Sen. Carper Votes to Confirm Dr. Ashton Carter as Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement after he voted to confirm Dr. Ashton Carter as U.S. Secretary of Defense:

 “I’m proud to support the confirmation of Dr. Carter to be our next secretary of defense, an enormously important role in an extraordinarily challenging time. I believe Dr. Carter is the right man for the job and I look forward to working with him on our most important priority of keeping America safe.

“As the department’s former deputy secretary under Secretary Panetta, Dr. Carter already knows the ins and outs of the agency. His experience and insight will be a critical asset as we continue our campaign to defeat ISIS and other Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, as well as other adversaries abroad and in cyberspace.

“While I welcome Dr. Carter to the new role, I want to thank his predecessor and my former colleague Chuck Hagel for his service. Secretary Hagel’s stewardship of the defense budget, his maintenance of troop readiness and his preparation despite sequestration and ongoing fiscal uncertainty have all been laudable. I particularly appreciated Secretary Hagel’s efforts to strengthen the department’s financial management – a critical step toward curbing waste and fraud.

“I trust Secretary Carter will continue to make financial management of the department a top priority.  His past work on tackling weapon system cost overruns and the common sense approach he has brought to the defense budget are proof of that. I congratulate Dr. Carter on his confirmation and look forward to continuing to work with him.”