Tom Carper

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.

Thank you for your passion, and I would ask that we spend the rest of this day dealing with this and seeing if we can't work this out.

You and our colleagues have heard me invoke in this room more times than I can count the Golden Rule: Treat other people the way I want to be treated.

I am pleased to support this legislation.

I would say there is a lesson here for both of us, and one of those is to make clear I am always ready to take your calls, your meeting, whatever you want and engage.

We are delighted to be able to move the legislation today.

I will support Chairman Hanson's nomination.

We appreciate that. But provided nearly $50 billion with a B, $50 billion in financial relief for the Postal Service.

I want to make sure that the Postal Service has what it needs to continue to do a good job.

It's evident that the Postal Service must adapt to shifting consumer preferences to ensure its financial sustainability.

It will be a significant feat for the Postal Service and for OPM to implement this new program.

The law repealed a burdensome pre-funding mandate for postal workers retiree benefits.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

As a lifelong public servant, you know better than most that our workforce is one of the most important assets, I think maybe the most important asset, that we have in the Federal Government.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that I mentioned, which was signed into law by the President almost exactly 2 years ago provides over $55 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

We have votes that have just been announced on the floor. Another committee I serve on, the Finance Committee, is voting on legislation involving PBMs.

I think there is a Chinese word for danger that is also a word for opportunity.

That is a pretty good example.

So I believe there is some room there that we can relax some of those financial requirements with the application.

Many disadvantaged communities face significant environmental challenges and have extensive infrastructure needs.

I am going to ask you to hold it right there. I have just been contacted by the Senate Finance Committee.

I am also proud of the committee's work to improve wastewater infrastructure for communities large and small, especially underserved communities.

We believe that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions, and when the elections are over, the elections are over, and let's figure out how to work together and get things done.

We cannot build the vertical infrastructure if the horizontal infrastructure is not there to support that.

The committee will come to order.