Tom Carper, known for his eleventh-hour deal-making on the Democrats’ climate law, fighting the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental protections and an overall approach that aides called “radical” bipartisanship, gave his farewell speech Wednesday on the Senate floor after nearly 50 years in public office.
The Delaware Democrat, who was first elected to his Senate seat in 2000, emphasized his years chairing the Environment and Public Works Committee.
There, he worked closely with the committee’s top Republican, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, with whom he has had a standing Thursday afternoon phone call. Together, Carper noted in his speech, they passed major legislation for infrastructure and advanced nuclear and to reduce hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas.
“We’ve demonstrated time and time again that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions,” he said. “Even in today’s polarized environment, it’s still possible to accomplish a great deal for our country, for our planet and for our citizens.”
