(November 13, 2014) WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to support the critical nominations approved by the committee and waiting for consideration on the full Senate floor. His statement, as prepared for delivery, follows:
“Mr. President— I rise today to discuss a number of nominations that have been considered and approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and urge the Senate to swiftly confirm them before we adjourn for the year.
“I have spoken repeatedly about the large and very troubling backlog of nominations in the Senate. It is every Senator’s constitutional role to provide advice and consent on the President’s nominations in a thorough and timely manner as part of the Senate’s confirmation process. We do our country no service – and ourselves no honor – when we leave key institutions without proper leadership and leave honorable men and women willing to serve in government twisting in the wind.
“During my time as Chairman of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, I’ve made it one of my top priorities to work closely with our Ranking Republican, Tom Coburn, to consider and move the President’s nominees as quickly as possible. We’ve had a tremendous amount of success. Majority Leader Reid, Senator McConnell, and their staffs have been valuable partners in this effort.
“Just yesterday, our Committee reported out three more outstanding nominees – Sarah Saldaña to be head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, Russell Deyo to be the top management official at the Department, and Mickey Barnett to serve another term on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.
“I’d like to spend some time on the floor today discussing Mr. Barnett’s nomination, and those of several other lower-profile nominees that we urgently need to confirm as soon as we can. Mr. Barnett is among a group of five bipartisan nominees to the Postal Board of Governors – two Republicans and three Democrats. If we don’t confirm Mr. Barnett and his colleagues by December 8th, Mr. Barnett – currently the Board’s chairman – would be forced the leave the Board. If that happens, the Board will no longer have enough members to achieve a quorum and won’t be able to conduct business. At a time when the Postal Service is struggling to address a number of financial challenges and to adapt to the digital age, this would be an avoidable disaster.
Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Stephen Crawford, David M. Bennett, James C. Miller III- Nomination hearing July 14, 2014
“Today, because of our inability here in Congress to come to consensus on postal reform legislation, the Postal Service is just twisting in the wind, able to do only so much to address the financial challenges it faces and transform itself for the digital age. Customers are left with uncertainty, then, about what the future holds for the Postal Service. We would make that uncertainty even worse if December 8th comes and goes and our five Postal Board nominees are still waiting for us to act.
“The same goes for our nominees to fill vacancies on the Postal Regulatory Commission, Nanci Langley and Tony Hammond. They’ve been waiting since the spring of 2013 to be confirmed, and the Commission has been working with only three commissioners as a result.
“Mr. President, given the caliber of these nominees, the lack of controversy over their nominations, and the bi-partisan support received, I urge this body to move their confirmations forward as soon as possible.”