Press Releases
Peters Joins Colleagues in Opposition of Proposed EPA Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters joined a group of 37 Senators in opposing President Trump's proposal to inflict a more than 30 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget that would have a direct effect on Michigan and the Great Lakes. Included in the budget proposal is a complete elimination of funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which addresses the most serious risks to the Great Lakes ecosystem and supports long-term cleanup goals. The pr… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Sens. Peters, Ernst Relaunch Senate Albanian Issues Caucus
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) today announced they are relaunching the Senate Albanian Issues Caucus. Peters and Ernst, who will serve as co-Chairs of the caucus, also met with Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati today. The Senate Albanian Issues Caucus will help to facilitate dialogue on critical issues facing the Albanian American community and countries in Southeast Europe with significant Albanian populations. "Albania is a key Amer… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Peters’ Bipartisan Bill Supporting NASA Signed into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Trump today signed into law legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Gary Peters that authorizes and sets priorities for NASA and the nation's space exploration mission. Peters was an original cosponsor of the bipartisan The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Transition Authorization Act of 2017, Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and John Cornyn (R-Tex… Continue Reading
03.20.17
Peters, Stabenow, Announce $1.2 Million to Expand Head Start Programs for Scottville Area Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $1.2 million to FiveCAP, Inc. in Scottville, Michigan to support expanded Early Head Start programs for children through their Early Head Start Child Care Partnership program. "Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide vital educational and support services to families and children that put them on the path to success," said Senator Peters. "I'm … Continue Reading
03.20.17
Peters, Stabenow, Announce $4.6 Million to Expand Head Start Programs for West Michigan Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $1.95 million to the Grand Rapids Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative to support their Early Head Start Child Care Partnership program, and $2.7 million to the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District to support Early Head Start and Head Start programs for children. "Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide vital educational and support … Continue Reading
03.20.17
Peters, Stabenow, Announce $3.8 Million to Expand Head Start Programs for Pontiac Area Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $3.8 million to the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency to support Early Head Start and Head Start programs for children in Oakland County. "Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide vital educational and support services to families and children that put them on the path to success," said Senator Peters. "I'm pleased to help announce this fu… Continue Reading
03.20.17
Peters, Stabenow, Kildee Announce $5.5 Million to Expand Flint Early Head Start
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and Congressman Dan Kildee today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $2.3 million to Genesee County and $3.2 million to the Genesee Intermediate School District to support expanded Early Head Start for children in the Flint area through their Early Head Start Child Care Partnership programs. "The children of Flint have been particularly impacted by the water crisis given their vulnerability to… Continue Reading
03.17.17
Peters Presents West Michigan Vietnam Veterans with 50th Anniversary Commemorative Lapel Pins
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees and a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, today presented Vietnam veterans from West Michigan with commemorative lapel pins to honor their service in the Vietnam War. The ceremony, which was held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, is part of a national effort to honor the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. "Michigan is home to more Vietn… Continue Reading
03.17.17
Stabenow, Peters, Kildee Announce Environmental Protection Agency Approval of $100 Million in Federal Funds for City of Flint
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency approved $100 million in federal emergency funding for the City of Flint. Senators Stabenow and Peters and Congressman Kildee secured the funding in a bipartisan agreement that passed Congress at the end of 2016. "Today we have good news for families in Flint who have already waited far too long for their water system to be fi… Continue Reading
03.16.17
Peters Cosponsors Legislation Expanding Coverage for Veterans Harmed by Agent Orange
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced today he is cosponsoring the bipartisan Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act to help ensure that Vietnam veterans who served aboard deep-water naval vessels, known as "Blue Water" veterans, are eligible for the disability and health care benefits for illnesses linked to exposure to Agent Orange. Currently, care directly linked to Agent Orange exposure is only available to veterans who served… Continue Reading
03.16.17
Peters Statement on President Trump’s Proposed Budget
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Federal Spending Oversight Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding President Trump's proposed budget that dramatically cuts critical domestic programs: "President Trump's proposed budget makes drastic cuts that will hit Michigan families and businesses in both urban and rural areas especially hard, including cuts to transportation services education, job training and programs that are essential for protecting… Continue Reading
03.15.17
Peters, Portman & Stabenow Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Great Lakes Funding
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today introduced bipartisan legislation to spur Great Lakes funding and research efforts and help support effective fishery management decisions. The Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization (GLFRA) Act gives the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the legislative authority to support the $7 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fishery industry. Despite holding one-fifth of the world's fresh water, t… Continue Reading
03.15.17
Peters, Stabenow, Kildee Introduce Resolution Opposing Nuclear Waste Storage Site in Great Lakes Basin
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today introduced resolutions, in both the House and Senate, expressing opposition to construction of a nuclear waste repository less than a mile from Lake Huron in Ontario. "The Canadian proposal to build a permanent nuclear waste repository less than a mile from Lake Huron could cause significant, lasting damage to the Great Lakes and undermine the progress we have made cleaning up th… Continue Reading
03.10.17
Peters, Stabenow Send Bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force Letter Expressing Concern about Trump Administration’s Reported 97 Percent Cut to Great Lakes Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), a member of the Task Force, and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force today sent a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt expressing concern about reports that the Trump Administration's 2018 budget request will include a 97 percent cut to Great Lakes funding. Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair Rob Portman (R-OH), Vice Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Task Force m… Continue Reading
03.10.17
Peters Joins Calls for Increase in Federal Security Funds in Wake of Recent Threats against Religious Institutions
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) joined 18 of his colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging Secretary John Kelly to increase federal funds for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) for Fiscal Year 2018 and fully fund the program at $50 million. The funds would help support physical security enhancements and other prevention, response and recovery efforts to protect nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a violent attack. T… Continue Reading
03.09.17
Peters, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Stop Cuts to Coast Guard
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, helped lead a bipartisan group of 23 Senators in a letter urging Office of Management and Budget Administrator Mick Mulvaney not to make a $1.3 billion dollar cut to the budget of the U.S. Coast Guard. According to reports, the FY 2018 Presidential Budget Request could amount to almost 12 percent of the service's budget being cut. The U.S. Coast Guard plays a critical role… Continue Reading
03.09.17
Senators Peters, Perdue Reintroduce No Hero Left Untreated Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and David Perdue (R-GA) have reintroduced the No Hero Left Untreated Act to enhance medical care for America's heroes. The bipartisan legislation would create a pilot program to test an innovative treatment called Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy for veterans to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other mental health issues. Peters and Perdue are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and… Continue Reading
03.08.17
Peters Named Ranking Member on Senate Subcommittee Overseeing U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced that he will serve as Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. The subcommittee oversees agencies critically important to the Great Lakes, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. "Next to our people, the Great Lakes are Michigan's most precious resource and play a central role in our state… Continue Reading
03.08.17
Peters, Graham, Cornyn Reintroduce National Criminal Justice Commission Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) today reintroduced the bipartisan National Criminal Justice Commission Act, legislation that would create a National Criminal Justice Commission to review the criminal justice system from top to bottom and propose reforms to address the most pressing issues facing the nation's criminal justice system. "Our criminal justice system is built on the pillars of fairness and equality, but too many Americ… Continue Reading
03.07.17
Peters, Portman, Nelson & Rubio Lead Entire Senate in Calling on DHS and DOJ to Address Threats to Jewish Institutions Across the Country
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are leading all 100 Senators in urging the Trump Administration to take action in response to the recent anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCC's), Jewish Day Schools, and Synagogues. In a bipartisan letter that will be sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and FBI Director James Comey, the Senators str… Continue Reading
