Carper Named to Three Major Senate Committees

WASHINGTON  – Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) today announced that he has been selected to serve on three major Senate committees in the 111^th Congress, including a new assignment on the highly influential Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Carper will remain chairman of key subcommittees on both the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

With his new assignment on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Carper will be closely involved with many of the most important issues facing Delaware and the United States today, including the nation’s financial recovery, health care reform, Social Security and Medicare modernization, tax reform, and trade issues. Sen. Carper’s predecessor from Delaware, Bill Roth, was a former chairman of the Finance Committee. 

Reorganization of committee memberships to accommodate newly elected members of the Senate is standard practice. In the 111^th Congress, Sen. Carper will step down from the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging — three committees that Sen. Carper has enjoyed serving on in recent years.

“I’ve made it a priority to be a member of the Finance Committee since I first was elected senator, and I am looking forward to digging into some of our nation’s most important and critical issues, particularly health care and entitlement reform and writing responsible tax policy,” said Sen. Carper. “My seat on Finance and position in the Senate will also allow me to continue work on many of the financial services issues that are so crucial to retaining industry and jobs in Delaware. As for my other committee assignments, I am excited to work with my colleagues in the Senate and the incoming Obama administration to reduce air pollution and tackle global warming, as well as identify ways that we eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse.”

Sen. Carper added, “My three committee assignments, along with those of Sen. Ted Kaufman and Rep. Mike Castle, means that Delaware’s congressional team is well-positioned to influence legislation on all the major issues facing this country today.” 

Sen. Carper also retains his leadership position as Deputy Whip to the Senate Democratic Leadership team.

Below are the issues under the jurisdiction of Sen. Carper’s committees:

Senate Finance Committee: This powerful Senate committee handles all matters related to tax policy, health programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and international trade agreements.

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works: Sen. Carper will retain his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, where he will be key player in writing and passing clean air and climate change legislation, as well as overseeing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He will remain active in oversight of many environmental programs of the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as play a key role in crafting a new federal transportation bill.

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs: Sen. Carper will retain his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security, where he oversees issues related to federal fraud, waste and abuse, such as over-spending by federal agencies, the Census, the Postal Service and nuclear nonproliferation issues.