Senator Carper Delivers Farewell Speech on U.S. Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and the last Vietnam veteran serving in the Senate, delivered a farewell address on the Senate floor commemorating a lifetime of public service to the nation. After serving as a Senator for Delaware for 23 years, his term will end on Jan. 3, 2025.

You can watch a video of Senator Carper’s full remarks here, and access photos from the moments leading up to his speech here.

Senator Carper’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are available below:

In just a few weeks, I will step down as one of Delaware’s two United States Senators, ending my half-century of service in the U.S. Navy and in elective office. God willing, in the weeks that follow, Martha – my bride of 38 years – and I will turn the page and hit the road together, visiting family members near and far and exploring parts of America that we’ve yet to see before beginning to look for new ways to serve the people of Delaware and our country.

Recently, a friend told me that I have lived a charmed life, and he’s right. I’ve been truly blessed, although – if truth be known – it didn’t start out that way.

My sister Sheila and I were born in a coal mining town in West Virginia. We didn’t have much, but we had the good fortune of being raised in a home by parents who instilled in us a strong work ethic, along with a deep faith that embraced the Golden Rule – to treat other people the way we would want to be treated. Our parents also instilled in us an abiding love for our country and for this planet that we call home.

Our father – and most of our uncles – served in World War II or in Korea or both. Our mother’s youngest brother – Bob Patton – was killed at the age of 19 in a kamikaze attack on his aircraft carrier in the Pacific in 1944. His body was never recovered. Our grandmother was a Gold Star Mother.

A larger than life photo of him in his dress blues still hangs in my Senate office here on Capitol Hill. He was my hero when I was a kid growing up, and he remains my hero today.

Our parents never went to college, but they wanted us to go, and they expected us to figure out how to pay for it. Fortunately, in my senior year in high school, I won a Navy ROTC scholarship to help with tuition and books at Ohio State and I also found part-time jobs – including washing pots and pans – to keep from starving. I graduated at the height of the Vietnam War and would go on to complete three tours of duty in Southeast Asia as a naval flight officer and, eventually, as a Navy P-3 aircraft mission commander.

The best days of the week during our six-month deployments, though, were the days that the mail came, bringing cards, care packages, newspapers, and magazines. Following the 1972 election, the issues of both Time and Newsweek included stories of a stunning upset in Delaware, where a 29-year-old upstart named Joe Biden defeated a Delaware icon named Caleb Boggs. I remember thinking to myself, “I’d like to meet that young guy someday if I ever make it to Delaware.”

And then, one day, that’s what I did! 

Later on, I enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Delaware after my military obligation had been fulfilled.

Within a week of enrolling, I affiliated with a reserve Navy P-3 aircraft squadron in nearby Pennsylvania and found a place to live in Delaware. Shortly thereafter, I had a chance meeting with a professor on the University of Delaware campus who was planning to run for Congress. Several weeks later, he asked me to be his campaign treasurer, and I agreed.

Miraculously, I was invited a month or two later to join in a pep talk and strategy session at the home of none other than Delaware’s young junior Senator, Joe Biden. He could not have been more gracious that day. After learning of my military service in Southeast Asia, he embraced me and welcomed me to Delaware, marking the beginning of a friendship that has lasted for 50 years.

Following the completion of my MBA studies, I went to work in economic development for the State of Delaware. Less than a year later, when no Democrat volunteered to run for state Treasurer, I offered to run and was elected Delaware’s State Treasurer at the age of 29 on the same day that Republican Pete duPont was elected our state’s Governor.

Two months later, in his very first State of the State address in the Legislative Hall, he announced that the state of Delaware was bankrupt. Later that week, Delaware’s credit rating fell to the lowest of any state in America.

As it turned out, we didn’t have much cash to invest in those days, so my cash management skills were not in great need initially. What we did have, though, was a new Governor who quickly put together a talented team to turn the state around, and he invited me – a Democrat – to become a part of that team. Remarkably, it worked!

Less than four years later, Delaware’s credit rating was about to be raised to a respectable AA, and the Governor asked me to announce it to the world the very next day. Following that announcement, in the regularly scheduled election a week later, the people of Delaware elected me to serve as their lone Congressman, unseating the incumbent, a Republican. And, the rest, as they say, is history!

So, what lessons might we take from all of this? For me, one lesson was that our elected leaders should surround themselves with the best team they can find. Another key lesson was that in adversity lies opportunity. A third lesson was the importance of job creation and the realization that, while our elected leaders don’t create jobs, we do have a major responsibility to create an environment that fosters job creation.

In addition, I learned from Joe Biden that “all politics is personal,” and “all diplomacy is personal,” and I learned that just because someone is your adversary, that does not mean they have to be come your enemy.

And, I also learned an ancient proverb along the way. It goes something like this: “If you give a person a fish, you feed them for a day, but if you teach a person to fish, they can feed themselves and their families for a lifetime.”

Since announcing, over a year ago, that I would not be running for re-election, I’ve had a number of interviews and among the questions that I’ve been asked are these, “Why did you decide not to run for reelection?” I tell them – only partly with tongue in cheek – that I was following the advice of singer – songwriter Kenny Rogers, whose classic song “The Gambler” featured this lyric: “you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Among the other questions I’ve been asked of late is, “What are you proudest of in your 24 years in the Senate?” One of them is building a trusting partnership on the Environment & Public Works Committee with Ranking Member Shelley Capito, a Republican, who – like me – is a native of West Virginia. Our committee enjoys our well-deserved reputation as a workhorse committee and one whose members consistently work across the aisle. My relationship with Shelley has enabled us – among other things – to craft a comprehensive two-year Water Resources Development bill this year, which includes the first reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration in 20 years. We have also worked to advance a package of critical recycling bills, confirm important nominations, and enact transformational legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, significant nuclear legislation like the ADVANCE Act, and major legislation to reduce powerful greenhouse gas emissions known as HFCs, to name a few.

We’ve demonstrated time and again that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions and – even in today’s polarized environment – it’s still possible to accomplish a great deal for our country, our planet, and its inhabitants.

There’s a lot that we’ve helped accomplish in the Senate, and there remains unfinished business that I want to encourage our colleagues to continue once I weigh anchor and sail into the sunrise.

Almost daily, I’m asked here in DC and in Delaware, “How do you like being retired after all these years that you’ve worked for the people of our state?” I smile and tell them “I’m not retired and I don’t know that I ever want to be retired. However, I’ll always want to continue making a difference with my life for as long as I can.”

In truth, I’ve spent many years helping to lead the effort to combat global warming and the climate crisis. In Delaware, we’re especially aware of the effects of the climate crisis. Our state is sinking and seas around us are rising. We are experiencing intensifying storms and scorching heat waves. And that’s why I worked so hard to pass the Inflation Reduction Act which is a prime example of a package that reduces the cost of prescription medications, while also fighting the climate crisis and creating hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

And, M. President I pushed hard to enact that legislation – to make sure that her children, our children, and our grandchildren will have a planet to grow up on and grow old on. But so they will also have the opportunity to find good-paying jobs to support themselves and their families.

When I announce last year, I wouldn’t be running for re-election, I said, however, that I plan to run through the tape until high noon on January 3rd, 2025, to get good stuff done! With the help of our hard-working staff – that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Let me conclude now with some thoughts relating to a date that recently passed: December 7th. This date is also known as Delaware Day. It is a celebration of Delaware becoming the first state to ratify the Constitution of this country in 1787. Years from now, I hope that we’ll continue to celebrate Delaware Day in my home state, and I hope that people across our nation will continue to be inspired by the words of our founding leaders.

As many of my colleagues have heard me say in the past, Ben Franklin, upon exiting the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, was asked what sort of government the delegates had created.

His answer was: “A republic, if you can keep it.” The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for the continued health of our democracy.

While there were many things that our Founding Fathers’ disagreed on, the one thing they all agreed on is that they wanted to ensure that America would never be ruled by a king. I believe that’s still true today.

When we pledge allegiance to the flag or take an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies – foreign and domestic – we don’t pledge to a person or to a party. We pledge our allegiance to our country and our constitution.

Let me close by thanking all of my current and former staff members for joining Carpertown, a term affectionately coined to include everyone who as ever worked for and with me. It’s a little bit like Hotel California, a classic song by the Eagles, that includes this line: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” M. President, I want to ask unanimous consent that all of the names of my Senate staff be included in the Congressional Record.

I also want to take a moment to thank my family – especially my wife Martha. Over the years, when I’ve spoken with members of the armed forces who are married, I have not only thanked them for their service, I also thanked their spouses for their service. During the years I have served as a naval officer, Congressman, Governor, Senator … my wife has served as well and we are in her debt. I am in her debt.

I’m also proud to have helped raise three boys who have gone on to become terrific young men that any parent would be proud to call their own. And, I also want to salute those who have served alongside me representing Delaware, including members of the Delaware congressional delegation, over the years. People like Ted Kaufman, Mike Castle, and John Carney.

And especially my fellow Senator Chris Coons. I’ve long called him my wingman. He’s always had my back and I’ll always have his. Chris is one of the brightest people I’ve ever worked with. He surrounds himself with terrific people. He’s a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and he’s traveled the world and knows many world leaders. He calls Delaware home and I know he will continue to represent Delaware well.

And now – Senator-elect! – Lisa Blunt Rochester. Lisa is a beloved member of the U.S. House of Representatives where she serves as a highly effective member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. But many years ago, she joined my congressional team as an intern while she was still in grad school at the University of Delaware. From that humble beginning, she went on to become a two-time cabinet member during my eight years as Governor of our state.

She’s smart, and is a caring daughter, sister, mother and grandmother. She leads an excellent staff and has a can-do attitude, as well as a deep faith. And she’s also a great dancer!

When my Senate colleagues tell me, “TC, we’re really going to miss you in the Senate,” I tell them, “Two weeks after Lisa joins you all in the Senate, you won’t even remember my name!” They say they will, but I’m not so sure I believe them!

And, in closing, let me once again thank the people of Delaware for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving them for all of these years. It has been a privilege and a source of great joy that I will always cherish. Take care, and God Bless.

And with apologies to Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame, I will end with this: keep on rockin’ in the free world.

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