Thomas R. Carper
DOVER — Delaware’s U.S. senators continue to weigh in on President-elect Donald Trump, joining a resolution this week urging the president-elect to give up control over his business.
The resolution was released Tuesday, one day before President-elect Trump announced on Twitter he would completely hand his company over to his children.
Sponsored by 23 Democratic senators, including Delawareans Tom Carper and Chris Coons, the resolution calls “on President-elect Trump to divest his interest in, and sever his relationship to, the Trump Organization.”
Noting the Constitution contains provisions designed to prevent against “foreign corruption,” the resolution strongly encourages President-elect Trump to place his business in a blind trust, a step taken by several former presidents.
Failure to do so, the resolution says, may violate the Constitution.
Chris Coons
In statements, Sen. Carper also commented on two of President-elect Mr. Trump’s picks to head departments. The president-elect announced Tuesday he would nominate Rep. Tom Price for the Department of Health and Human Services and former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao for the Department of Transportation.
Rep. Price, a Georgia Republican who formerly worked as a physician, has been one of the strongest critics of the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans intend to overturn.
“I am troubled that Congressman Price has championed significant proposals that show little regard for the most vulnerable members of our communities, including jeopardizing the guaranteed protections in our bedrock health care programs,” Sen. Carper said.
“At a time when my constituents tell me health care costs remain far too high, Congressman Price’s proposals stand in direct contrast to what most Americans need and want. I look forward to meeting Congressman Price and reviewing his nomination carefully based on his legislative initiatives in Congress, as well as his intentions and ability to preserve and strengthen Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Affordable Care Act moving forward.”
Sen. Carper was less critical of Ms. Chao, who served as chief of the Labor Department under President George W. Bush.
“My hope is that we will be able to find the common ground necessary to make the critical investments in our country’s roads, highways, bridges and transit systems that we so badly need,” Sen. Carper said.
“However, there are several key principles that I will look for in an infrastructure bill: prioritizing work to repair and maintain existing assets; providing funding for the major transit, bridge, tunnel and water projects that will transform our economy; and, most important, identifying a long-term and sustainable source of funding.
“Another top priority for DOT has been and must continue to be ensuring the safety of roads, railways and transit systems, as well as the safety of trucks, cars, pipelines and aviation.”