In the News
WLNS CBS 6 Lansing: Michigan senators secure $14.5 million to prepare for Coronavirus
by Megan Schellong
Two Michigan representatives made an announcement that they have secured $14.5 million in federal funding to prepare Michigan's for the Coronavirus outbreak. U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Debbie Stabenow (MI) worked to secure the aid from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The money will be used to to prepare against any outbreak and improve readiness. In addition, funding will go towards personal protective equipment like mask… Continue Reading
03.05.20
WJBK FOX 2 Detroit: Michigan Sen. Peters says new funding to help state prepare for coronavirus
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are continuing their fight to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "We passed an appropriations approved an $8.3 billion to help states across the country prepare for coronavirus, should it spread," said Sen. Gary Peters (D- Michigan). Washington DC lawmakers work to contain coronavirus with money Sen. Peters, a ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, believes the funding is a necessary component in helping to prevent a… Continue Reading
03.03.20
WPBN NBC 7 Traverse City: Senator pushes for Coronavirus outbreak funding
by Devon Mahieu
U.S. Senator Gary Peters is doing his part to make sure Michiganders are protected from the Coronavirus. In a letter, Peters highlights the importance of sufficient funding to address the number of pressing needs, including assisting state and local public health agencies in detecting and preventing the spread of COVID-19, restoring funding to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pandemic prevention programs and securing critical equipment and supplies, including personal protective equipment like… Continue Reading
02.27.20
WLNS 6 Lansing: Peters: $13.5 million for PFAs cleanup effors at former Wurtsmith Air Force Base
WASHINGTON, DC (WLNS): U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) and members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation today announced that the Air Force will give $13.5 million to reduce PFAS around the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. The funding comes from $60 million that Congress had recently given to the Department of Defense to spend to address PFAS contamination at decommissioned bases around the country. Last month, Peters - along with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) and U.S. Represent… Continue Reading
02.25.20
WZZM ABC 13 Grand Rapids: Peters: US needs 'second layer of defense' at border for coronavirus
WASHINGTON - As the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is working to make sure the United States is prepared to handle coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control said it's no longer a question of if the COVID-19 virus spreads to the United States but when. "No question this is a homeland security issue to keep us safe from the coronavirus," said Peters. "Right now we're focusing on keeping our borders as secure as possible." More than 88,000 peop… Continue Reading
02.19.20
Holland Sentinel: Peters: Funding to prevent Asian Carp must be in budget
by Arpan Lobo
COOPERSVILLE - President Donald Trump did not include funding for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in his latest budget proposal. The dam, located near Joliet, Ill., serves a barrier preventing Asian Carp, an invasive species of fish, from entering Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes water system. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, has major objections with this. He told reporters following an event at a union facility in Coopersville on Tuesday, Feb. 18, that he plans on returning to Wa… Continue Reading
02.18.20
Holland Sentinel: Peters visits West Michigan tradesmen to tout GI apprenticeship bill
by Arpan Lobo
COOPERSVILLE - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, was in Coopersville on Tuesday to tour a local tradesmen facility and highlight sponsored legislation that would open more apprenticeship opportunities for military veterans. Peters toured Local Chapter 174 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) in Coopersville on Tuesday, Feb. 18. He spoke with apprentices and union members during the visit, walking … Continue Reading
02.18.20
Grand Haven Tribune: Sen. Peters visits West Michigan training centers
by Krystle Wagner
COOPERSVILLE - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters gained firsthand insight into the apprenticeship and training efforts happening in West Michigan on Tuesday during tours of a Coopersville-based union and a technical learning center in Muskegon. During his visit to the West Michigan Plumbers, Fitters and Services Trades Local Union No. 174 in Coopersville, the Michigan Democrat spoke about efforts to expand opportunities for veterans to use the GI Bill for apprenticeship opportunities. In December … Continue Reading
02.18.20
Marquette Mining Journal: Sen. Peters outlines food, agriculture bill
by Jackie Jahfetson
MARQUETTE - A piece of bipartisan legislation that provides for additional agricultural inspectors and K-9 units may soon be signed into law. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, who introduced the bill, discussed the legislation in a conference call Wednesday with Michigan Farm Bureau National Legislative Counsel John Kran. The Protecting America's Food & Agriculture Act of 2019 allows for safe and secure trade of agricultural goods across the nation's borders, by having the U.S. Customs … Continue Reading
02.11.20
The Oakland Press: Sen. Peters introduces legislation to establish 3-digit hotline for veterans' benefits
by Anne Runkle
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, has introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a simple three-digit hotline for veterans to gain assistance for their benefits and other services. The Veterans Assistance Helpline Act, which Peters introduced with Senators Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada; Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia; and Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, would direct the Federal Communications Commission and the Veterans Administration to create an easy-to-remember hotline with live operato… Continue Reading
02.06.20
Port Huron Times-Herald: Senators seek funding for Great Lakes icebreaker in 2021 federal budget
by Jeremy Ervin
Michigan's two senators are asking the federal government to provide more ice breaking assets for the Great Lakes. Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow signed a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and United States Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz. Congress approved funding for an acquisition office in 2015, but the executive branch has not yet requested budgetary funds for an actual ship, … Continue Reading
01.31.20
WKTV Journal: On Tap: Mitten Brewing toasts Sen. Peters assistance, where to sample craft liquors locally
by K.D. Norris
It is unclear which Grand Rapids area craft brew U.S. Sen. Gary Peters likes to order when he makes a stop in the area, but he probably has one on the house coming from Mitten Brewing Company. Thanks to some federal-level advocacy from Sen. Peters' office, Mitten Brewing Co. has a new Traverse Bay area craft brewing brewery and pub after Chris Andrus, co-owner and co-founder of the Mitten Brewing Co., was able to expedite a license from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The story, … Continue Reading
01.31.20
Detroit Free Press: Real ID compliance may leave up to 85,000 stranded, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters isn't having it
by Andrea Perez Balderrama
The Real ID Act deadline is fast approaching, and U.S. Senator Gary Peters is not convinced all Michiganders are ready. On Jan. 24, Peters co-authored a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to raise concerns about travel interruptions that could arise if travelers fail to present Real ID Act compliant identification after the Oct. 1 deadline, according to a news release. The Real ID Act will require all travelers over age 18 to present Real ID-compliant identification to fly. T… Continue Reading
01.30.20
Holland Sentinel: Peters, Stabenow push to secure Great Lakes conservation funding
WASHINGTON - Michigan's U.S. senators led a bipartisan effort to urge the Trump administration to allocate at least $320 million to help restore the Great Lakes. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both Democrats, pushed for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the fiscal year 2021. In a letter to the heads of the Office of Management and Budget and the Environmental Protection Agency, Peters, Stabenow and a bipartisan group of senators highlighted the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative's co… Continue Reading
01.29.20
WLNS 6 Lansing: Senators urge Trump administration to include Great Lakes icebreaker in budget proposal
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) are leading the push for the Trump administration to allocate more funding to the Cost Guard for a new Great Lakes Icebreaker. Icebreakers are key to ensuring passageways between the channels and harbors of the lakes are as smooth as possible. "The Coast Guard is required by law to maintain a heavy icebreaking capability on the Great Lakes to keep our region's ports and harbors open and facilitate our nation's free flow of commerce. Howev… Continue Reading
01.28.20
Oscoda Press: Peters seeks PFAS remediation funds for Wurtsmith, K.I. Sawyer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) has led Michigan Congressional delegation members in calling on the Air Force to allocate a portion of the additional $60 million it received for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remediation efforts to the ongoing cleanup projects at two Michigan sites. These are the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda and the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Marquette County. In a letter to Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, the lawmakers -… Continue Reading
01.27.20
Michigan Radio: President signs bill to improve security for synagogues, mosques, and other religious groups
by Tracy Samilton
Synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship can soon apply for federal grants to improve security. The new federal law is called the Protecting Faith Based and Nonprofit Organizations From Terrorism Act. President Donald Trump signed the Act into law this week. The Act comes in the wake of a surge of threats and attacks on synagogues, mosques and other religious groups -- including the machete attack on five people at a New York synagogue in December. The bills were first introduced by… Continue Reading
01.24.20
WNEM CBS 5 Lansing: Sen. Peters introduces bill to strengthen state's cybersecurity
by Stephen Borowy
U.S. Senator Gary Peters is introducing a bipartisan bill that would help strengthen the state's cybersecurity. The bill would ensure that each state has its own Cybersecurity Coordinator, who would help prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats by working with government officials, schools, hospitals, and utilities. "With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and formidable every day, it's vital that states have a point person responsible for coordinating cybersecurity efforts with exp… Continue Reading
01.10.20
Dearborn Press & Guide: Gary Peters year in review, legislation he worked and and had passed
by Dave Herndon
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who was recognized as one of the most effective and bipartisan Democratic senators by non-partisan organizations, continued delivering results for Michiganders in 2019. Legislative provisions Peters led to protect the Great Lakes, expand skills training opportunities, address the PFAS crisis and strengthen Michigan and U.S. security passed the Senate or were signed into law last year. "I'm focused on delivering results for Michigan and willing to work with anyone t… Continue Reading
12.09.19
Oakland Press: Unveiling new report on prescription drug costs, shortages, Sen. Gary Peters calls for more comprehensive approach
by Natalie Broda
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan) released a new report on prescription drug costs and shortages during a trip to Pontiac's St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital on Friday, Dec. 6. The report details findings from a recent investigation into the cost and U.S. supply chain of prescription drugs, as well as national security concerns surrounding foreign drug manufacturers. Peters is a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. "We need a comprehensive approac… Continue Reading
