Press releases
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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75 rows where chamber = "Senate", state = "DE" and year = 2020 sorted by date descending
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| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-epa-s-censoring-science-rule-is-the-trump-administration-s-last-gasp-of-science-denial | Carper: EPAs Censoring Science Rule is the Trump Administrations Last Gasp of Science Denial | 2020-12-31 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its rule todrastically undermine the use of science in agency decision-making. In the final days of the Trump Administration, EPA has finalized its rule that will suppress scientific research and censor scientists and experts. It's just one last gasp of science denial. Amid an ongoing public health crisis a time when accessing the latest scientific research and embracing scientific advancements is a critical function of protecting human health the Trump EPA is trying to limit the use of scientific data, even data that could be used to address the growing link between exposure to air pollution and adverse outcomes of COVID-19. It's as absurd as it sounds. As I said earlier this year, it's hard to imagine a time when our nation needed to embrace science more than we do at this very moment. Almost a year into our battle against the coronavirus pandemic, that's even truer today. While I continue to be amazed by this administration's penchant for science denial, I am confident that this irresponsible rollback finalized in the last few days of the Trump Administration will not impede the incoming administration's efforts to restore the use of science in rulemaking. President-elect Biden has made clear that his administration will be guided by science. In March, Senator Carperasked the EPA Inspector General (IG)to open an investigation into potentially unlawful efforts and procedural problems related to the preparation and review of this supplemental proposal. Later that month, Senator Carper asked EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler towithdraw the rule, describing how thesweeping policy would limit the use of science in EPA rulemaking. As Senator Carper described in hisMarch 24letter to Administrator Wheeler, examples abound of research that would now at minimum require considerable review time to det… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-celebrates-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-clean-air-act | Carper Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act | 2020-12-30 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, Del. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act on December 31, 2020. Signed into law in 1970, the Clean Air Act created a national framework to reduce pollution and improve air quality, entrusting the Environmental Protection Agency with leading efforts to ensure everyone in this country has clean air to breathe. For fifty years, this landmark law has ushered in dramatic improvements in air quality. It has saved hundreds of thousands of lives from deadly air pollution while improving the health of millions more. During that same time, our economy has expanded and more than tripled its gross domestic product while EPA has worked with states and businesses alike to dramatically reduce harmful emissions. The progress made under the Clean Air Act is proof that improvements in public health and environmental quality goes hand in hand with economic growth and job creation. In fact, the benefits of the Clean Air Act outweigh its costs by a margin of 30 to one. This sweeping law will continue to endure because its regulations can adapt and evolve with the latest science to help us meet the most pressing air quality challenges of our day. For example, advances in science continue to elucidate the link between air pollution and human health. As our country continues to suffer from the scourge of the coronavirus pandemic, research shows that stronger safeguards for clean air can protect people from pollution that is causing more severe and even deadlier cases of COVID-19. Stronger Clean Air Act regulations can help us better protect public health. As our nation reckons with decades of systemic racism, stronger air protections can also help us address the air pollution that is disproportionately harming communities of color and reinforcing unjust disparities in health and environmental quality. Stronger Clean Air Act regulations can help us further the cause … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-highlights-significant-climate-solutions-in-the-covid-emergency-relief-and-omnibus-bill | Carper Highlights Significant Climate Solutions in the COVID Emergency Relief and Omnibus Bill | 2020-12-22 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, highlighted significant climate provisions included in the end of the year spending bill known as the omnibus appropriations bill that will aid in the nation's fight against the climate crisis, improve air quality and support American manufacturing jobs. These provisions represent the future of climate solutions, finding ways that the federal government can help to save our planet from the climate crisis while creating hundreds of thousands of new manufacturing jobs. We can ensure American workers lead the national transition to a clean economy. We can embrace the ingenuity and innovation of American industries while protecting vulnerable communities. We can enact sweeping, national climate policies that implicate our everyday ways of life without complicating our lives. We can, we must, and we will, Senator Carper said. Make no mistake, these provisions will soon be some of the most significant climate legislation to pass out of Congress to dateand we're just getting started. Legislation creates nationwide phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases. Included in the omnibus is an amended version of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, Senator Carper's legislation with Senator Kennedy (R-La.) that will implement a nationwide 85 percent phasedown on the production and importation of hydrofluorocarbons, potent greenhouse gases known as HFCs. By enabling the U.S. to join the rest of the world in phasing down HFCs, this language will help our planet avoid half a degree Celsius in global warming while supporting U.S. industries already making the next generation of HFC-alternatives, which employ more than 593,000 Americans. The AIM Act would: Save American consumers $3.7 billion over 15 years; Increase U.S. manufacturing output by almost $39 billion over seven years; and, Result in the creation of 150,000 more American jobs. HFCs can be found in nearl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/delaware-delegation-celebrates-major-wins-for-the-first-state-in-water-infrastructure-legislation | Delaware Delegation Celebrates Major Wins for the First State in Water Infrastructure Legislation | 2020-12-22 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, as well as U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) as part of legislation to fund the government. From improving and expanding water infrastructure to investing in disadvantaged communities, replenishing beaches, and improving coastal resilience, WRDA 2020 delivers major wins for Delaware. In Delaware and across the country, our nation's water infrastructure keeps our economy moving forward. This year's Water Resources Development Act authorizes funding to improve our ports, like the Port of Wilmington. It also implements several much-needed reforms to fortify our most vulnerable communities in the First State from the impacts of climate change and rebuild our beaches, said Senator Carper, who co-authored the legislation with Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY). I'm proud that my colleagues in Congress came together to get this critical bill across the finish line. Our bipartisan legislation will create and sustain jobs and help secure a better future for the American people. Delaware is the country's lowest-lying state, and our economy and ecosystems rely on the protection of coastal communities and navigability of our waterways, Senator Coons said. I'm pleased that WRDA 2020 includes critical priorities for the First State: safeguarding Delaware's beach communities, enhancing resiliency in the face of climate change and rising sea levels, and facilitating important projects to support the men and women who work at the Port of Wilmington. I'm glad to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate particularly Senator Carper who played a leading role in these negotiations to deliver water infrastructure updates that meet the unique needs of our state. We know that one of the most important aspects of infrastructure is maintaining our waterways and systems. This year's WRDA, led by Delaware's Senator Carper ma… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-cheers-tax-incentives-in-end-of-the-year-spending-deal | Carper Cheers Tax Incentives in End-of-the-Year Spending Deal | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the critical clean energy tax provisions included in the omnibus spending bill that would provide long-term incentives foroffshore wind energyandcreate new incentives to supporttechnologies that convert wasted heat to electricity, two issues that Senator Carper has worked for years to advance. As a nation, we needto do more to incentivize the production of clean energy here at home, especially to meet our clean energy and emission reduction goals. This bipartisan spending deal will provide industries with the certainty and predictability needed to make long-term investments in new, innovative clean energy technologies. I am thrilled that thebipartisan spending bill includes a slightly amended version of my legislation with Senator Collins that would spark investments in offshore wind power. The Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act provides a long-term offshore wind investment tax credit to make offshore wind a reality in this country, along with the manufacturing and construction jobs that come with it. By investing in this new technology and harnessing the power of offshore wind energy, we can create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on dirtier sources of energy andprovide reduced energy costs to consumers. For over ten years, Senator Collins and I have tried to provide long-term tax certainty for the offshore wind industry and to have this provision finally included in the tax extenders package is a very good day. This bipartisan spending deal also includesan amended version ofmy legislation with Senator Cardin, the Waste Heat to Power Investment Tax Credit Act. This legislation creates a new tax credit to support the investment in technology that reduces harmful emissions and conserves energy by converting wasted heat to clean electricity. This is an important tax credit is supported by industry, e… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-colleagues-announce-historic-bipartisan-agreement-on-climate-legislation | Carper, Colleagues Announce Historic Bipartisan Agreement on Climate Legislation | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined EPW Chairman John Barrasso (R- Wyo.) and Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and John Kennedy (R-La.) in announcing a historic, bipartisan agreement to include multiple pieces of climate legislation in the continuing resolution. The continuing resolution will now include: Senator Carper's American Manufacturing and Innovation (AIM) Act with Senator Kennedy, legislation that would implement a 15-year phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at a national level for the first time, administered by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Senator Carper's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA); and, The Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act to promote carbon capture technologies, which is also cosponsored by Senator Carper. The buses that take our kids to school. The air conditioners that keep our homes cool. The refrigerators that keep our groceries safe to eat. For millions of people across the country, these are just small parts of our everyday lives, but they also represent big threats to the health of our communities and our planet. Old, dirty diesel engines pollute the air we breathe and damage our climate with deadly black carbon. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioning and refrigeration warm our climate more than thousands of times more than carbon dioxide, Senator Carper said. Fortunately, there are solutions to these problems that will clean our air, protect and create American jobs, and help to save our planet from the climate crisis. Make no mistake, the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Actand the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act will soon be some of the most significant climate solutions to pass out of Congress to date, Senator Carper continued. These bills will help to improve air quality and tackle the climate crisi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-hails-critical-transportation-funding-in-the-emergency-coronavirus-relief-and-omnibus-package | Carper Hails Critical Transportation Funding in the Emergency Coronavirus Relief and Omnibus Package | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the transportation funding-related provisions included in the emergency coronavirus relief and omnibus spending package. Over the last several months, the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way millions of people use our nation's infrastructure. Stay at home orders have kept millions of people off of our roads, buses and trains. Canceled travel plans have dramatically cleared our airways. These impacts to our nation's transportation system have distressed the way we pay for our transportation system. Our nation's infrastructure is paid for largely through user fees tolls, motor fuel taxes,transit fares and ticket revenue,vehicle excise taxes and registration fees and, over the course of this pandemic, all of these sources of revenue have declined dramatically. As a result, state and local highway, transit, and rail agencies have been struggling to balance their budgets and forced to consider furloughs, service cuts or canceled contracts. The impact of this pandemic on state and local budgets has been without modern precedent. With this new bipartisan relief package, Congress is providing some long-awaited relief to state and local budgets whose budgets have been stretched precariously thin for too long. This new package will prevent disastrous cuts to transit and rail service and will alsoenable states to transfer funds to their public tolling agencies, which will help those agencies avoid layoffs or other worst-case-scenario budget cuts. I'm particularly glad that this bipartisan package contains critical funding for public transit, regional airports and Amtrak. These sectors of our transportation network have been grappling with the unexpected and extraordinary decline in ridership and revenue. In this bipartisan relief package, Congress has also provided some long-awaited assistance to the motor coach industry. Since the start of th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/epw-leaders-secure-inclusion-of-bipartisan-water-infrastructure-legislation-in-the-omnibus | EPW Leaders Secure Inclusion of Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Legislation in the Omnibus | 2020-12-21 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and the bipartisan leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee secured the inclusion of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) in the legislation to fund the government. WRDA 2020 supports our nation's economic competitiveness by increasing water storage, providing protection from dangerous floodwaters, deepening nationally significant ports, maintaining the navigability of inland waterways, and addressing the threat of invasive species across the country. The bill includes natural infrastructure and ecosystem restoration efforts to protect the environment and improve the resiliency of our water infrastructure. It also cuts red tape, is fiscally responsible, and strengthens our national security. In addition to being the lifeblood for communities across the country, our nation's water infrastructure keeps our economy moving forward. That is why it's so important for Congress to come together every two years and authorize funding to improve our ports, restore and rebuild our waterways, protect our communities from coastal storms and inland flooding, and maintain our other critical water resources infrastructure, Senator Carper said. I'm proud that this year's Water Resources Development Act invests in essential Army Corps of Engineers projects and implements several much-needed reforms to combat climate change and support our most vulnerable communities. Our bipartisan legislation will create and sustain jobs and help secure a better future for the American people. Water infrastructure is critical to every community in our country, Senator Barrasso said. The Water Resources Development Act will help grow the economy, cut red tape, and keep communities safe. Now, this legislation can move forward. I want to thank Ranking Member Carper and Senators Capi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-historic-nomination-of-deb-haaland-to-lead-the-department-of-the-interior | Carper Statement on the Historic Nomination of Deb Haaland to Lead the Department of the Interior | 2020-12-19 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding President-elect Biden's nomination of U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In choosing Congresswoman Haaland to be his Interior Secretary nominee, President-elect Biden is fulfilling his commitment to assembling a cabinet that truly embodies the best of our country. Congresswoman Haaland's lived experienceas a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and member of the House Natural Resources Committeemakes her an excellent fit to lead the Department of Interior. From White Sands to the Brandywine, our public lands are national treasures. They are sanctuaries that we share with the natural world. They are places we can safely escape to for outdoor recreation during a deadly pandemic. And they deserve to be maintained for future generations. After four years of attacks by the Trump Administration and the ever-present threat of climate change, the American people need someone leading Interior who will fiercely protect our public lands and our wildlife. They have that leader in Congresswoman Haaland. Delaware may not boast thousands of miles of wide-open spaces or sprawling mountain ranges, but we are home to natural wonders of our own. Our state's wetlands, waterways, and other natural spaces are ecologically important, and teeming with diverse wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. Our National Park tells the story of the earliest days of our democracy while our National Wildlife Refuges provide safe harbors for migratory birds. These spaces draw hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, as eco-tourism and outdoor recreation play a big role in our small state's economy. The Secretary of Interior plays a critically important role for our state, and I look forward to hearing Congresswoman Haaland's ideas about the ways we can protect our natural resources and support conserv… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/video-delaware-delegation-underscores-confidence-by-taking-covid-19-vaccine | [VIDEO] Delaware delegation underscores confidence by taking COVID-19 vaccine | 2020-12-19 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester encourage COVID-19 protection through vaccination, face covering, and social distancing WASHINGTON Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.)underscored their confidence in the remarkable work of scientists and public servants across the United States and around the world by taking the first of two doses ofaCOVID-19 vaccine. In avideo released by the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), the Delaware congressional delegation says,It's great news that we have multiple vaccines that aresafe, effective, and critical to beating this pandemic. We are so grateful to the scientists and researchers around the globe who have made this day possible. And to all the health care heroes who have put their own lives at risk to care for others. To reach the other side of this pandemic, we're going to need everyone to learn the facts about the vaccine and get vaccinated too. It's about protecting yourself, your loved ones, and everyone in our state. But don't forget, even as vaccines begin to be distributed, we can't let our guard down. Keep washing your hands, wearing a mask, maintaining social distance and limiting interactions with others. If we all do, we'll all get to the other side safely together DPH is regularly updating their website with information about the COVID-19 vaccine athttps://coronavirus.delaware.gov/vaccine/. FOR PRESS:To download photos, clickhere. The representatives received the vaccination at the recommendation of the Capitol physician as part of continuity of government protocol. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-meets-with-president-elect-biden-s-nominee-to-lead-ustr | Carper Meets with President-Elect Bidens Nominee to Lead USTR | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after meeting with Katherine Tai, President-elect Joe Biden's intended nominee to lead the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). It was a pleasure meeting today with Katherine Tai who is an excellent and historic choice to serve as our country's top trade official. In her current role as Chief Trade Counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, she was a lead negotiator on USMCA where she helped to pass the strongest labor and environmental protections to date, including robust monitoring and enforcement provisions, in a trade agreement that passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. She also previously served as Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement at USTR, leading efforts to hold China accountable for its unfair trade practices at the World Trade Organization. I know that Katherine Tai's experience and expertise will be incredible assets for the Biden Administration as they work to ensure that there are clear and fair rules of the road on trade that help American workers compete and win in the global economy, while also holding bad actors accountable. After years of chaos and uncertainty thanks to President Trump's haphazard trade wars, we know that American farmers, manufacturers, producers and retailers are in desperate need of more certainty and predictability. I know Katherine Tai will be a steady hand at USTR who will help to make sure American goods and services can reach international markets and that they compete on a level playing field when they get there. Trade is an issue that doesn't distinguish between red and blue states. It impacts every corner of our country and every corner of our globe. I know there are many areas in which we can work together in Congress to put American businesses, workers, and consumers ahead of politics, as we have done finding ways to rebalance trade authority between the legislative and executive branches and conducting oversight of the Administration's … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-appointment-of-gina-mccarthy-as-white-house-climate-czar | Carper Statement on Appointment of Gina McCarthy as White House Climate Czar | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after President-elect Biden appointment former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to serve as the White House Climate Czar. It's hard to imagine a person better prepared for this job. Before she was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy worked for five Republican governors, including Mitt Romney in Massachusetts. Her long history of work at the state and local level makes her a consensus builder by trade. When Gina McCarthy was called to serve in the Obama-Biden Administration as EPA's Assistant Administrator for Air in 2009, her nomination sailed through the Senate unanimously, but the job itself was no easy task. Prior to her coming to office, nearly early every major clean air regulation by the Bush administration had been rejected by the courts, one by one. By her first day on the job at the EPA air office, Gina McCarthy was tasked with writing many major rules in just a matter of years. But she rose to the challenge, and she rewrote rules that would lead to better air quality and a better climate across our countryall during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. She successfully developed our nation's first-ever greenhouse gas vehicle standards, helping to save consumers money and curb emissions from our nation's largest source of global warming pollution. She also developed long-awaited regulations to reduce mercury and other air toxics from our nation's power plants and address air pollution that crossed over state borders.If Gina McCarthy's subject matter expertise is matched by anything, it's by her dogged persistence and relentless determination. After putting in place safeguards that ushered in dramatic improvements to our nation's air quality, Gina McCarthy was nominated to serve as EPA Administrator. As the head of EPA, she positioned the agency to fight the climate cr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-brenda-mallory-to-lead-the-white-house-council-on-environmental-quality | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Brenda Mallory to Lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding President-elect Biden's nomination of Brenda Mallory to serve as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). After four years and countless efforts by the outgoing administration to undermine our nation's landmark environmental statutes, there will be few jobs more challenging than restoring the mission of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In Brenda Mallory, President-elect Biden has chosen a supremely qualified nominee to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality and coordinate government-wide efforts to address the climate crisis and achieve environmental equity. One of my earliest mentors, the former Governor of Delaware, Russell Peterson, served as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality during both the Nixon and Ford Administrations. Russ often likened the role of CEQ chair to an orchestra conductoryou don't play the instruments, but you try to ensure that everyone is playing in harmony. The CEQ chair coordinates action across the entire government to ensure federal agencies are working in harmony; that every federal decision advances the objectives of economic growth, better public health and stronger environmental quality. But, while the CEQ chair works like a conductor to achieve harmony across federal agencies, it must also pursue harmony between our economy, our society and our shared environment for current and future generations. Those are the clear objectives of CEQ laid out in the National Environmental Policy Act, the landmark environmental law that created CEQ. But sadly, for the last four years, the actions of CEQ have been unaligned with its mission. The agency even worked to undermine the NEPA statute at the core of its foundation. Instead of advancing those three objectives a more productive economy, a healthier society and a cleaner environment the outgoing a… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-jennifer-granholm-to-lead-the-department-of-energy | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Jennifer Granholm to Lead the Department of Energy | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding President-elect Biden's nomination of former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. In his announcement of Governor Granholm to be his Energy Secretary nominee, President-elect Biden has chosen one of the brightest and most capable people to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. Governor Granholm is an executive whose leadership has been tested by crisis. While her passion for clean energy is driven by personal conviction an unwavering belief in the potential of American ingenuity and innovation it is also grounded in deep experience and subject matter expertise. When the eyes of the world were on Michigan and the iconic American auto industry descended into financial disarray, Governor Granholm went to bat for working families and businesses in her state. She worked directly with President Obama and Vice President Biden to defend and deliver the auto industry from economic collapse, saving the millions of jobs depending on the industry to survive. It's been said that the ultimate test of a leader is how they handle a crisis. With Governor Granholm at the helm, the state of Michigan emerged from the depths of the Great Recession even stronger as a national leader in clean energy technologies. Governor Granholm believes in the potential of American innovation and ingenuity because she has seen it for herself. She has witnessed the same companies that once relied on the internal combustion engine evolve, and now lead the world in electric and alternative fuel vehicle technologies. Governor Granholm has proven that investments in clean energy technologies can usher in economic recovery, renewal and prosperity. Her strategic vision helped to make Michigan a leader in clean energy manufacturingjust imagine what she will do at the U.S. Department of Energy. She will harness the department's tremendous… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-michael-regan-to-lead-the-environmental-protection-agency | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Michael Regan to Lead the Environmental Protection Agency | 2020-12-17 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement regarding President-elect Biden's nomination of Michael Regan to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Restoring and reviving the Environmental Protection Agency after the last four years will be no walk in the park. This is a federal agency whose decisions affect each and every one of us in this country, each and every dayfrom the drinking water that flows from our faucets, to the products we use in our homes, to the air we draw into our lungs with every breath. This is also an agency that has been basically decimated by the outgoing administration, and whose decisions over the last four years have prioritized industry at steep costs to human health and the environment. Meanwhile, if you look across the country, what you will see is a nation suffering the loss of more than 300,000 Americans to a deadly pandemic. You will see a nation reeling from the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression and reckoning with systemic racial oppression, injustice and inequality. Everywhere you look in this country, you will see that the climate crisis is already here and threatening the water we drink, the air we breathe and the only home we have, our planet. Righting the ship at EPA would be difficult under any circumstance, but, right now, in this moment for our country, it poses a tremendous challenge for any leader. It also presents an opportunity. All eyes have been on this nomination for some time now because of the enormous responsibility it entails. Fortunately for President-elect Biden and all of us, for that matter there was no shortage of highly qualified public servants ready to roll up their sleeves and take on this challenge. In Secretary Michael Regan, President-elect Biden has selected a forward-looking public servant to lead EPA and address the longstanding environmental problems affecting our communiti… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-defazio-napolitano-and-beyer-lead-members-of-congress-in-filing-amicus-brief-over-trump-administration-s-dirty-water-rule | Carper, DeFazio, Napolitano, and Beyer Lead Members of Congress in Filing Amicus Brief over Trump Administrations Dirty Water Rule | 2020-12-16 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Representative Grace F. Napolitano (D-Calif.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, and Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) submitted an amicus brief on behalf of 74 current Members of Congress, as well as three former Members, to the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, in the case of Conservation Law Foundation et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency et al. In the amicus brief, the lawmakers assert that the Trump administration's so-called Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR)also known as the Dirty Water Ruleignores science, fails to provide Congress with basic information about the impacts of this rule, and undermines the ability of states to protect their own water quality. In 1972, Congress enacted the Clean Water Act, a landmark statute with the core objective of cleaning up the nation's waters. The NWPR turns this statutory scheme on its head, the lawmakers wrote. the NWPR is arbitrary, capricious, and grounded in misunderstandings of governing statutory law. Finalized in April 2020, the Dirty Water Rule is a draconian rollback of clean water protections over the nation's rivers, streams, and wetlands, jeopardizing the safe drinking water of over a hundred million American households. The Dirty Water Rule reinterprets decades-old Clean Water Act protections endorsed by Republican and Democratic administrations alikevirtually assuring the destruction of rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands throughout the nation. Internal EPA documents estimate that the Dirty Water Rule would eliminate federal clean water protections for as many as 60 percent of stream miles in the lower 48 states that do not flow year-roundalmost 2 million stream milesand an estimated 110 million acres of wetlands. Read the lawmakers' full amicus brief here. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-meets-with-president-elect-biden-s-nominee-for-treasury-secretary | Carper Meets With President-elect Bidens Nominee for Treasury Secretary | 2020-12-16 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after meeting with Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden's intended nominee to lead the Treasury Department. Senator Carper's statement when Janet Yellen's nomination was announced can be found here. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting with Janet Yellen, an exceptionally qualified and renowned economist who will help President-Elect Biden build back a stronger and more inclusive economy as American families face these challenging times. During our conversation, we talked about the importance of embarking on an economic recovery that not only supports families and communities that have been devastated by the pandemic, but also puts us on a more equitable and sustainable path going forward. We also discussed the existential threat that climate change poses to our economy and how a Treasury Secretary can contribute to President-elect Biden's ambitious climate agenda. It is nearly impossible to find any individual more qualified for this position than Janet Yellen. She is a historic choice for Treasury and her track record of success has earned her well-deserved respect from Republicans and Democrats alike for good reason. As we seek to get our economy back on track, I encourage my colleagues to swiftly confirm Janet. With the monumental economic challenges our country is facing, there is absolutely no time to waste. I know she will be ready on day one. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-meets-with-president-elect-biden-s-nominee-to-lead-omb | Carper Meets with President-Elect Bidens Nominee to Lead OMB | 2020-12-16 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after meeting with Neera Tanden, President-elect Joe Biden's intended nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This week I had the chance to meet with Neera Tanden, an experienced policy expert who is qualified and ready to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President-elect Joe Biden at an incredibly challenging time. Neera's vast understanding of the different working parts of government from her time in the Senate, her experience helping craft the Affordable Care Act at HHS, and her latest role as the CEO and president of the Center for American Progress, will serve as a huge asset as she takes on the role of OMB Director.As the daughter of single mother who relied on programs like food stamps and Section 8 housing, Neera also knows firsthand the important role safety net programs play in helping support families in their time of need. Her lived experience will help keep the needs of families and vulnerable communities top of mind as our government makes critical policy decisions to bring economic relief to American families and get our economy going again. During our conversation today, we discussed the shared responsibility Democrats and Republicans have to come together to enact a cohesive COVID response and OMB's role in making sure all the tools of government are utilized effectively to deliver for American families and meet the urgency of this moment. Neera understands we are facing a national crisis and that it will take an all hands on desk approach to put an end to this pandemic and restore our economy. There is no shortage of work that we need OMB to get started on quickly. A top priority must be reversing the harmful and far-reaching rollbacks that the Trump Administration has put in place across our federal government over the last four years. As the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), I am particularly concerned about the Trump Administratio… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-republicans-repeated-efforts-to-push-misinformation-about-the-2020-election | Carper Statement on Republicans Repeated Efforts to Push Misinformation about the 2020 Election | 2020-12-16 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Sen. Carper: If our nation's leaders don't embrace the truth in our daily discourse, then we no longer have a democracy that will endure. Calling an election unfair does not make it so. WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released the following statement regarding Chairman Ron Johnson's (R-Wis.) continued efforts to promote Russian disinformation and use official Senate time and resources to advance partisan objectives. Mr. Chairman, President Lincoln once said, If given the truth, [the people] can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.' In the Navy, that's what we call the straight skinny.' With all due respect, the American people have had the real facts regarding this election for some time now. The truth, the straight skinny, is staring us in the face. It may not be what President Trump and his supporters wanted, but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received more votes than any other ticket in American history. That's a success for our democracy and something that all of us should celebrate. A success made possible in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic thanks to ordinary citizens who volunteered as poll workers. Many of them risked their own health to oversee a fair count, while hundreds of thousands of postal workers worked tirelessly to deliver absentee ballots. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency has called this election the most secure in American history.' And throughout this country, courts have flat out rejected claims of election irregularities. Conservative, Trump-appointed judges in state after state have dismissed the Trump campaign's claims, calling them baseless' and worse. Let me cite just a few examples. In response to a legal challenge from the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania, a federal judge appointed by President Trump, and a longtime member of the conservative Federalist Society, w… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-pete-buttigieg-to-lead-the-department-of-transportation | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Pete Buttigieg to Lead the Department of Transportation | 2020-12-15 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. President-elect Biden promised the American people that we will build back better, and, with Pete Buttigieg at the helm of the Department of Transportation, we will. As the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg has demonstrated that he is a leader with the heart of a servant and the vision we need at the Department of Transportation to break ground on a better future for all Americans. The future of our nation's transportation system is not just about connecting one place to another, it's about connecting us to each other, safely and sustainably. Sometimes, building back better means breaking down the barriers that divide and disconnect usfrom the underused highways to the busy high-speed roads that too often divide communities and create obstacles for daily life. Pete has spent his life breaking down barriers of his own. And now, poised to serve as the first openly gay Senate-confirmed member of a presidential cabinet, Pete Buttigieg is breaking down barriers again. The mission of the Department of Transportation has traditionally rested on two pillars, safety and economic productivity. Pete Buttigieg understands both of these pillars. As mayor of South Bend, he focused on building a safer, more connected and more prosperous community for everyone. At the forefront of a new generation of leaders, Pete Buttigieg also understands the urgency and gravity of the climate crisis. He knows that the Department of Transportation must adopt a third pillar in its mission ensuring our nation's transportation networks are resilient to climate change and putting our transportation sector on a path to achieve net zero-emissions no later than 2050. Our nation's transportation infrastructure should uplift everyone not just the privileged few to more opportunity, but where we invest and how we invest … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-epa-eroding-cost-benefit-analysis-in-rulemaking | Carper Statement on EPA Eroding Cost-Benefit Analysis in Rulemaking | 2020-12-09 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s final rule to erode the cost-benefit analysis it uses for regulations. In the face of a worsening climate crisis and deadly respiratory pandemic, the Trump Administration has repeatedly acted to put the wellbeing of polluters before human health and the environment. It is something that has become all too common over the past four years. When EPA announced plans to make this change in June, I called it out for what it wasa legally flawed effort to justify air pollution. Clearly, the administration has no intention of giving up in its war on science. In addition to undermining the essential work by career civil servants, changing EPA's cost-benefit process is a waste of time and resources. President-elect Biden is committed to following science and making climate action a key focus of his presidency. I have no doubt that this rule will be reversed by the next administration. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-biennial-water-infrastructure-bill-delivers-major-wins-for-delawareans | Carper: Biennial Water Infrastructure Bill Delivers Major Wins for Delawareans | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded House passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020), which would authorize $10 billion in new federal investment to build new water resource development projects across the country, with significant resources authorized for projects in the First State. From improving and expanding water infrastructure to investing in disadvantaged communities, replenishing beaches and improving coastal resilience, WRDA 2020 coauthored by EPW Ranking Member Carper and Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in the Senate and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter Defazio (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) in the House would deliver major wins for Delaware. Like the water that moves ships from the Port of Wilmington to ports across the globe, our nation's water infrastructure is essential to the movement of our economy. Ports, shipping channels and other Army Corps of Engineers projects support economic growth, facilitate commerce, sustain jobs and create new ones, too, Senator Carper said. This reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act will expand and enhance investments in Army Corps' projects throughout the country that help us safely navigate our waters and protect our communities from flooding and storm damage. As the lowest lying state in the nation, climate change poses profound threats to Delaware. This legislation will help to fortify communities in the First State against the worsening impacts of climate change and expand funding to rebuild our beaches, Senator Carper continued. I thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves for working with Chairman Barrasso and me on this legislation. Among its provisions, WRDA 2020 will: Protect Delaware's beaches from storm damage and assist with their renourishment; Promote resiliency projects in communities throughout the First State to address the impacts of climate change; and… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-portman-release-new-report-on-federal-government-s-failure-to-conduct-adequate-oversight-of-companies-seeking-to-operate-shelters-for-unaccompanied-children | Carper, Portman Release New Report on Federal Governments Failure to Conduct Adequate Oversight of Companies Seeking to Operate Shelters for Unaccompanied Children | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Latest in a series of bipartisan reports shows that gaps in HHS's grant process failed to sufficiently protect unaccompanied children and wasted taxpayer dollars WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), respectively, released a bipartisan staff report identifying failures in the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) shelter grant processes to ensure the safety of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and safeguard over $32 million in taxpayers funds. The report confirms that HHS awarded Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelter grants to two companies with a documented history of failing to provide adequate care of children VisionQuest National, Ltd. and New Horizon Group Home, LLC. As a result of their previous failures in caring for children and other regulatory issues, VisionQuest and New Horizon struggled to acquire zoning and licensing approval to open shelters across the country, meaning that taxpayers paid for facilities that will never open. A review of several prior funding opportunity announcements and interviews with HHS officials demonstrated that, prior to fall 2019, HHS did not require grant applicants to disclose prior adverse actions their respective state and local governments had taken against them. The Department conducted no independent research into the disciplinary history of either VisionQuest or New Horizon. These oversight failures could have endangered unaccompanied children trusted to the care of these companies. Additionally, until November 2019, HHS also had no policy to restrict funding for grantees that did not have a license to operate. HHS's policy of awarding grants to applicants, including VisionQuest and New Horizon, prior to the applicants securing zoning and licensing approval led to issues that could cost tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. Currently, HHS is attempting to recoup funds disbursed for facilities that failed to open. … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/senators-release-watchdog-report-showing-serious-challenges-facing-the-u-s-national-air-quality-monitoring-system | Senators Release Watchdog Report Showing Serious Challenges Facing the U.S. National Air Quality Monitoring System | 2020-12-08 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. In case you missed it, yesterday, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) released a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing a number of serious challenges facing the vital national air quality monitoring system. When adjusted for inflation, the GAO report shows a steady decline in federal support for state and local monitoring efforts that are central to the basic function of the national air monitoring system. It also shows an uneven understanding of concentrations of dangerous air toxics near industrial facilities.The consequences of these problems tend to hit low-income communities and communities of color the hardest since they are often located in industrial areas and rely on underfunded local programs. To ensure that all Americans can breathe clean air, we must first be able to effectively measure the pollutants that exist and where, said Senator Carper. As we are about to celebrate 50 years of progress with the Clean Air Act, today's GAO report is a reminder that the EPA can and must do better when it comes to protecting the public from air pollution. This report is a wake-up call that investments and updates are needed in our aging air pollution monitoring system. For too long the air monitoring system has been ignored, especially in terms of tracking air toxics, like mercury, in our communities. For a decade, I have worked with Senator Collins on legislation to improve how we track and monitor mercury pollution, S.181, Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act. Today's GAO study gives us just another reason why our legislation and other legislation that improves our air monitoring systems need to pass Congress. An effective air quality monitoring system helps guard against public health threats triggered by air pollution. In downwind states like Rhode Island, missing a bad air day' warning could mean serious consequences for high… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-blasts-epa-for-failing-to-improve-soot-standards-and-protect-lives | Carper Blasts EPA for Failing to Improve Soot Standards and Protect Lives | 2020-12-07 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) failure to set newer, more protective standards for particulate matter (PM) pollution. This soot-causing air pollution is linked to serious health problems, like asthma, strokes, heart attacks, and early deaths, and research has linked exposure to it to more adverse outcomes from COVID-19. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. In the last hours of the Trump Administration, EPA continues to work around the clock to cement its anti-science, pro-polluter agenda. The Trump EPA's decision to ignore science and keep the current standards unchanged will cost tens of thousands of lives every year into the future, long after the Trump Administration is gone. When EPA announced plans to keep these rules unchanged in April, we were enduring the first wave of a deadly respiratory pandemicone that today has claimed close to 300,000 lives in our country. What was true in April is still true todaythe cost of protecting public health is far less than the cost of breathing polluted air. It has become abundantly clear that COVID-19 is deadlier for Black, brown, and Indigenous Americans, who are also more likely to live in areas with higher levels of particulate matter pollution. The Trump EPA is failing to do its job and protect communities of color from the harmful pollution that's worsening COVID-19 outcomes. Amid the second wave of cases, EPA is still spearheading its own Pandemic of Pollution. In April 2020, Senator Carper condemned EPA, when it announced plans to not develop newer, more protective standards for PM. In June 2020, Senator Carper, along with Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Robert M… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-coons-announce-completion-of-amtrak-s-third-track-in-wilmington | Carper, Coons Announce Completion of Amtraks Third Track in Wilmington | 2020-12-07 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined representatives from Amtrak to announce a recently completed $71.2 million project to increase capacity between Wilmington and Newark, Del. on the Northeast Corridor. This joint project with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) includes installation of 1.5 miles of a new, electrified main line third track between Ragan and Yard interlockings, a bridge replacement, and eliminates a previous two-track bottleneck. The change brings improved safety, on-time performance and a reduction in delays. This project is nearly 20 years in the making, and I am thrilled that we are finally going to reap the benefits of improved, more reliable rail service along the Northeast Corridor, said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, ranking member on the Environment and Public Works Committee and a frequent Amtrak rider. We must continue to improve our nation's transportation infrastructure in a way that promotes multi-modal transportation and takes cars off the road, for the sake of safety, congestion, and our environment. This project is a great example of a good public investment that benefits passengers, drivers, the air we breathe and promotes improvements to rail service in the future. This year started as one of the best for Amtrak, and while ridership is down, the completion of this project and removal of a significant bottleneck will mean more commuter and intercity trains can use the Northeast Corridor and increase the potential volume of rail service through Delaware, said U.S. Sen. Chris Coons. Our transportation system and passenger rail network desperately need additional investment and a focus on building the infrastructure we deserve. This project is an example of how we can make much-needed infrastructure upgrades, and I am grateful for the investments Amtrak has made in Delaware along with the federal government and state to make this project possible. As a regular Amtrak rider myself, I know the im… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/only-10-days-to-get-covered | Only 10 days to get covered! | 2020-12-05 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Dear friend, This year has not been easy. Our normal lives have been upended in ways we never could have imagined. In Delaware, we have lost over 700 brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and grandparents to the coronavirus.Today, and every day, I pray for the loved ones who have had to say goodbye much too soon. While each day brings fresh hardships and difficulties, there is still much we can do to keep our loved ones safe and healthy. That includes ensuring that they have quality, affordable health insurance. From now until December 15th, you can find a plan that works for your family's needs and budgets by visiting healthcare.gov or choosehealthde.com. In the First State, our premiums are down for the second year in a row! And more than 8 out of 10 Delawareans will get financial help to cover premiums and deductibles, which will bring their average premiums to $110 per month. Even if you or someone you know already has insurance, more affordable options may be available. Go to healthcare.gov and see what cost saving alternatives you qualify for. And Delawareans who may need extra help enrolling will have access to free in-person assistance from federally funded and trained specialists at Westside Family Healthcare, and by certified application counselors at Henrietta Johnson Medical Center in Wilmington and La Red Health Center in Georgetown. We each have a responsibility to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe during these trying times. That means wearing a mask, socially distancing and staying home as much as we can. It also means ensuring we have access to quality, affordable health care. There's no time to waste. To ensure you have health care in 2021, register anytime from today to December 15 at healthcare.gov or choosehealthDE.com and make sure you get covered. Stay safe and stay healthy, Tom Carper | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-epa-s-draft-national-recycling-plan-is-a-wasted-opportunity | Carper: EPAs Draft National Recycling Plan Is A Wasted Opportunity | 2020-12-04 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. As the public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s draft National Recycling Strategy comes to a close, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, submitted comment on EPA's draft plan and is imploring the EPA to seize the opportunity to reimagine our nation's crumbling recycling system and re-envision and revise its draft National Recycling Strategy. As the co-founder of the Senate Recycling Caucus, and as a passionate, lifelong recycler, I commend EPA for bringing together more than 250 stakeholders to the table to discuss national recycling practices. However, simply bringing together hundreds of stakeholders alone is not a sufficient process for producing a comprehensive national recycling strategy. The product that EPA has put forward for public comment makes that clear, Senator Carper wrote. I'm afraid that this draft National Recycling Strategy is largely a woefully inadequate and unimaginative approach to addressing our country's wide-ranging and complex recycling problems. It would be a wasted opportunity for EPA to press forward without addressing some of the serious flaws in this proposed strategy. In the final days of the Trump Administration, the EPA is hastening to finalize its draft National Recycling Strategy. As it is currently drafted, the draft National Recycling Strategy fails to convey bold and visionary structural changes that would help the United States at the national, state and local level adapt to challenging new international policies and the burgeoning plastic pollution crisis. While China's decision to restrict the import of plastics and mixed paper materials presents an enormous challenge for the United States in the short term, it should also motivate us to consider forward-looking strategies, Senator Carper continued. China's policies and the worsening impacts of waste on our environment and public health demand a creative and aggressive strategy to embrace a circular economy and reth… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/senate-passes-bill-to-rename-thermopolis-post-office-after-lifelong-resident-former-postmaster | Senate passes bill to rename Thermopolis post office after lifelong resident, former postmaster | 2020-12-04 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation to rename the Thermopolis, Wyo., post office after former Postmaster Robert Brown, who passed away on September 11, 2020. Brown's career with the U.S. Postal Service spanned 44 years, including 18 years as the postmaster. U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Tom Carper, D-Del., introduced the legislation earlier this year. U.S. Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who was Brown's son-in-law, cosponsored the legislation. Renaming the post office after Bob Brown is a fitting tribute to his service first in the military and later as the Thermopolis postmaster, Enzi said. He was born and raised in Thermopolis and exemplified Wyoming values. I'm glad the Senate passed this bill to honor and remember him. Bob Brown was an American hero who inspired everyone who knew him.Renaming the Thermopolis post office after himisa perfect way tohonor his memory,Barrasso said. Bob, my late father-in-law, served as postmaster in Thermopolis for many years after returning from his service in WWII and Korea. Many knew him as the nicest guy in town. I am deeply appreciative of Senator Enzi and Senator Carper's work to get this bipartisan bill passed in the Senate. This is awonderfulway to honor Bob's memory and service to Thermopolis and our nation. While I was never fortunate enough to meet Robert Brown, I know he was a man who dedicated his life to his country. He didn't just serve in the Army; he served with courage and distinction in combat in both World War II and later in the Korean War. He was awarded the Bronze Star and later returned to his community where he continued to serve his fellow citizens for years as a postmaster in the U.S. Postal Service. I know that our country is better for his lifetime of service to others, said Carper. I want to thank my colleague, Senator Enzi, for graciously allowing me to be his wingman in this effort to rename the Thermopolis post office in Mr. Brown's honor. I know that his memory will live on for generations in the community he served so well. Th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-selection-of-brian-deese-to-lead-the-national-economic-council | Carper Statement on Selection of Brian Deese to Lead the National Economic Council | 2020-12-03 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's selection of Brian Deese to serve as Director of the National Economic Council. Two of the biggest crises facing our country right now is an economy that has left too many Americans behind for too long, especially during this pandemic, and the existential threat of climate change thatleaves our survival on this planet hanging in the balance.In Brian Deese, President-elect Biden has selected an individual who fundamentally believes and understands thatthese two crises areinextricablyconnectedthat building afairer, more prosperous economyis impossible withoutachieving environmental equity and ensuring a healthy, habitable planet.As the first climate policy expert to serve as Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese will put combatting the climate crisis at the center of the incoming Administration's economic agenda and work tirelessly to bring much-needed reliefand opportunityto American families and workers. Brian's track record speaks for itself. During the Obama Administration, he was integral in crafting the bailout of the American auto industry at the height of the Great Recession. He's been tested during crises, has successfully worked to protect American jobs, and helped to rebuild our economy once before. He went on to be a lead negotiator of the Paris Climate Agreement, helping to bring the world together in support of ambitious action on climate. Most recently, he has worked with the nation's largest companies to help reduce their impact on the environment we all share. That experience will prove to be an asset as President-elect Biden works to advance the boldest climate agenda from anyadministration to date that holds all stakeholders accountable. Having worked with Brian when he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, I know t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/to-honor-epa-s-50th-anniversary-let-s-look-to-the-future | To honor EPAs 50th Anniversary, lets look to the future | 2020-12-03 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Dear Friend, This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency. Many people may not remember a time before the EPA, before the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act became law of the land. But I do. Polluters dumped waste into our waterways without consequence, factories released toxic fumes, and acid rain fell from the sky. Smog in major cities around our country was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. In the face of all of that adversity, the American people got to work and created a movement. Millions took to the streets calling for transformative action to protect our planet. In response, a Republican presidentPresident Richard Nixonhelped lead the effort to create a new federal agency with the mission of protecting human health and the environment. In the time since, the EPA has been instrumental in protecting the air we breathe, cleaning up the water that we drink, and improving public health. Despite those 50 years of progress, sadly, the last four years have reminded us that progress is not permanent. Fortunately, though, neither is the damage that has been done to our nation's leading environmental agency. With forward-looking leadership, EPA can and will be restored to help our nation overcome the most pressing challenges of our day. That is what my friend and fellow Delawarean, President-elect Joe Biden, has promised. Right now, EPA can help us reduce the air pollution that is worsening COVID-19 outcomes. Right now, EPA can help to address the environmental inequality that stems from systemic racism. EPA can help our nation reduce harmful pollution and prioritize environmental justice in ways that ensure we uplift economically disadvantaged communities, foster greater economic prosperity and achieve equity. In fact, environmental quality and economic growth go hand in hand. On top of a deadly pandemic, an ever-deepening economic recession and a national reckoning of racial injustice, the United States is grappling with another crisisthe climate crisis. We may not be e… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-meets-with-president-elect-biden-s-nominee-to-lead-dhs | Carper Meets with President-Elect Bidens Nominee to Lead DHS | 2020-12-02 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Carper, Mayorkas discuss ways to boost morale at DHS, restore public trust in the Department and tackle the root causes of migration WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released the following statement today after virtually meeting with Alejandro Mayorkas, President-elect Joe Biden's intended nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. I have been fortunate enough to work alongside Ali Mayorkas for many years, and I have gotten to know him both as a public servant and a person. He is a man of great integrity and principle, with an incomparable work ethic, who understands the complexities of this critical agency and the threats facing our country at this crucial moment. I am even more sure, after meeting with him today, that he is the right person to take the helm at DHS and begin a new, productive chapter at the agency. I was glad to talk with him today about the importanceofworking expeditiously to fill vacancies at DHS with qualified, experienced individuals who can support him in his efforts to boost morale across the workforce and restore the public's trust in this Department. It's understandable that the American people may be leery of this agency,which was deeply politicized during the Trump administration and used as an instrument to carry out some of its most extreme and harmful policies during the last four years. But Ali Mayorkas appreciates the work that lies aheadofhim and his team in order to earn back the public's trust. He is eager to show that he will be a thoughtful leader, and I know that he is well-qualified and well-prepared to hit the ground running on day one. We also had an opportunity to discuss the urgent need to address the root causes of irregular migration to our country not simply the symptoms. As someone who has traveled to Central America numerous times, it is clear that violence, extreme poverty, corruption and a lack of opportunity has for… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-statement-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-environmental-protection-agency | Carper Statement on the 50th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency | 2020-12-02 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For 50 years, the American people have relied on the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the air we breathe is clean, the water we drink is safe, the communities we call home are free of pollution, and the products we use are free of toxins. Many people may not remember a time before the EPA, before the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act became law of the land. But I do. I remember when industries polluted our skies with plumes of acrid smoke and poisoned our waterways with toxic waste. Communities were cloaked in suffocating smog. Many of us have the luxury of largely forgetting these frightening circumstances today because of the work of EPA. For half a century, EPA has relied on sound science to implement our nation's clean air, clean water and safe chemical laws. During that time, our economy has expanded, industries have innovated and business have created millions of new jobs, proving that economic growth goes hand in hand with environmental quality. But we have just seen the proof that this progress is not permanent. Over the last four years, EPA has endured a hostile administration hell-bent on turning back the clock. But even after a president who promised to get rid' of the agency in every form, EPA is still the world's gold standard of science-based and compassionate care for our environment because regulations can come undone and career employees can come under attack, but science evolves and our bedrock environmental laws endure. Just as progress is not permanent, neither is the damage that's been done to our nation's top environmental agency. The leadership and forward-looking vision of President-elect Biden and his administration will restore and renew EPA. Fifty years after its birth, EPA will once again help our nation overcome the most pressing chall… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/opening-statement-of-ranking-member-carper-business-meeting-to-consider-substitute-amendment-to-american-nuclear-infrastructure-act-of-2020 | Opening Statement of Ranking Member Carper: Business Meeting to consider Substitute Amendment to American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020 | 2020-12-02 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a business meeting to consider substitute amendment to S. 4897, American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020, and 8 General Services Administration Resolutions. Below is the opening statement of Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.), as prepared for delivery: Welcome, everyone, to the last Senate Environment and Public Works Committee business meeting of the 116th Congress. Today marks the end of an era. It is the last EPW business meeting to be led by our friend and colleague, Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming. Mr. Chairman, I'm proud of all we've accomplished in this committee these past four years by working together. I'll mention a few. We enacted a comprehensive reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, and we are on the cusp of doing so again, two years later. Last year, we unanimously reporting out of committee the most significant highway funding bill the Senate has ever seen, one with a substantial climate title included in it. In addition, we've enacted a slew of wildlife bills that improve conservation efforts, protect habitat and the creatures that God has put on this Earth. And, we reached a consequential bipartisan compromise to enact a nationwide phasedown of HFCs. That's worth a half degrees Celsius alone in our battle against the climate crisis. I would be remiss not to mention one of my favorite moments that we've shared togetherwhen a nominee from Wyoming sat before us and testified at his confirmation hearing for Assistant Secretary for Interior. Your friend, Rob Wallace, said these words: Along the way I've learned so much, especially that no one ever really wins by winning everything, that bipartisan solutions are always the lasting ones...' Mr. Chairman, as my staff knows, these words of wisdom really struck a chord with me and a number of our colleagues, as well. Because that's something all of us have learned along the way, toothat bipartisan solutions truly are lasting solutions. When I reflect on… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-automakers-should-all-support-voluntary-framework-deal-with-california-ford-honda-volkswagen-bmw-and-volvo | Carper: Automakers should all support voluntary framework deal with California, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, and Volvo | 2020-12-01 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, echoed a new letter sent by Ford Motor Company and encouragedallautomakers to follow the lead of Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, and Volvo anddrop litigation against states' regulatory authority and announce their support for thevoluntary agreement with California and 13 other states, including Delaware, that will deliver more greenhouse gas emissionsreductions than under the Trump administration's illegal rollback. For four years, nearly every automaker told me that they wanted to see a deal between the Trump administration and the state of California. Automakers urged the administration to govern responsibly and support a 50-state solution that would provide near-term flexibility as the industry moves toward stronger standards. But in those four years, only five automakers have shown the leadership needed to make that a reality. With so much at stake American jobs and the entire auto industry, our nation's economy and the planet's climate crisis five automakers had the courage to buck the Trump administration and choose another way. Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, and Volvo worked with California to forge a responsible alternative path, one that would promote American jobs, protect clean air, and support the clean cars of the future. In a new letter, Ford is calling the rest of the automakers to join that agreement. I echo that call. Actually, since the four automakers' agreement with California was first announced, I have repeatedly called other automakers and urged them to join it. For more than a year now, I have picked up the phone and told every automaker that staying stuck in neutral or reverse is no longer an option. Remaining silent or merely withdrawing support from the outgoing administration's illegal rollback and challenges to state authority is not enough, not when there is so much at stake. To demonstrate real leadership, automakers should also announce their support for th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-defazio-and-grijalva-file-amicus-brief-over-nepa-rule-changes-by-the-trump-administration | Carper, DeFazio, and Grijalva File Amicus Brief over NEPA Rule Changes by the Trump Administration | 2020-12-01 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Congressman Ral M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, in the case of Wild Virginia v. Council on Environmental Quality. The three lawmakers filed the amicus brief on behalf of Members of Congress regarding the Trump administration's revisions to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The amicus brief states Member of Congress have on multiple occasions communicated to the administration that the legal defects of the Trump NEPA regulations fundamentally undermines NEPA's protections and should not adversely affect their constituents. Congress intended that the NEPA review process would protect the public by requiring agencies to carefully examine the environmental impacts of their actions, the lawmakers wrote. The 2020 Rule, however, removes or weakens core elements of the NEPA review process, thereby undermining NEPA's protections that have made the law so valuable to [our] constituents. The brief asserts that four core elements of NEPA review have been undercut by the updated NEPA rule: consideration of cumulative and indirect impacts, analysis of all reasonable alternatives, public participation, and the requirement to consider environmental impacts before project commencement. Read the lawmakers' amicus brief here. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-janet-yellen-to-serve-as-treasury-secretary | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Janet Yellen to Serve as Treasury Secretary | 2020-11-30 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, Del. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Janet Yellen to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. This year, millions of families have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, breadwinners have been out of work. Too many small business owners have been forced to close their doors. Parents have struggled to pay for necessities at the super market, while our President focuses solely on the stock market. We desperately need leaders who can help workers and families recover, build an economy that works for all Americans and put us on a more equitable and sustainable fiscal path going forward. President-elect Biden knows exactly what it takes to lead our country out of an economic crisis and, in Janet Yellen, he has found a partner who has the brilliance, the decades of experience and the gravitas needed to lead a successful recovery now. The selection of Janet Yellen to lead the Treasury Department is historic, but also pitch perfect for this moment. A trailblazer throughout her life, Janet Yellen was the first woman to lead our central banking system as Chair of the Federal Reserve, where she was widely regarded as a steady hand who helped to continue our economic recovery in the wake of the Great Recession. Now, she would be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department in its long 231-year history, and the only person to have served as Treasury Secretary, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and Chair of the Federal Reserve. A decorated economist and renowned academic, it would be nearly impossible to find any individual more qualified for this position. And it would be even more difficult to find a nominee who is so well respected across the board, from progressives to Republicans alike. In addition to her impeccable credentials, Janet Yellen has long been sounding the alarm on climate change. An early supporter of the Kyoto Protocol and a member of the Cl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-on-epa-s-proposal-to-weaken-pollution-standards-for-vessels | Carper on EPAs Proposal to Weaken Pollution Standards for Vessels | 2020-11-25 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, underscored the damage posed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s proposed rule that would significantly relax pollution control standards for large industrial ships under the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act. When large ships arrive at ports, they often need to discharge ballast water in order to load new cargo. That ballast water frequently contains harmful pollutants and aquatic invasive species. That's why I worked hard to see theVessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) become law to ensure commercial shipping vessels adhere to basic pollution control standards in order to better mitigate the spread of invasive species and protect our nation's waterways. One of the key principles of VIDA was ensuring that the new pollution control standards set forth by EPA would be at least as stringent as existing standards. In fact, the law explicitly and unambiguously forbids EPA from weakening any existing ballast water standard. But, after four years, it should surprise no one that the Trump EPA is simply ignoring the law. In clear defiance to the rule of the law and a 94-6 bipartisan vote in the Senate, EPA is instead proposing to weaken existing ballast water standards. No doubt, President Trump's EPA will be remembered for its unrelenting torrent of environmental rollbacks that cater to specific industries with special interests. This proposed rule is no exception. In addition to weakening pollution control standards, EPA has determined that U.S. vessels operating exclusively in the Great Lakes system are not required to meet any discharge standard whatsoever. According to EPA, these vessels do not have to install ballast water management systems. I worked closely with my Senate colleagues from the Great Lakes States and, once again, EPA's interpretation of the law could not be further from our clear, unambiguous, legislative intent. It should also surprise no one that the Trump EPA arriv… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/have-a-happy-and-safe-thanksgiving | Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving | 2020-11-25 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | November 25th, 2020 Dear Friend, It goes without saying that 2020 has been a hard year for every American. We have all sacrificed a great deal as our country has grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. And the fact that Thanksgiving also looks very different for all of us this year is understandably difficult. Most years on Thanksgiving, I like to start my morning running the Thanksgiving Day Multiple Sclerosis race in Wilmington. Then, I head down to the Emmanuel Dining Room to make sure my neighbors are able to partake in not only a delicious Thanksgiving meal, but also invaluable fellowship. Even though this Thanksgiving looks differentand in spite of the hardships of this year, there's still so much to be thankful for. More than ever, we should all be especially grateful for our good health and the health of our family and friends. We should give thanks for the food on our tables.Weshould express our sincere thanks for the health care heroes and frontline workers who have put themselves in harm's way this year to keep our country running and keep their fellow Americans healthy and safe. And we should give thanksfor the men and women abroad defending our country. Let usnot forget: there are too many families who will not even get to Zoom with a family member or loved one over Thanksgiving dinner because they've been lost to the coronavirus.I know thatmissing gatherings forThanksgiving may seem tough,especially when being with family and loved ones feels more important than ever.But we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and we need to do everything we can to keep each other safe. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially recommended that Americans stay at home this weekend and celebrate Thanksgiving with only your household. Over the last few weeks, we've gotten some much-needed good news. Help is on the way in the form of three promising, highly effective vaccines. But it's not time to spike the football just yet. Instead, that good news should be extra incentive t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-joins-booker-colleagues-urge-robust-funding-for-state-and-local-governments-to-distribute-covid-19-vaccines | Carper Joins Booker, Colleagues to Urge Robust Funding for State and Local Governments to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines | 2020-11-24 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Public health experts have estimated that a bare minimum of $8.4 billion is needed for COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 15 of his Democratic Senate colleagues in urging Congressional leaders to provide robust funding to ensure the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as a part of any upcoming legislation to address the pandemic. With the recent news of at least one COVID-19 vaccine possibly being available to be distributed within the next month, many state and local governments lack the proper funding that is needed to distribute the vaccine. According to a recent letter sent by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) to congressional leaders, a minimum of $8.4 billion is needed to distribute COVID-19 vaccines nationwide. Some experts even estimated that $10 billion is required in order to fund community vaccination clinics alone. For months, as states, territories, Indian Tribes, and other localities have been responding to COVID-19 and working tirelessly to keep their residents safe, they have also been preparing to undertake one of the largest vaccination efforts in our nation's history, the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent today to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy. To accomplish this, jurisdictions must recruit and train thousands of health care workers, modernize data systems and registries, stand up vaccination sites, develop communications and educational materials, and build and support the infrastructure needed to distribute multiple types and doses of COVID-19 vaccines, among other activities. To ensure that jurisdictions throughout the country are well-positioned to immediately, efficiently, and equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines as they become available, we respectfully request that any upcoming legislation to address … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-peters-colleagues-request-regular-gao-briefings-on-schedule-f-executive-order-implementation | Carper, Peters, Colleagues Request Regular GAO Briefings on Schedule F Executive Order Implementation | 2020-11-23 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Oversight and Reform Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerald E. Connolly in sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting regular briefings to inform Congress about the implementation status of President Trump's Schedule F Executive Order. The executive order could precipitate a mass exodus from the federal government at the end of every presidential administration, leaving federal agencies without deep institutional knowledge, expertise, experience, and the ability to develop and implement long-term policy strategies, they wrote. It would be a critical loss for the American people. On October 21, 2020, the President issued an executive order that would undermine the foundation of the federal workforce: the civil service, which consists of non-partisan professionals who serve all Americans without regard to political party. This executive action could multiply the number of political appointees within the federal workforce by tens of thousands and permit the mass firing of current federal employees whom agency heads determine make substantive contributions to executive branch policy. In response to the executive order, on October 27, 2020, Chairwoman Maloney and Chairman Connollyintroduced the Saving the Civil Service Act to prohibit the use of funds to implement the order. The bill also would allow any position or appointment that was converted pursuant to the executive order to be converted back to the competitive service and provide anyone converted to a Schedule F who was subsequently fired to be reinstated with backpay. Senator Carper joined Ranking Member Peters and more than 40 U.S. Senators last week to introduce a bill that would also block the implementation of the President's harmful executive order. Click here to read today's l… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-john-kerry-appointment-to-serve-as-special-presidential-envoy-for-climate | Carper Statement on John Kerry Appointment to Serve as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate | 2020-11-23 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after President-elect Biden appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry to serve as a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and to serve as part of the National Security Council (NSC). It is going to take a concerted international effort to confront and overcome the global climate crisis. But before we even get there, it's going to take perseverance, political expertise and diplomacy to convince other countries to join the fight to save our planet. No one understands what it's going to take better than John Kerry. As our nation's former Secretary of State, John Kerry knows firsthand how to unite the international community to confront the climate crisis. After all, he worked tirelessly to bring the Paris Agreement to the finish line. And when it was time to ratify the historic accord, Secretary Kerry brought his young granddaughter with him to sign the agreement on behalf of the United States. He reminded the world that climate action is about leaving behind a healthy, habitable planet for future generations. As my former colleague in the Senate, he is also acutely aware of the political process. He will bring to this role both his diplomatic and political expertise. And, after devoting the last several years to his organization focused on climate change, John Kerry knows better than anyone how to ensure this crisis receives the international attention it so desperately needs. One call after another, world leaders continue to raise the issue of climate change in their congratulatory calls to the president-elect. President-elect Biden understands that the world is watching, and he knows that time is wasting. With the first-ever National Security Council seat dedicated to climate change, Secretary Kerry's historic appointment is a message to be heard around the world. The United States of America will lead the world on climate change once again. ##… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-alejandro-mayorkas-to-serve-as-dhs-secretary | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to Serve as DHS Secretary | 2020-11-23 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, Del. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Alejandro Ali Mayorkas to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS is an agency with a budget of over $50 billion. The 240,000 men and women who work at the agency are charged with such critical missions as protecting our country from ever-evolving domestic and foreign threats, responding to national disasters, and securing our elections against foreign interference. As we see record-breaking storms, floods and fires fueled by climate change, continued irregular migration to our southern border, and the highest number of hate crimes in a decade, it is more important than ever that we have qualified and steady leadership at the Department to help us tackle these challenges and create a safer and more secure country for every American. I have had the pleasure and the privilege of working with Ali Mayorkas during his many years of service at the Department of Homeland Security. He is a man of great integrity and principle, with an incomparable work ethic, who understands the complexities of this critical agency and the threats facing our country. I can think of no better choice to help rebuild, refocus and lead the Department in this moment than Ali Mayorkas. Joe Biden's selection of Ali is undoubtedly historic. Ali was born in Havana, Cuba and understands firsthand what it's like for a family to come to the United States in search of refuge. He will become the first immigrant and first Latino to lead this consequential agency. But nominating Ali also shows just how much our President-elect values experience and expertise. Ali Mayorkas has held numerous positions within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. Most recently, Ali served as DHS Deputy Secretary during which time he helped implement the program … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-the-nomination-of-tony-blinken-to-serve-as-secretary-of-state | Carper Statement on the Nomination of Tony Blinken to Serve as Secretary of State | 2020-11-23 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, Del. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Tony Blinken to serve as Secretary of State. For the last four years, we have recklessly abandoned our alliances and walked away from carefully crafted international agreements with no alternatives in place. From the Paris Climate Accords to the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump, and those around him, seemed to be solely driven by a desire to tear down good policies, simply because they were achievements of the Obama Administration. For the last four years, our country's foreign policy has been transactional rather than strategic. For the last four years, our country has turned our back on our allies and cozied up to autocrats, ceding our leadership role in the world and compromising the democratic values that the United States has helped to spread across the globe by the power of our example. I've long said that there is no one better equipped to finally restore our country's standing in the world than Joe Biden. One of the reasons that I am so confident in President-elect Joe Biden's ability to do so is because I know that he will empower and surround himself with experienced, thoughtful and eminently qualified individuals like Tony Blinken. Having begun his career at the State Department, Tony Blinken not only respects the agency and the critical role it plays in representing the United States to the world. He also respects our diplomats and foreign service officers around the world who work every day to keep our country safe. He has decades of experience in foreign policy and has been tested on the world stage. He helped to build the coalition of over sixty nations and the Kurds to fight ISIS on the battlefield, successfully reducing the terrorist group's land holdings and influence. Alongside others, he advocated for the Iran Nuclear Deal that successfully kept the Iranian government from developing a nuclear weapon, and which subjected the country to rigorous, in… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-urges-gsa-to-ascertain-president-elect-biden-to-ensure-americans-environmental-and-health-protections | Carper Urges GSA to Ascertain President-Elect Biden to Ensure Americans Environmental and Health Protections | 2020-11-23 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, urged General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Murphy to ascertain the results of the 2020 Presidential Election for the sake of Americans' environment and health. In a new letter to GSA Administrator Murphy, Senator Carper underscored the urgency and importance of a smooth transition to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris's administration, given the global crises of climate change and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. GSA must immediately ascertain the President-elect's clear election victory and assist in facilitating a timely and effective transition of power to the incoming administration, as required by the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, Senator Carper wrote. Failing to do so risks the health and safety of millions of Americans as the nation grapples with a pandemic that continues to grow more severe every week. Senator Carper outlined three specific areas currently hindered by GSA's refusal to ascertain President-Elect Biden: air pollution and the coronavirus, evaluation and approval of disinfectants amid the pandemic, and preparation for the next administration to assess and remediate contaminated Superfund sites. I urge you to fulfill your lawful duty and begin the process of facilitating an orderly transfer of power to the new administration, so that President-elect Biden and Vice-President elect Harris can protect human health and the environment effectively on day one, Senator Carper continued. The full letter can be read here or below. November 23, 2020 Emily Murphy Administrator General Services Administration 1800 F St NW Washington, D.C. 20006 Dear Administrator Murphy: I am deeply concerned that the General Services Administration (GSA) continues to delay providing resources and access to critical information to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their team as they prepare to take office… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-honored-by-delaware-farm-bureau-for-work-supporting-our-nation-s-farmers | Carper Honored By Delaware Farm Bureau for Work Supporting our Nations Farmers | 2020-11-20 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Delaware Farm Bureau President Richard Wilkins to accept the Friend of the Farm Bureau Award for the 116thCongress. Senator Carper accepted the award at Delaware Agriculture Museum President Grier Stayton's farm. Delaware may be a small state, but we sure punch above our weight when it comes to agriculture, and that is all thanks to the tireless work of our farmers. They fuel our economy, keep our families fed and show us every day how to be good stewards of the land that we all call home.We're also so grateful for the hard working men and women who support the agriculture industry and are great collaborators on legislation and policies that help keep this industry thriving here in Delaware,said Senator Carper.I'm honored to work with our growers and producers on putting in place smart policies that provide stability, while also supporting trade and conservation practices. Thank you to Richard and to the Farm Bureau members for recognizing the work we do together to ensure our nation's farmers especially the 2,300 family farmers here in the First State - can continue to dothe critical work they do and stay in business for generations to come. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) gives the Friend of Farm Bureau award to members of Congress who have supported Farm Bureau's position on policy issues, as demonstrated by their voting records, and who were nominated by their respective state Farm Bureaus and approved by the AFBF Board of Directors. The voting records are based on issues selected by the AFBF Board. Throughout his career of public service, Tom Carper has sought input from farmer leaders on how they would be impacted by public policy decisions,said Wilkins. He has always looked for solutions that are fair and reasonable. Senator Carper has the utmost respect for the hard working families that make America nutritionally secure. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-introduces-legislation-to-address-disparities-in-federal-transportation-infrastructure-investments-for-native-american-communities | Carper Introduces Legislation to Address Disparities in Federal Transportation Infrastructure Investments for Native American Communities | 2020-11-18 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. As the United States honors National Native American Heritage Month and renews its commitment to support public safety, health and quality of life in Native American communities, today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced the Promoting Access to Tribal Health, Wellbeing, and Youth Safety (PATHWAYS) Act. This legislation that would establish a new program within the U.S. Department of Transportation to oversee federal investments and projects focused on improving public safety and promoting public health in Tribal communities. Everyone in this country deserves reliable options to travel safely from one place to another. Everyone deserves roads that connect us to each other and expand our horizons. But, the sad truth is that not everyone in this country has safe, reliable roads that foster connections and expand opportunities. This is especially true in Native American communities, where decades of federal underinvestment in transportation infrastructure have led to worse quality of life and disproportionately higher rates of road traffic fatalities, Senator Carper said. In many communities within Indian Country, run-down roads are not merely an inconveniencethey create an obstacle for daily life and put lives at greater risk. Unsafe and unreliable infrastructure makes it harder to get healthy groceries, arrive safely to school or find new employment opportunities. The PATHWAYS Act would create a new federal PATHWAYS program focused on reducing traffic-related pedestrian fatalities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, where unintentional injuryincluding traffic-related fatalitiesis the number one cause of death among people aged 1-44, and the third cause of death for people of all ages. The PATHWAYS Program would authorize the Department of Transportation to carry out projects aimed at improving public safety and health in Tribal communitiesfrom projects that expand options for non-motorized forms of tran… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-commemorates-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-clean-air-act-amendments-of-1990 | Carper Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 | 2020-11-15 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Today, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. We celebrate the millions of American lives saved and hundreds of millions of lives made better by this law. And, as we celebrate this progress, we are reminded what we can achieve by working together to meet our nation's greatest challenges. In 1990, I was a member of the House of Representatives. In the House, I had the privilege of working alongside the late John Dingell, who was the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As Chairman Dingell said at the time, clean air was, one of the most difficult, divisive, complex, costly and important issues' that Congress ever had to confront. And yet despite all of the difficulty and division, the complexity of the issue and the fear of its costs 400 members of the House and 89 senators sent the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to Republican President George H.W. Bush's desk. Sweeping, progressive reforms were signed into law with overwhelming bipartisan support. How? Well, it was clear that our nation was facing an air quality crisis, and it was clear to both parties that this crisis demanded swift and sweeping action. Power plants and factories emitted pollution that formed clouds of toxic soot. Acid rain fell from our skies, corroding our infrastructure, damaging our forests and polluting our waters. The ozone layer was rapidly depleting. The cars, trucks and vans on our roads created smog that suffocated our communities. Air toxics like mercury, lead and arsenic polluted the air we breathed and the fish we consumed, building up in our bodies, leading to higher rates of cancer and other deadly ailments. The worsening environmental and public health crises all around us were impossible to ignore, and they galvanized bipartisan momentu… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-celebrates-america-recycles-day | Carper Celebrates America Recycles Day | 2020-11-13 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and co-founder of the Senate Recycling Caucus, released the following statement to highlight America Recycles Day on November 15. Every day should be America Recycles Day! For me, recycling has been a lifelong passion. Over the years, I've recycled everything from a Ford Explorer to small electronics and holiday lights. More recently, I donned an old DelDOT fluorescent yellow vest and spent a few hours filling up 45-gallon trash bags with litter along a highway onramp near my home. Whether we're recycling or cleaning up litter, we can all do our part to make planet Earth a more beautiful, habitable place for all. Sadly, though, our national recycling rate is only at 35 percentand at the same time, we're facing a global plastic pollution crisis. Shocking images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patcha mass of marine debris more than 300 times the size of Delawarehave helped to increase awareness about reducing single-use plastics and improving recycling. But, at the rate we're going, experts predict that there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050. If we don't act now, it won't be long before our beaches are overwhelmed with plastic bags and other waste that washes ashore. While I encourage everyone to recycle, I also know that encouraging Americans to recycle is not a silver bullet to the growing challenges we face. From the rampant production of single-use plastics to the litter overflowing our landfills, we need wide-reaching solutions for the challenges we face. We need to reduce and reclaim the materials we use before they become waste. When done right, recycling is something we can all do to protect our environment, support job creation, and grow our economy. This America Recycles Day, let's remember our shared responsibility to reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-and-coons-join-veterans-to-reveal-new-dover-va-clinic-on-veterans-day | Carper and Coons Join Veterans to Reveal New Dover VA Clinic on Veterans Day | 2020-11-11 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, on Veterans Day, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) along with leadership from Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center and General Frank Vavala, former Adjutant General of Delaware, highlighted the new Kent County Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) which will better serve our Kent County veterans after it opens later this year. The new facility in the former Blue Hen Mall at 655 S. Bay Road in Dover will increase the clinic space from its current size of 9,000 square feet to over 29,000 square feet. The additional space will allow for the expansion of services such as primary care, behavioral health, specialty services and telehealth. On Veterans Day we honor the men and women who volunteered to serve our country, said Vince Kane, Director, Wilmington VA Medical Center. In any other year, we would be holding big celebrations commemorating their service. But this year, we had to scale back, yet still find a way to show our appreciation, which is why we chose to hold this event at the new clinic in Dover. In VA it is our mission to put Veterans first in everything we do and provide them with exceptional health. It is our privilege to meet the health care needs and challenges Veterans face. This clinic will be an example of that commitment. As a 23-year veteran of the Navy and a naval Reserves, I am so proud of this new clinic, and how we are giving back to our veterans. And what better day to give you all an early look at the inside than Veterans Day, said Senator Carper. With expanded services and more space, this beautiful new clinic will be a relief to so many Kent County veterans who will now be able to get more of their services closer to home, rather than have to drive up to Wilmington. We have a sacred duty to care for those who have sacrificed so much and served this country. Ensuring that they can easily access high-quality health care services like those that will be provided at the Dover CBOC is one important way that we can keep our promises to our veterans. … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-announcement-of-president-elect-biden-s-coronavirus-advisory-board | Carper Statement on Announcement of President-elect Bidens Coronavirus Advisory Board | 2020-11-09 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, DE Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding the announcement of President-elect Biden's Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board that will include 13 public health experts led by Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General, Dr. David Kessler, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Yale University. Yesterday marked the fifth highest day of new coronavirus cases in our country since the pandemic began. The United States has now surpassed the grim milestone of over 10 million cases nationwide. Hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise before we even enter the cold winter months. While we are seeing spikes in the coronavirus around the world, the United States has more cases of coronavirus than any nation on Earth. After all, America has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but our country accounts for nearly 20 percent of the world's deaths and cases from coronavirus. We have to do better, and that starts with listening to the medical and public health experts and taking the common sense steps that have successfully helped control the spread of this virus in countries around the world. I think that it is admirable that, on day one, President-elect Biden's first priority is ensuring that his transition is guided by science as they address this unprecedented public health and economic challenge. By working in partnership with governors and local officials, prioritizing evidence-based guidance, expanding much-needed testing, and investing in vaccine distribution, we can save lives and protect livelihoods. Rather than try to discredit the science, let's work together to use it to finally get this virus under control. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/fo | To request tickets to the Inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden, click here | 2020-11-09 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | The 59th Presidential Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony will take place on January 20, 2021.My office will be allocated a limited number of tickets to distribute to constituents interested in attending the Inauguration. We expect to receive a large number of requests for these tickets more than can possibly be accommodated and tickets will be distributed, giving preference to Delawareans, on a first-come, first-served basis. All requests for tickets must be submitted electronically through the form below. There is a four-ticket limit for individuals and a ten-ticket limit for organizations.Pleasenotethat youare notguaranteedtickets to the Swearing-In ceremony.If you are selected to receivetickets,you willbe notified in January and provided withadditional information. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/11/carper-statement-on-the-passing-of-former-delaware-elections-commissioner-elaine-manlove | Carper Statement on the Passing of Former Delaware Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove | 2020-11-03 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding the tragic passing of Elaine Manlove, former Delaware Elections Commissioner, who served in that role for 12 years until retiring in June 2019: Martha and I are devastated to learn of the passing of Elaine and her husband, Wayne. Elaine was a consummate public servant, a visionary and incredibly committed to honest and secure elections. One of her greatest professional achievements over her 12 years as Elections Commissioner was modernizing Delaware's voting machines, as well as working with the education community to bring elections and civics lessons into Delaware's classrooms. It's a cruel irony that her passing occurred on the eve of Election Day after she dedicated her life to protecting the integrity of the elections we hold so dear. Elaine and Wayne recently celebrated their 51stwedding anniversary, and my heart goes out to their children and grandchildren today. May we honor Elaine by ensuring that, this Election Day, every person who wants to vote can vote, and every ballot that is casted is counted. I know that so many across Delaware will be thinking of Elaine today. ## | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/senate-environmental-justice-caucus-co-founders-honor-national-native-american-heritage-month-this-november | Senate Environmental Justice Caucus Co-Founders Honor National Native American Heritage Month this November | 2020-10-30 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senate Environmental Justice co-founders Senator Tom Carper (D-Del), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) released the following statements to honor National Native American Heritage Month, which begins on November 1, and to underscore the work needed to achieve equity and improve environmental quality and infrastructure investment in this nation's Native American communities. This month, we honor the heritage of Indigenous Americans, this nation's first environmental stewards. For centuries, Native peoples' rich connection to the land and water has informed and improved this nation's efforts to restore and conserve critical eco-systems. And yet, the United States government has not invested nearly enough to ensure environmental quality, public health, and quality of life in Indigenous communities. From running water to safe roadways, the most basic infrastructure in tribal communities has gone perpetually overlooked and underfunded by the federal government for too long, Senator Carper said. The climate crisis also disproportionately threatens tribal communities. Now, the Trump Administration has opened sacred lands to oil drilling and fast-tracked mine projects that threaten critical food and water sources. It's far past time we keep our promise to American Indians and Alaska Natives by doing the work and making the investments needed to achieve equity and environmental justice. Long before the discovery' of this nation, Native Americans inhabited this land from coast to coast and yet, hundreds of years later they continue to be dumped on and denied their right to breathe safe air, drink clean water and live on uncontaminated land, said Duckworth. During Native American Heritage Month, we must recommit to protecting and promoting indigenous culture and traditions, while also doing more to achieve environmental justice for communities who are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous communities are the original good stewards o… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-joins-conservation-groups-in-celebrating-final-enactment-of-america-s-conservation-enhancement-act | Carper Joins Conservation Groups in Celebrating Final Enactment of Americas Conservation Enhancement Act | 2020-10-29 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | SMYRNA, Del While the challenges facing conservation continue to climb, today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined with some of America's leading conservation groups to celebrate passage of America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. The ACE Act, co-authored by Senator Carper, reauthorizes critical laws aimed at preserving habitat and conserving species throughout the country. The ACE Act also authorizes new funds to tackle evolving threats to conservation, such as invasive species and wildlife diseases. For more than a century, our national approach to conserving land, water and wildlife has centered on collaborative efforts between federal agencies, state partners and stakeholders from businesses to conservation organizations. America's Conservation Enhancement Act reflects and reinforces that long legacy of working together to conserve habitats and species, said EPW Ranking Member Tom Carper. The ACE Act builds on our country's proud tradition of conservation. It reauthorizes programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Program, which fund critical efforts throughout the Delmarva region. While supporting efforts to protect and preserve vital ecosystems that are home to important species, the ACE Act will also promote innovative ways to address growing threats like invasive species and wildlife diseases. I thank the conservation community for working with me so passionately and persistently to move this legislation through Congress, proving that progress to preserve our planet and protect all of its creatures is not only possible, but also vital. Delaware has the highest Green Wing membership in the country. It should come as no surprise that a state so invested in the next generation of conservationists is represented by a Senator who shares that same investment in the future of conservation, said Ducks Unlimited Delaware State Chairman Raymond Harp. Senator Carper's efforts to pass the ACE Act … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-tours-natural-barriers-protecting-communities-from-coastal-erosion-flooding-and-preserving-habitat-for-critical-species | Carper Tours Natural Barriers Protecting Communities from Coastal Erosion, Flooding and Preserving Habitat for Critical Species | 2020-10-27 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | DEWEY BEACH, Del. On the heels of the hottest decade ever recorded on Earth, and as higher sea surface temperatures continue to fuel one of the most active Atlantic hurricane seasons in history, today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, toured a completed natural barrier project that will protect communities from coastal erosion and flooding caused by rising sea levels and more severe tropical storms while providing a healthy habitat for wildlife and other bay life. With leaders of the Center for Inland Bays, including Dr. Marianne Welch and Chris Bason, Senator Carper toured one of the Center's most recently completed projects as part of its Living Shorelines Initiative. The project relies on nature-based shoreline restoration and storm water treatment rather than traditional stone rip-rap or bulkheads, which often result in the loss of natural shoreline habitat critical for horseshoe crabs and other wildlife. This new natural barrier will protect nearby homes, business and infrastructure from high tides and storm surge flooding, while creating access for recreational activities such as swimming or kayaking. Leaders like those at the Delaware Center for Inland Bays are showing us how we can and why we must make our coastal communities more resilient to the worsening climate crisis. This new natural barrier project will protect nearby residents and businesses from the high tides and higher storm surges we continue to see along the coast as global temperatures rise. These are the kinds of investments we need, funding and projects that fortify our communities while restoring habitat and conserving ecosystems. One of my top priorities is to invest more in making our communities, and our transportation, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, more resilient to the worsening climate crisis. Natural infrastructure is a smart and effective way to protect communities from the climate crisis, but it only addresses the symptoms of the climate cr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/photos-carper-briefed-on-oil-washing-ashore-on-delaware-s-beaches | Carper Briefed on Oil Washing Ashore on Delaware's Beaches | 2020-10-27 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | DEWEY BEACH, Del. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after a briefing with officials about an oil spill that has reached Delaware's beaches. I commend the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the U.S. Coast Guard, Tri-State Bird Rescue and well over 100 environmental professionals for their swift action and ongoing coordination to cleanup 65 tons of oil debris from our shores. These public servants have been working hard to remove the oil from our beaches, which are the hearts of our communities, economy and way of life along the coast. While officials continue to investigate the source of this oil, this should be a wakeup call for everyone. The thick, black, toxic oil washing up on our white sand beaches right now could become our way of life if the Trump Administration has its way. The Trump Administration pushed to expand offshore drilling off in the Atlantic Ocean. The Trump Administration removed the safeguards put in place after BP Horizon oil spill, flouting the comprehensive findings and recommendations made by the Deepwater Horizon task force. I am continuing to monitor this situation closely as officials work to remove this oil and determine its source, and I will continue working in the Senate to support and protect our coastal communities and wildlife. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/ahead-of-confirmation-vote-on-amy-coney-barrett-senators-carper-coons-join-patients-and-providers-to-highlight-whatsatstake-for-delawareans-if-affordable-care-act-is-overturned | Ahead of Confirmation Vote on Amy Coney Barrett, Senators Carper, Coons Join Patients and Providers to Highlight #WhatsAtStake for Delawareans if Affordable Care Act is Overturned | 2020-10-26 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WILMINGTON, Del. Today, just hours before the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Delawareans who are benefitting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to highlight what's at stake if the landmark health care law is overturned. Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to serve on the Supreme Court threatens the health care protections that millions of Americans currently have under the ACA, including protections for the nearly 400,000 Delawareans living with preexisting conditions. Today, at Westside Family Healthcare in Wilmington, Senators Carper and Coons were joined by Delawareans who have directly benefitted from the protections under the ACA, including the ban on annual and lifetime limits for essential health benefits. It's hard enough to fight the cancer. We shouldn't also have to fight to live, said Jan White, a small business owner from Newark who has been battling Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for four years. We need the ACA protections. The ACA is not just benefiting me but thousands of Delawareans and millions of Americans all across this country, said Carrie Dennis-Mayer, a small business owner from Middletown. What is interesting is that most people do not know the need for the Affordable Care Act until they really need it. And if you fall between the cracks of healthcare insecurity and healthcare uncertainty, then trust me, you're grateful that ACA is there to help you. Having failed nearly 100 times to repeal or chip away at the Affordable Care Act in Congress, Donald Trump and many of our Republican colleagues are now counting on the Supreme Court to do their work for them. And, with Amy Coney Barrett's nomination, they are within one vote on the Supreme Court of achieving their goal, said Senator Carper. This isn't a hypothetical. This nomination and a subsequent ruling on the Republican lawsuit to strike down the ACA in its entirety could have all too real and devastating c… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/senator-carper-forcefully-condemns-rushed-supreme-court-confirmation-process-voices-opposition-to-judge-barrett-s-nomination | Senator Carper Forcefully Condemns Rushed Supreme Court Confirmation Process, Voices Opposition to Judge Barretts Nomination | 2020-10-26 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Carper: Today, we may not have the votes to stop this process or vote down this nominee. But that doesn't make our efforts to fight for fairness any less right. Mr. President, I dissent. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Senator Carper denounced the confirmation process led by Senate Republicans in the midst of a global public health crisis and a rushed vote just eight days before a presidential election in which millions of votes have already been cast. When our Founders carefully designed our system of checks and balances, they did not envision a sham confirmation process for judicial nominees. But that's what this has been, said Senator Carper. This entire process has become an exercise in raw political power not the type of deliberative, non-partisan process our Founders envisioned. Frankly, it has been a process that I could never have envisioned 20 years ago when I was first elected to the United States Senate. Specifically, Senator Carper underscored what's at stake for millions of Americans who rely on access quality, affordable health care, especially during a pandemic which has taken over 225,000 American lives. Just last night, in an interview with60 Minutes,President Trump plainly stated that he hopes that Supreme Court ends the ACA. Unfortunately, if Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she could cast the deciding vote to overturn the ACA. Just one week after the election on November 10th the United States Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case brought by the Trump Administration and 18 Republican Attorneys General that would overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Senator Carper continued, Today, with more than 220,000 Americans dead and more than 8 million Americans infected with the coronavirus, not to mention 13 million unemployed, we are, in the midst of an election, rushing to confirm a controversial n… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-coons-democratic-colleagues-denounce-trump-administration-s-historically-low-refugee-resettlement-goal-and-push-for-increased-admissions | Carper, Coons, Democratic Colleagues Denounce Trump Administrations Historically Low Refugee Resettlement Goal and Push for Increased Admissions | 2020-10-22 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 20 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in opposing the Trump administration's proposal to cap refugee admissions at 15,000 for Fiscal Year 2021the lowest ceiling in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)and in urging the administration to increase refugee admissions. The United States has a long, bipartisan legacy of providing refugees protection through resettlementprior to 2016 we resettled an average of more than 80,000 refugees per year, the Senators wrote in a letter to Secretaries Michael Pompeo and Alex Azar and Under Secretary Chad Wolf. Yet, during this time of soaring global resettlement needs, this Administration has once again abdicated America's global leadership role by further reducing the refugee admissions ceiling to its lowest level in the 40-year history of the program. We urge you to substantially increase the refugee admissions target for FY 2021, and end the current suspension of the refugee resettlement program. The Senators highlighted the importance of a strong resettlement program, which serves as an essential lifeline for the most vulnerable among the 29.6 million refugees worldwide while also strengthening our communities and economy. In addition, the Senators affirmed the importance of U.S. leadership on resettlement as a powerful tool to garner greater global support for refugees facing persecution. American leadership in refugee resettlement is critical in securing greater global support for this important lifeline, which is available to less than one percent of all refugees, the Senators added.As this Administration has slashed its annual refugee admissions goals, other leading resettlement countries have followed suit and lowered their resettlement numbers as well. Joining Senators Carper, Coons and Ranking Member Menendez in sending the letter were Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-duckworth-and-murray-call-on-epa-to-implement-gao-recommendations-to-improve-drinking-water-safety-at-child-care-facilities | Carper, Duckworth and Murray Call on EPA to Implement GAO Recommendations to Improve Drinking Water Safety at Child Care Facilities | 2020-10-22 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) strongly urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully implement the recommendations contained in the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) September 28, 2020 report, Child Care Facilities: Federal Agencies Need to Enhance Monitoring and Collaboration to Help Assure Drinking Water is Safe from Lead. Even at low levels, lead exposure in children can result in developmental delays and learning difficulties, damaged kidneys and permanent impaired brain development. Yet, GAO's investigation revealed that among Head Start centers, only 26 percent reported testing facility drinking water for lead contamination, while an estimated 43 percent never tested facility drinking water for lead contamination and 31 percent did not know whether facility drinking water had ever been tested, the senators wrote. While the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has complied and worked to implement GAO's recommendations for the department, EPA has failed to commit to fully implementing GAO's recommendations. The EPA must do more to support lead testing in Head Start and child care facilities to ensure the health and safety of the young children in their care. HHS concurred with the two recommendations that GAO provided that agency and agreed to take corrective action to better protect children from lead poisoning. We are disappointed, however, that EPA did not indicate whether the agency agreed or disagreed with the GAO recommendations, and worse, failed to commit to implementing the corrective actions fully to strengthen public health protections in Head Start and child care facilities, the senators continued. To prevent lead exposure in children and help child care providers and Head Start grantees provide safe drinking water at their facilities, EPA should implement GAO's two recommendations to the agenc… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-joins-markey-colleagues-urging-supreme-court-to-protect-consumers-from-robocalls | Carper Joins Markey, Colleagues Urging Supreme Court to Protect Consumers from Robocalls | 2020-10-22 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Judge Amy Coney Barrett wrote decision in similar case taking anti-consumer view, which if adopted by the Supreme Court, would lead to countless more robocalls bombarding Americans' mobile phones WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the House author of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and 18 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives today and filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging the Justices to uphold the Ninth Circuit's decision in Duguid v. Facebook, Inc, which found that when Congress passed the TCPA, it defined Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) to include systems like predictive dialers that dial telephone numbers stored in a list or database and systems that dial arbitrary numbers produced by a random or sequential number generator. The Members assert that a reversal of Facebook, Inc. would exclude unwanted robocalls from the requirement for consent under the TCPA because the calls were made from a system that stored the numbers on a list. In such a scenario, the TCPA would no longer protect consumers from a robocall campaign that called every cellular number in the entire Country every hour of the day, which can easily be done via the internet from a home office, not just a well-resourced telemarketer. In a case with similar facts, Judge Amy Coney Barrett recently wrote a decision upholding a more narrow interpretation of an ATDS. [A] narrow reading of the TCPA to exclude dialing from databases and limit application to numbers that were randomly generated would reverse decades of precedent and gives a green light to telemarketers and scammers who will suddenly be free to initiate billions of automated calls to Americans who have a united distain for intrusive robocalls, write the Members of Congress in the brief. Interpreting ATDS to only apply to random dialing systems that create numbers out of thin air ignores the intent of Congress shown by the TCPA's legislat… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-statement-on-oig-report-confirming-abrupt-usps-policy-changes-resulted-in-detrimental-delivery-delays | Carper Statement on OIG Report Confirming Abrupt USPS Policy Changes Resulted in Detrimental Delivery Delays | 2020-10-21 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released the following statement regarding the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General's report entitled, Operational Changes to Mail Delivery. The report responds to Senators Carper's recent request that the USPS Inspector General investigate all recent staffing and policy changes put in place under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Over the summer, I asked the Inspector General at the U.S. Postal Service for much needed answers regarding the sudden and disruptive changes being made by Postmaster DeJoy. Not only were these changes causing detrimental delays for seniors, small business, veterans and families who rely on the mail, but they were also being made just months before an election in which an unprecedented number of Americans would be casting their votes by mail due to an ongoing public health crisis. Now, the Office of the Inspector General has confirmed what my Democratic colleagues and I suspected from the start and even saw firsthand. First, leadership at the Postal Service conducted no analysis of the service impacts' that these abrupt changes would have on Americans across the country. Second, these changes had severe impacts on the millions of customers who rely on the Postal Service, especially in the middle of a pandemic. Additionally, these changes were made without consultation with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) the very entity that regulates the Postal Service or Congress, which conducts oversight of the Postal Service. As a result of these failings, the American people suffered. I heard from Delawareans up and down my state who were affected by these shortsighted changes. I know there stories were all too similar to the ones that my colleagues heard from their constituents all across our country. The bottom line is that the Postal Service is supposed to serve the American people. And, in the midst of a d… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/senator-carper-general-ret-frank-vavala-join-votevets-to-highlight-whatsatstake-for-veterans-if-the-affordable-care-act-is-overturned | Senator Carper, General (Ret.) Frank Vavala Join VoteVets to Highlight #WhatsAtStake for Veterans if the Affordable Care Act is Overturned | 2020-10-16 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), the only Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Senate, and former Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard, Major (Ret.) Frank D. Vavala, joined thousands of veterans from across the country for a virtual discussion on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how veterans and their families may be impacted if this landmark health care law is overturned. Hosted by the organization VoteVets, the discussion specifically called attention to what's at stake for veterans and their access to quality, affordable health care if Republicans in Congress successfully rush through a controversial Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Just one week after the election on November 10th, the United States Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case brought by the Trump Administration and 18 Republican Attorneys General that would overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Judge Barrett's nomination threatens the health care protections that millions of Americans, including millions of veterans, currently have under the Affordable Care Act. When you have one in three nonelderly veterans with a pre-existing condition, and you face the prospect of the Supreme Court taking up a case on November 10ththat would eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions, well, that's just not right,said Senator Carper.It's especially egregious when we're in the middle of an unprecedented public health crisis in which eight million of our fellow Americans have been infected with coronavirus and that includes many veterans and their families. We know that there can be lasting and devastating effects from the coronavirus, even after patients recover. Some of those effects will now be considered pre-existing conditions, and we need to make sure families have the coverage they need going forward. That's why it is just the absolute height of irresponsibility that the Trump Administration is continuing to try to take Americans' health care coverage away in the midst of this pan… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-van-hollen-feinstein-lead-colleagues-in-urging-trump-administration-to-stop-rollback-of-protections-for-migratory-birds | Carper, Van Hollen, Feinstein Lead Colleagues in Urging Trump Administration to Stop Rollback of Protections for Migratory Birds | 2020-10-15 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 14 of their colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt to withdraw DOI's harmful rulemaking on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), which was based on an unlawful Solicitor's Opinion. DOI's proposed rule would reinterpret the MBTA, a landmark conservation law that protects billions of migratory birds. The new rule would have a number of devastating impacts on wildlife, including letting oil companies off the hook for environmentally harmful oil spills that kill migratory birds. Despite the Southern District of New York's recent determination that the Solicitor's Opinion is unlawful, DOI has taken no steps to rescind the rule. In July, Senators Carper and Van Hollen led their colleagues in another letter to urge Secretary Bernhardt to reverse course on the MTBA rule, citing concerns with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the rule. In March, Senator Carper led 22 of his colleagues in a letter asking the Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to reverse course on its proposed rule on the MBTA, outlining concerns about the 45-day comment period and the devastating impacts that could come with removing penalties for companies that incidentally killing birds. In February, Senators Carper and Van Hollen and Congressmen Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) sent a letter asking the Trump Administration to extend the comment period for the proposal from 45 days to 90 days. And, in 2018, Senators Carper and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) led members of the EPW Committee minority in sending a letter to then-Secretary Zinke to reinstate protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This is a significant moment for the history of this bedrock conservation law, along with the billions of birds that it protects a… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/video-release-senator-carper-highlights-urgent-need-for-state-and-local-government-relief-at-finance-subcommittee-hearing | VIDEO RELEASE: Senator Carper Highlights Urgent Need for State and Local Government Relief at Finance Subcommittee Hearing | 2020-10-08 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and former Governor of Delaware, highlighted the urgent need to give state and local governments the resources that they require to address the pandemic's health and economic impacts during a Finance Subcommittee hearing entitled, The Fiscal Outlook. At the same hearing, Senator Carper urged passage of his legislation to reduce the number of improper payments made by the federal government. Our state and local governments are one area that continue to be under enormous and unprecedented strain, said Senator Carper. According to the Department of Labor, state and local governments lost 180,000 jobs in September alone. And without additional federal support, many more jobs are going to be lost. This means fewer frontline workers like firefighters, EMS workers and police as the pandemic continues to sweep through our communities, and fewer teachers, bus drivers, school nurses, and janitors as schools try to re-open safely. In a recent report, the Congressional Budget Office confirmed what former governors like myself and Senator Hassan, as well as Chairman Cassidy, already know that state and local government aid is one of the most effective means of economic stimulus, concluded Senator Carper. Senator Carper questioned witness Dr. Phillip Swagel, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, on why funding to state and local governments produces a positive impact on economic recovery. Dr. Swagel replied, Our analysis of assistance for state and local governmentsespecially in the CARES program found that [state and local funding] were spent quickly and therefore had a rapid and large impact. Additionally, the money given to state and local governments reduced the tax increases and other spending cuts that state and local governments would have had to do. In August, Senator Carper led seven of his Democratic Senate colleagues in urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Trump Administration to provide st… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/amidst-a-pandemic-ahead-of-flu-season-carper-leads-bipartisan-letter-calling-on-the-trump-administration-to-ensure-americans-receive-critical-immunizations | Amidst a Pandemic & Ahead of Flu Season, Carper Leads Bipartisan Letter Calling on the Trump Administration to Ensure Americans Receive Critical Immunizations | 2020-10-06 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Carper, Murkowski, Hassan, Smith press HHS, CDC to take steps to make sure vulnerable populations, especially children and seniors, receive vaccines WASHINGTON, DC Amidst a pandemic and ahead of flu season, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), along with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), called on the Trump Administration in partnership with state and local governments to ensure all Americans continue receiving necessary immunizations to prevent additional illness and outbreaks. In a letter to the leaders of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the bipartisan lawmakers called attention to low immunization rates even before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, despite the fact that childhood vaccines are one of the most cost-effective and life-extending public health interventions providing immunity to infectious and deadly diseases. In fact, vaccination to the seasonal flu could prevent up to 810,000 hospitalizations and 61,000 deaths each year. Additionally, low adult immunization rates for vaccine-preventable diseases cost the U.S. economy about $9 billion each year. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to the yearly influenza vaccination varies across state, age group, and demographic information. In 2017, only 37 percent of adults adhered to the recommendations, a 6-percentage point drop from 2016 Should our Nation's influenza immunization rates remain low as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we could see an unprecedented strain on our healthcare resources and an inconceivable death toll. A high influenza disease rate will make it difficult to distinguish between the two viruses, resulting in diagnostic uncertainty. This can lead to mistreatment, coinfection, and confusion about how to respond to symptoms, further impeding public health properly, the lawmakers wrote. The senators noted, Vaccines are only effective in preventing outbreaks if enough people are immunized, achieving her… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-senators-press-epa-on-implementation-of-trump-order-to-withhold-federal-funding-from-major-u-s-cities | Carper, Senators Press EPA on Implementation of Trump Order to Withhold Federal Funding from Major U.S. Cities | 2020-10-06 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, along with Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) sent a letter toEPAAdministrator Andrew Wheeler requesting informationaboutEPA's implementation of the controversialand legally questionableSeptember 2, 2020White House memorandumordering federal agencies to withhold federal funds from cities that President Trump falsely claims are being run by anarchists. We have learned that EPA, in its internal meetings related to the policy, has begun to identify funding sources that could be subject to the directive, some of which are vital for the provision of safe drinking water and the remediation of contamination,the senators wrote.Setting aside the legally questionable and abhorrent nature of the President's directive, EPA's implementation thereof could endanger human health and the environment. The cities impacted by this directive include Seattle, Portland(OR), New York City, and Washington, D.C. Members of Senator Carper's staff have identified more than $1 billion of recent EPA funds tothese cities that could be at risk due to this policy. We strongly urge you not to take any action that could result in the collective loss of more than a billion dollars of funding intended to clean up contamination and drinking water in these American cities,the senators continued.To do so would be antithetical to EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment. The senators are requesting that the EPA provide their initial response no later thanOctober 9, 2020. The full letter can be read here or below. October 6, 2020 The Honorable Andrew Wheeler Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1301 Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20460 Dear Administrator Wheeler: We write to express our grave concern and request informatio… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-applauds-house-passage-of-wildlife-conservation-legislation | Carper Applauds House Passage of Wildlife Conservation Legislation | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released the following statement after the House passed America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. Today, the House of Representatives approved my bipartisan legislation with Chairman Barrasso that supports wildlife conservation and habitat restoration efforts across the country. America's Conservation Enhancement Act builds on state and stakeholder commitments to restore wetlands and improve water quality by reauthorizing effective programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Program. While helping to protect and restore important habitats, the conservation efforts supported by the ACE Act also help to fuel multibillion-dollar fishing and ecotourism industries. For example, the Chesapeake Bay is an immense and diverse ecosystem that is home to thousands of species, and it's also an economic engine for our entire region, home to major shipping ports and a multi-billion-dollar commercial fishing industry. The Bay also attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to our region each year to enjoy outdoor recreational opportunities, such as hunting, fishing, birding and boating. The ACE Act will help to drive the development of new and innovative solutions for growing threats like invasive species and wildlife disease threats we know will only become more challenging with our changing climate. This legislation is a bipartisan win for conservation and outdoor recreation, and I thank our colleagues in the House for their support. Among its provisions, the ACE Act will: Reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act until 2025; Reauthorize the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Act until 2025; Reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program until 2025; Reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails network and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Grants Assistance Program until 2025; Authorize the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-merkley-colleagues-demand-trump-administration-develop-vaccine-strategy-that-addresses-coronavirus-disproportionate-impacts-on-communities-of-color | Carper, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Develop Vaccine Strategy That Addresses Coronavirus Disproportionate Impacts on Communities of Color | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Recent 57-page U.S. Department of Health and Human Services vaccine plan barely acknowledges serious health inequities WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and 18 of their Democratic colleagues in demanding that the Trump administration develop a national vaccine distribution strategy that both recognizes and addresses the alarming racial disparities in rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. The senators' letter follows the release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) long-overdue guide to state, territorial, and local public health programs on how to plan for the distribution of a future coronavirus vaccine or vaccinesa 57-page document that only mentions communities of color in three sentences. The alarming disparities in rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are not coincidental. The divergent outcomes are directly linked to existing inequities and discriminatory federal, state, and local policies. Overrepresentation in frontline, essential jobs in which social distancing is more difficult, a disproportionate prevalence of preexisting health conditions, policies that lead to overcrowded and segregated housing, and reliance on public transportation, have placed communities of color at greater risk of COVID-19, the senators wrote in their letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Latinx, Black, and Asian patients are more than twice as likely to test positive for the coronavirus when compared to white patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 75 percent of coronavirus deaths among people under the age of 21 have been Black, Latinx, and Indigenous youth. Overall, Black and Latinx individuals are more than three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as their white peers when age is taken into account. We urge you to thoughtfully engage with communities of color to swiftly produce and publicly release supplementa… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/10/carper-slams-epa-rollback-that-allows-industry-to-relax-air-toxic-pollution-controls | Carper Slams EPA Rollback That Allows Industry to Relax Air Toxic Pollution Controls | 2020-10-01 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del,), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the EPA finalized a rule that abandons the once in, always in hazardous air pollution policy. For almost a quarter century, this policy has ensured that major sources of air toxic emissions continue to meet the Clean Air Act's requirements throughout their lifetime. According to EPA, the once in, always in policy had prevented 1.7 million tons of hazardous air pollution from being released into the environment. Today EPA solidified bad policy promoted by the former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, which further prioritizes polluters over people's lives. By rolling back clean air protections that have been in place for a quarter century, Trump's EPA is telling major air toxic polluters to turn off installed pollution controls and ignore the health of those living nearby. This decision greenlights the release of thousands more tons of air toxic pollution air pollution such as benzene and mercury, known to cause cancer and interfere with our children's brain development - into communities throughout the country. This decision will do nothing to help our economy. Instead it will inflict wide-ranging harm to human health, especially in communities located near major sources of pollution, which are disproportionately communities of color. The Trump EPA's efforts to ensure fewer costs for industry come a high cost for human health. We can never forget that the Trump EPA finalized this clean air rollback one in which EPA itself has acknowledged is likely to lead to higher levels of deadly air pollution during our national battle against a deadly respiratory pandemic. It is shameful. For 50 years, EPA's primary mission has been to protect human health and the environment. Especially now, at a time when breathing clean air is a matter of life or death, Americans deserve an EPA that heeds its mission. It's that simple, and yet, from the Trump Administrat… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/9/carper-statement-on-senate-vote-to-provide-one-year-extension-of-our-nation-s-surface-transportation-funding | Carper Statement on Senate Vote to Provide One-Year Extension of Our Nations Surface Transportation Funding | 2020-09-30 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted 84-10 to pass the Continuing Resolution, which included a one-year extension for surface transportation programs through September 30, 2021. This one-year extension of our nation's surface transportation systems will provide state and local transportation agencies with the certainty they need to plan and manage their programs and projects through the next year. By helping to keep job sites open, this one-year extension will also help to ensure that hundreds of thousands of hardworking men and women can keep taking home their well-earned pay after an honest day's of work. No doubt, it is a relief that Congress just narrowly missed a completely avoidable transportation funding crisis. This is good news given what the wide-ranging consequences of our inaction could have been. But, to be clear, this is nowhere near the investment and long-term certainty that our states, cities, businesses and constituents so desperately need right now. The Environment and Public Works Committee reported surface transportation reauthorization legislation unanimously out of committee last summer. It is beyond a shame that the Senate has not been able to take action on that bill given the strong support for it. We could be working right now to reconcile it with the comprehensive transportation legislation passed by the House of Representatives this summer. Making significant investments to repair, rebuild and modernize our nation's roads, bridges, highways, railways and transit systems is a high priority for the American people. As the countdown begins for this one-year extension to expire, I'm committed to ensure that a robust surface transportation reauthorization remains at the top of Congress's to do list. We have an opportunity and an obligation to the American people to make significant investments in our transportation systems in a way … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/9/carney-carper-coons-blunt-rochester-announce-1-5-million-eda-grant-to-delaware-innovation-space-to-launch-hard-science-startup-accelerator | Carney, Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Announce $1.5 Million EDA Grant to Delaware Innovation Space to Launch Hard Science Startup Accelerator | 2020-09-24 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | Today, Delaware Governor John Carney, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) announced a $1.5 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to Delaware Innovation Space to create a Hard Science Startup Accelerator. The grant was awarded through the national Build to Scale (B2S) competition run by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) at EDA. Delaware Innovation Space is a nonprofit incubator and accelerator at the Experimental Station where scientists, business leaders, community members, investors, and service providers in the industrial biotech, advanced materials, chemical ingredients, renewable energy, nutrition and healthcare fields can build business concepts together and accelerate the path to commercialization. It is the result of a public-private partnership between the State of Delaware, DuPont and the University of Delaware. This grant award will provide mentorship and training to entrepreneurs to help them develop and grow their business. Delaware Innovation Space was awarded the top amount of $1.5 million in the competition placing it in the top 10 percent of more than 600 applications that were submitted from across the United States. The lack of physical lab space with expert business mentorship and training is a road block to the ultimate success of emerging entrepreneurs in the hard sciences, said Bill Provine, Delaware Innovation Space President & CEO. The Hard Science Startup Accelerator will provide science entrepreneurs with access to structured programs and a customized learning experience that will improve their business concepts and plans, making them more attractive to investors. This combined with the physical assets of the Delaware Innovation Space which includes a more than 130,000-square-foot physical and virtual collaboration ecosystem will assist and equip scalable startups with the tools and expert insights that they need to transform the markets in w… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/9/carper-statement-on-republicans-efforts-to-promote-russian-disinformation-and-failed-attempt-to-smear-vice-president-biden | Carper Statement on Republicans Efforts to Promote Russian Disinformation and Failed Attempt to Smear Vice President Biden | 2020-09-23 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released the following statement regarding Chairman Ron Johnson's (R-Wis.) continued efforts to promote Russian disinformation and use official Senate time and resources to advance partisan objectives. Right now, the United States Senate should be engaged in an all hands on deck effort to address the unprecedented crises affecting millions of the Americans we all represent from a deadly pandemic that has claimed over 200,000 innocent lives and the fallout from the highest jobless rates we've seen since the Great Depression to life-threatening storms and wildfires impacting thousands of communities across our country. But, instead, Senate Republicans, led by Chairman Johnson, have spent months of our time and taxpayer dollars pursuing political investigations that are squarely based on conspiracy theories and Russian disinformation all in attempt to smear President Trump's political opponent. It is absolutely shameful that this Committee in particular, with our history of working together in a bipartisan way to tackle major challenges, has been so blatantly used as a political tool. After months of searching for a problem, the report released today has managed to compromise our national security all on its own while finding absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing by Vice President Biden. It is long past time for this sad chapter in our Committee's history to come to close and for us to get back to the real work we should be doing to actually serve our constituents. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/9/carper-statement-on-the-passing-of-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg | Carper Statement on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | 2020-09-18 | 2020 | 2020-09 | Democrat | Senate | DE | Thomas Carper | C000174 | www.carper.senate.gov | legacy | U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) issued the following statement regarding the passing of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been small in stature, but, tonight, our nation lost an absolute giant. Her intellect was unmatched. Her work ethic was unrivaled; neither cancer nor chemotherapy could keep her from the important business of our nation's highest court. And her lifelong pursuit of true equality under the law for women, for people of color, for LGBTQ Americans, for workers was unparalleled. Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer whose profound impact on our laws and the very fabric of our society cannot be overstated. At Harvard Law School, she was one of only nine women in a class of 500 students. Despite graduating from Columbia Law School with top honors, Ginsburg a Jewish woman and mother at the time received no offers from New York City law firms. She went on to begin her legal career in academia at a time when the laws in this country allowed women to be discriminated against solely on the basis of their sex. But none of that stopped her. Ginsburg made it her life's work to challenge the laws and systems in this country that limited opportunities for women. In doing so, she was a pioneer in her own right, but also paved the way for generations of women behind her. She went on to be the second woman ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court, where she served the American people admirably for nearly three decades. It is with heavy hearts tonight that Martha and I mourn the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and pray for her family and loved ones. I know her legacy will live on, especially in all the women and young girls she inspired throughout her remarkable life. On a night that should be reserved for lauding this incredible jurist's achievements, I am loathe to even mention the political implications of Justice Ginsburg's passing. However, I believe that I should make clear my views on the nominating process. We are in the midst of… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
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