's going to come together, the party's going to be united and we're going to have a much more energized base than we've had before," said Kerry.

Kerry was in Pittsfield to host a U.S. Senate committee hearing on the soaring cost of energy in Massachusetts. After local business leaders testified about the challenges they face, the Senator said costs need to get back under control for the consumer.

"The impact on small businesses is severe. A lot of small businesses are really hurting right now and it's tough to pass the costs on to their consumers because they start to lose their consumers. Everybody's hurting," said Kerry.

Whether it's heating your home or putting gas in your car, the Senator says it's clear more needs to be done in Washington to get these prices under control. But here, especially on the local level, officials say there are no quick fixes.

"We are limited, sometimes in what we can do, but we certainly try to support and use the bully pulpit to say 'look, it's not fair, and if you're going to engage in what appears to be price gouging, someone's going to look at it,’" said Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley.

While the Attorney General deals with that issue here, many members of the US Senate are doing the same, but without one of their most outspoken allies. According to Kerry, Senator Ted Kennedy is now looking into treatment options before rejoining the debate on the Senate floor.

"He's ready to tackle this challenge. And he's going to be meeting with people this week and talking about the various treatments that are available. And I think he's Ted Kennedy. He's impatient to get going and do what he needs to do," said Kerry.

No matter which course of treatment Kennedy chooses, or how long he'll be away from Washington, his counterparts in the Senate remain in a high stakes game of high energy debate.