Thomas R. Carper: “Eighty-five percent of the budget request goes to our States, our Tribes, our local governments.”

We are better off when we hear community concerns at the beginning of the process rather than at the end.

Last year, the Environment and Public Works Committee held, I think, not one, but a couple of hearings on permitting, common theme at our hearings, on the importance of public engagement.

People ask me what I am proudest of in my life, and I always say, raising three boys, with a big assist from their mom.

If I had known--as you know, the breadth of the issues that we cover in this Committee are enormous. It is impossible for any of us to fully master each of them.