Peters Secured New Fighter Missions and Northern Border Security Coordination for Selfridge Air National Guard Base

WASHINGTON, DC – In a new “On the Job” video from U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (MI) office, local leaders highlight Peters’ efforts to elevate the Selfridge Air National Guard Base on the national stage and secure its place as an integral part of the Air Force and joint military operations. In a time when there were concerns over the possible shuttering of Selfridge, Peters has worked to bring in new aircraft and fighter missions, preventing the loss of over $30 million in wages while supporting 500 military and civilian jobs and generating $850 million in economic impact statewide. Peters also worked with Macomb County Public Works Commissioner and Former U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller to establish fuel farms on the Selfridge Base, helping to secure its spot as an essential part of Northern Border Security coordination. The video is part of the On the Job for Michigan series, which highlights Peters’ leadership and advocacy on behalf of Michigan constituents and communities.

“You think about Selfridge and there’s always been concern whether they are going to put something out or get rid of the base itself,” said Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive. “But that concern has lessened over the years with people like Gary and other support that we have for our federal delegation.”

“He was relentless. He has always been a champion for Selfridge,” said Vicky Rowinski, Macomb County Director of Planning and Economic Development. “It was a big win with the F-15EXs that we now have a new fighter mission.”

“Selfridge Air National Guard Base is custom ready to provide Northern Border Security,” said Candice Miller. “Senator Peters and I did talk about this, and I’ll tell you: he delivered. There has never been a question in my mind that Gary Peters is going to be there standing up for the people of Michigan.”

Miller continued, “I can’t overstate how excited the community is, not just because of all the personnel that is going to be coming here, but the investment that’s going to happen.”

VIDEO GOES HERE

Watch the “On the Job” video here

Peters has made supporting the future of Selfridge Air National Guard Base a top priority. Prior to the F-15EX basing announcement in April 2025, Peters sent a letter urging the Air Force to base a new fighter mission at Selfridge. In 2025, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation seeking to preserve the U.S. Air Force’s fighter force structure and support the recapitalization of Air National Guard fighter missions, including at Selfridge.

In March 2025, he also led a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to honor the 108th anniversary of Selfridge Air National Guard Base and commemorate the thousands of men and women who have worked and trained at Selfridge since its inception. In January 2024, Peters helped announce that the U.S. Air Force selected Selfridge to host a new squadron of twelve KC-46A refueling tankers. This announcement came shortly after Peters led a bipartisan, bicameral group of Michigan delegation members in urging then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to select Selfridge for a new squadron of these next-generation tankers, which will be deployed by the U.S. Air Force for at least the next 50 years.

To further strengthen Selfridge’s role in U.S. national and homeland security efforts, Peters established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center. Peters secured $3 million in March 2024 to operate this Center at Selfridge, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS has already stood up, will coordinate with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border.

Peters Secured Federal Funding for Project to Combat Invasive Species and Protect Great Lakes and Michigan Waterways

WASHINGTON, DC – In a new “On the Job” video from U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (MI) office, local Traverse City XX Leah Bagdon McCallum highlights Peters’ long-time efforts to support the FishPass revitalization project in downtown Traverse City. The project, which is set to replace the deteriorating Union Street Dam, represents the culmination of approximately two decades of restoration efforts on the Boardman/Ottaway River and aims to reconnect the river with Lake Michigan. FishPass will incorporate innovative technology to selectively pass desirable fish species while effectively blocking harmful invaders like sea lamprey into Michigan’s watershed. Peters secured more than 22 million dollars in federal funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for the project. The video is part of the On the Job for Michigan series, which highlights Peters’ leadership and advocacy on behalf of Michigan constituents and communities. 

“The team at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has always felt that Senator Peters was a really unique advocate for us.” said Leah Bagdon McCallum, a local partner on the FishPass Project. “The role the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative played in restoring this watershed, it can't be understated. It wouldn't have been possible without those resources and that attention from Washington.” 

McCallum continued, “So his participation, his advocacy, the time he took to get involved with the project and understand it, made all the difference.”

VIDEO GOES HERE

Watch the “On the Job” video here.

“To make sure that the Boardman River continues to be vibrant and healthy is just a tremendous value,” said Senator Peters, Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “I think what is amazing about FishPass, it's an example of government working together and accomplishing something really good at all levels of government.”

Peters has made the health of the Great Lakes and Michigan waterways a top priority of his Senate tenure. In 2021, he helped secure $1 billion for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) – the largest ever investment in the program – as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in order to accelerate the restoration of nine high-priority areas in Michigan whose lakes, rivers, and watersheds flow into the Great Lakes. This year, Senator Peters worked with Senator Slotkin (MI) to champion a provision of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 which would establish an additional $475 million in federal funding for the GLRI through 2031.  

As Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Peters plays a key role in uniting Great Lakes Basin states to coordinate legislative initiatives, funding priorities, and oversight efforts to address the most important issues facing the Great Lakes, such as invasive species, environmental contamination, shoreline erosion, water quality, infrastructure needs, and more. In 2018, Peters created the U.S. Coast Guard National Center of Expertise (NCOE) for the Great Lakes to develop best practices for effectively responding to an oil spill in freshwater environments like the Great Lakes. 

Resolution Designates September 11th – 17th as Patriot Week to Honor the Victims of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks and Celebrate Constitution Day; Patriot Week Was Founded by Oakland County Judge Michael Warren

WASHINGTON, DC – For the 8th consecutive year, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) led the passage of a bipartisan resolution designating September 11th through September 17th as Patriot Week. Patriot Week, co-founded by Oakland County Judge Michael Warren, aims to honor and remember the lives lost in the September 11th terrorist attacks, commemorate Constitution Day on September 17th, and encourage Michigan students to engage in American history.  

“Patriot Week gives us the opportunity to honor the lives that were lost during the horrific September 11th terrorist attacks and recognize the profound bravery of the first responders who stepped into action on that tragic day,” said Senator Peters. “This resolution serves as a reminder to all Americans that we are at our strongest when we come together, just as we did in the days following September 11th. I want to thank Judge Warren for his continued efforts to help champion this important initiative each year.” 

“Patriot Week was started in 2009 when my 10-year-old daughter Leah pounded on the table and demanded a new celebration to renew the spirit of America,” said Patriot Week co-founder Michigan Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren. “Over the years, we have held countless activities, produced the Patriot Lessons American History and Civics Podcast on all major platforms, the Patriot Lessons TV Show, videos, and lesson plans, all of which can be found at PatriotWeek.org. This year we are sending historical re-enactors into schools, which are being enthusiastically received by thousands of students.” 

“The Patriot Week Foundation is thrilled that with the bipartisan leadership of Senators Gary Peters and John Kennedy, the United States Senate has unanimously approved its eighth consecutive Patriot Week Resolution,” stated Patriot Week co-founder Dr. Leah Warren. “We are deeply grateful to the Senators and all Patriot Week supporters across America.”  

Peters introduced the resolution with U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA). The full text of the resolution can be found by clicking here.  

Peters serves as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as well as a member of the Armed Services Committee. Peters volunteered for the U.S. Navy Reserve at age 34, where he earned a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the September 11th terrorist attacks on our country, he volunteered again for drilling status and served overseas as part of his Reserve duty. He later earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College. 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced legislation to ban the sale and manufacturing of products made from kangaroo skin, also known as “k-leather.” After years of the two lawmakers leading the charge on this issue, this week Mizuno and UMBRO joined cleat manufacturing giants—including Nike, Adidas, Puma and ASICS—in pledging to halt production of k-leather in their soccer cleats and other products. To help build on this momentum, reverse this inhumane trend and safeguard the kangaroo species from commercial exploitation, Senators Duckworth and Booker are introducing the Kangaroo Protection Act, which would help protect millions of wild kangaroos and their innocent babies who are needlessly killed every year for the use of their leather in commercial products. Additionally, this legislation would empower the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with other agencies, to issue civil and criminal penalties of fines up to $10,000 and other regulations.

“The mass killing of millions of kangaroos to make commercial products is needless and inhumane,” said Senator Duckworth. “While it is encouraging that more and more cleat manufacturers are pledging to stop using k-leather, the U.S. must stop incentivizing this cruel practice once and for all. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill with Senator Booker that would help prevent the deadly exploitation of kangaroos and promote the use of more humane alternatives to k-leather.”

“We should not allow the unnecessary killing of animals just so that big corporations can maximize profits,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation will help conserve the kangaroo species by ensuring that no one in the United States can distribute kangaroo products for commercial gain.”

The commercial slaughter of kangaroos isn’t just widespread—it’s unnecessarily cruel. It uses similar killing methods and is ten times larger than the infamously brutal Canadian seal hunt, which prompted the United States to ban the import of seal pelts in 1972. Despite having similar import bans for other animals, the U.S. is currently the second largest commercial market for k-leather products in the world. The Senators’ proposed legislation would help change that.

Copy of the bill text is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran andU.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and six of her colleagues in condemning the Trump Administration for its recent decision to terminate the consent order against Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU). This decision effectively excuses NFCU from accountability for charging millions in illegal surprise overdraft fees to their members—primarily active-duty servicemembers, Veterans, Department of Defense employees and their families.

“In 2024, the CFPB found that between 2017 and 2022, NFCU charged overdraft fees on ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases – even when accounts showed sufficient funds,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought. “In response, the Bureau issued a consent order requiring NFCU to pay $95 million in penalties and restitution: $80.6 million directly to harmed consumers and $15 million to the CFPB’s victims relief fund.”

That order was rescinded on July 1, 2025.

“As former CFPB officials have noted, this decision raises serious concerns about whether the Bureau is still capable—or even willing—to fulfill its legal mandate,” the Senators continued. “At a minimum, the public and Congress deserve answers.”

The full letter is available below and on Senator Duckworth's website:

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) today led a bipartisan call for maintaining U.S. leadership in aviation safety. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the Senators led 43 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to oppose single-pilot operations at the International Civil Aviation Organization.

“Despite ongoing challenges, the U.S. has long represented the gold standard in aviation safety,” wrote the Senators. “The FAA should continue to promote sound safety standards as new technology develops and presents challenges to existing procedures. While technology will play a critical role in shaping the future of aviation innovation, including improved safety measures, policymakers have a duty to ensure that any changes are rigorously evaluated and incorporated into evidence-backed safety frameworks. The presence of two rested, well-trained, and qualified pilots on the flight deck remains a key pillar of aviation safety.”

The letter to Secretary Duffy comes as overseas aviation authorities, like the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, are pursuing pathways toward reduced-crew operations via automation and new technology. NASA and FAA joint studies have observed “significant increases in workload for single pilot operations, compared to two-crew,” in addition to a decrease in pilots’ perception of safety and performance.