Press Releases
Peters Helps Advance Bill that Includes His Whistleblower Provision to Protect Amateur and Olympic Athletes From Abuse
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped advance sweeping bipartisan legislation to reform the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) that aims to protect Olympic and amateur athletes from abuse. The legislation - which includes Peters' bipartisan amendment to strengthen whistleblower protections for Olympic and amateur athletes who report abuse - was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Ac… Continue Reading
11.13.19
Peters Calls for Appropriate Measures to Prevent Violence During Erdogan’s Visit, Accountability if Turkey Causes Damages
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today expressed concerns about Turkish President Erdogan's visit to Washington, D.C. and asked the Trump Administration to provide a detailed accounting of the financial cost for security associated with his visit. Peters' request follows violent confrontations by President Erdogan's security detail during past visits, including assaults of U.S. security officials, civilians and journalists. Peters, who serves on the Armed Services Committee and is… Continue Reading
11.12.19
Senate Passes Peters, Johnson and Hassan Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Government Systems from Counterintelligence Threats
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to address cybersecurity while purchasing information technology equipment for the government. U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) also cosponsored the legislation. The Supply Chain Counterintelligence Training Act would ensure that all executive agency offic… Continue Reading
11.08.19
Peters Meets with Michigan Faith Leaders & Law Enforcement to Discuss Securing Houses of Worship from Terrorist Attacks
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today met with faith leaders and law enforcement officials to discuss his bipartisan efforts to improve security for faith-based institutions in Michigan. At the roundtable, Peters highlighted his bipartisan legislation that recently advanced in the Senate to provide grants to nonprofits and religious organizations to help secure their facilities against potential terrorist… Continue Reading
11.08.19
Peters Urges Trump Administration to Lift Benefits Freeze for Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) is pressing the Trump Administration to reverse their decision to delay and deny healthcare and benefits for veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. In a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie and Office of Budget and Management Director (OMB) Mick Mulvaney, Peters stressed that a new law passed by Congress and a federal court decision granted VA authority to provide benefits for additional Vi… Continue Reading
11.08.19
Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Ensure Representation for Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Sectors on FAA’s Drone Policy Board
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s chief drone policy committee includes representation for agriculture, forestry and rural America. The Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act, which Peters introduced with Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), would also ensure that the FAA provides representation for local government officials, including those from county and tribal govern… Continue Reading
11.07.19
Peters Highlights Michiganders’ Stories on Rising Prescription Drug Costs, Recent Efforts to Lower Prices on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) spoke on the Senate floor today to share the stories of Michiganders he met with recently at listening sessions across the state who are currently struggling to afford the prescription drugs they need. Peters also discussed the need for the Senate to take action and his investigation through the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee into the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, growing drug shortages and the risks to national secu… Continue Reading
11.06.19
Peters, Gardner, Sullivan & Hassan Bill to Protect Firefighters from Hazardous PFAS Chemicals Advances in Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to help protect the health and safety of firefighters and emergency responders. Emergency response teams are frequently exposed to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams as they work to keep communities safe. PFAS substan… Continue Reading
11.05.19
Peters Announces Investigation into Rising Prescription Drug Costs
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today announced he is conducting an investigation into the rising costs of prescription drugs and the short supply of critical medications affecting hospitals and patients throughout the country. Unaffordable prescription and hospital-administered drugs, and the increasing number and length of drug shortages, have become an economic, national security and public he… Continue Reading
11.01.19
Peters Presses Census Bureau to Address Staffing Shortages
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is pressing the U.S. Census Bureau to swiftly address staffing shortages identified in a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on preparations for the 2020 Census. The report, which Peters requested as part of his ongoing oversight of the census, found that the Census Bureau has repeatedly missed key hiring targets due to factors including backlogs in the back… Continue Reading
10.31.19
Peters Secures $9 Million Increase in Funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced that he successfully secured an additional $9 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for Fiscal Year 2020. The funding - which is an increase from the current proposed level of $301 million - passed the Senate as part of a government funding bill. Peters worked with U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to secure the funding. "For Michiganders, the Great Lakes are simply part of our DNA. But protecting them needs to be … Continue Reading
10.30.19
Peters, Johnson, Klobuchar & Lankford Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Local Governments
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and James Lankford (R-OK) introduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen local government cybersecurity defenses by switching to the .gov domain for websites and email addresses. The DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act of 2019 directs the Department of Homeland of Security (DHS) to provide resources and assist… Continue Reading
10.30.19
Peters, Stabenow Will Vote to Stop Expansion of Health Care Plans without Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) will vote today on a resolution to protect people with pre-existing conditions. This is critical for Michigan families because 4.1 million people in Michigan have a pre-existing condition. The resolution, cosponsored by all 47 Senate Democrats, would roll back a Trump administration rule that the Administration is using to greenlight short-term "junk insurance" plans that don't protect people with pre-existing conditions. … Continue Reading
10.29.19
Senate Passes Peters’ Bipartisan Bill to Address Rising Threat of Deepfakes
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to address the national security threat posed by forged video content. The Deepfake Reports Act will help to protect Americans from misinformation spread online by hyper-realistic digital manipulations of audio and video known as deepfakes. The legislation directs… Continue Reading
10.28.19
Peters, Stabenow Urge CMS to Increase Childhood Lead Screenings
WASHINGTON, DC - Following National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week last week, U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) joined their colleagues in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to do more to address prevention, screening and treatment of children affected by lead exposure. In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, Peters and Stabenow demanded an update on the steps CMS will take to address demonstrated gaps in data pertaining to blood lead level … Continue Reading
10.27.19
Peters Statement on Passing of Representative Conyers
DETROIT, MI - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement following the passing of former U.S. Representative John Conyers: "From being in Selma, Alabama, on Freedom Day during the Civil Rights Movement - to co-founding the Congressional Black Caucus, chairing the House Judiciary Committee and becoming Dean of the House of Representatives - Congressman Conyers dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights. While serving in Congress with him, I saw firsthand his dedication a… Continue Reading
10.27.19
Peters Statement on ISIS and Operation in Syria
DETROIT, MI - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following the President's announcement that the U.S. military operation in Syria killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: "I join the President and my colleagues in commending our intelligence community as well as military and servicemembers that carried out this significant operation. This is an important reminder that while t… Continue Reading
10.25.19
Peters Statement on Ratification of UAW-GM Agreement
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today released the following statement on the ratification of a labor contract agreement between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and General Motors: "Michigan autoworkers and their families sacrificed a lot over the past 40 days. I was proud to stand with these workers and join them at the picket lines as they fought for better wages and benefits." ###… Continue Reading
10.25.19
Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Protect America’s Domestic Food Supply and Agricultural Industries
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to address the shortage of agricultural inspectors who protect the nation's food supply and agricultural industries at the border. The Protecting America's Food & Agriculture Act of 2019 would ensure the safe and secure trade of agricultural goods across our nation's borders by authorizing U.S. Cu… Continue Reading
10.24.19
Peters, Duckworth Reintroduce Good Government Legislation to Increase Transparency on Trump Administration Travel Spending
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reintroduced legislation to safeguard taxpayer dollars and improve transparency and public disclosure of Administration travel spending. The Federal Travel Transparency Act would strengthen oversight of taxpayer-funded travel by making the air travel activities of cabinet secretaries and agency leaders available to the public online in a… Continue Reading
