2024 is Off to a Great Start!

Dear Friend,

We are officially a quarter of the way through 2024 and throughout my final year in office, I will do everything I can to continue to deliver for people up and down our great state. In these first few months of the year, I’ve worked hard to lower health care costs for those most in need, close the tax gap and improve communities across Delaware.

This month, I introduced the Delivering Unified Access to Lifesaving Services (DUALS) Act of 2024 to improve health care coverage for the over 12 million Americans who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. This bipartisan legislation was the product of two years of hard work between Democrats and Republicans alike, and would make a big difference in the lives of some of the sickest and most vulnerable patients in our country. Read more about the legislation.

I also introduced the bipartisan BARCODE Efficiency Act which will help improve the efficiency of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As government officials, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. For the millions of taxpayers who choose to file their returns on paper each year, it’s imperative that the IRS is able to process these paper tax returns accurately and in a timely manner. This legislation would help the agency do just that while also reducing delays in the distribution of refunds to taxpayers. Read more about the legislation.

Since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I was proud to help author and pass, we have seen the benefits in road, bridge and water projects up and down our state. Recently, we announced a $5.6 million upgrade to the Wilmington Airport to expand TSA lines and renovate airport facilities. This funding will enable the airport to accommodate more flights coming in and out each day. We also announced three grants made possible by the Reconnecting Communities Program (RCP) in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grants total $2 million for Delaware and will enable our state to study how we can better design our communities that have been cut off from opportunity and burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions. The RCP is also the first-ever federal program to address the safety and pollution impacts of highways that have hurt neighborhoods across our nation.

Also this month, I worked alongside Delaware’s congressional delegation to secure $154 million in federal funding for projects up and down our state to improve affordable housing, childcare, mental health services, drinking and wastewater and more.

And earlier last month, I had the pleasure of co-hosting the 23rd Annual U.S. Service Academy Night with Senator Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt-Rochester. As the last Vietnam veteran serving in the U.S. Senate, I know first-hand how meaningful it can be to serve in the military, and I was glad to see nearly 200 Delawareans interested in doing the same. If you couldn’t make it, or know a student interested in applying to a service academy, you can learn more here.

The year is just getting started and I look forward to sharing more updates about what I’m doing in the Senate to serve the First State.  

Sincerely, 

Tom Carper