Statement from Chairman Carper on the Retirement of Ranking Member Coburn

WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del) released the following statement on the retirement of the Committee’s Ranking Member, Dr. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.):

“It was with sadness that I learned of Dr. Coburn’s decision to retire at the end of the 113th Congress. While I regret that he will no longer serve with us in the Senate and on our Committee next year, I respect this deeply personal decision that he has made with his wife and family.  During his time in the Senate, I have had the privilege of working with him on a number of mutual priorities, including vitally important initiatives aimed at combating waste and fraud across the government and ensuring the integrity of the 2010 Census.  Over the course of the past year, we have been able to work together even more closely as the Chair and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, seeking solutions to help protect our nation and improve our government’s efficiency and effectiveness. Tom and his staff have been – and continue to be – great partners in these challenging efforts.  Having said that, we still have a full year ahead, and we still have plenty of work to do. We still need to tackle a number of tough issues from developing comprehensive and meaningful postal reform, to creating a robust cyber security plan to protect our nation’s critical systems, to enhancing our border security in the context of immigration reform. While we haven’t always agreed on policy, we have always respected each other’s opinion and intentions, and we’ve constantly strived to find common ground. In the coming year, we will continue to collaborate even more closely so that when Tom steps down, we can both look at our accomplishments with great pride. Our work together is far from done. I know Tom wants to finish strong, and so do I. And we will. Rest assured that we’ll give the taxpayers all we’ve got.  I wish Tom, his wife Carolyn, and their family all the best.”