Tom Carper: “I have been here 4 years. I have never placed a hold, as I recall, on any nomination for anyone to serve in this…”

“I have been here 4 years. I have never placed a hold, as I recall, on any nomination for anyone to serve in this administration. When Christie Whitman was nominated to head up EPA, I said: Congratulations. What can I do to help get you confirmed and to confirm the members of the team you want to surround yourself with? And I went to work on it. When Mike Levitt was nominated to succeed her, I called Mike Levitt-- both him and Governor Whitman, with whom I served--I called Mike Levitt and I said: Congratulations. What can I do to help get you confirmed and the team you want to surround yourself with? And I went to work on it. When Tommy Thompson was nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, I called to congratulate him and said: What can I do to help get you confirmed and confirm the team you want to surround you? And I went to work on it. When Tom Ridge was nominated to be Secretary of Homeland Security, I called him and I said: Congratulations. What can I do to help get you confirmed and to confirm the team you want around you? For me to stand here today in an effort to stop, at least for a short while, the nomination of Stephen Johnson to be Administrator of EPA is out of character for me. That is not the way I do business.…”