Below are topics that Senator Peters looked to share with Chris during the interview.  

CONGRESSIONAL PANEL: As mentioned, Senator Peters is participating on this year’s congressional panel about “Navigating Divisive Times.” I know he’d like to talk about what they’re going to be discussing on the panel with moderator Nolan Finley and how he has approached navigating today’s polarized political environment to get things done for Michigan. For example, it was just released that Senator Peters was ranked the 2^nd most bipartisan Senator and the #1 most bipartisan Democrat in 2023 by the non-partisan Lugar Center and Georgetown University. He was also recognized as the #1 most effective Senator in both the 117^th and 116^th Congresses by the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking. And in the 117^th Congress, Peters authored and passed 19 bills into law – the most bills enacted by a U.S. Senator in more than 40 years.  

SECURING NEW TANKER MISSION FOR SELFRIDGE: I know Senator Peters is also interested in talking about his work as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to support Michigan’s robust defense sector and military installations. Specifically, the Senator announced this year that the Air Force selected Selfridge to host a new, full squadron of KC-46A tankers, which are highly-capable, next-generation aircraft that are going to be operated by the Air Force for the next 50+ years. After the U.S. Air Force announced that it was phasing out Selfridge’s A-10 fighter mission and KC-135 tankers, Senator Peters has led the delegation in working together to ensure Selfridge remains central to U.S. national defense strategy and operations. Peters and a bipartisan group of Michigan officials sent a letter to the Air Force in December calling on them to deliver on their commitments by selecting Selfridge to host this new squadron of 12 KC-46A refueling tankers, and as a result, they announced Selfridge will be getting the tankers in 2029. 

NORTHERN BORDER COORDINATION CENTER AT SELFRIDGE: Senator Peters is also working to pass his bipartisan legislation that would establish a Northern Border Coordination Center collocated out of Selfridge to keep the base at the forefront of national security efforts. The Center would help the Department of Homeland Security coordinate border security efforts across the Northern Border, and support personnel training and high-tech border security technology testing. In the most recent government funding legislation, Peters secured $3 million to help stand up the Northern Border Coordination Center, through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

PROTECTING USPS DELIVERY: Lastly, if there’s time, I know Senator Peters would love to talk about his latest efforts as Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to protect and improve USPS’s mail delivery in communities across Michigan and the US. After USPS announced plans to make changes to its processing and delivery network, Peters led a group of 26 Senators in a bipartisan letter to Postmaster General DeJoy calling on him to pause these changes until USPS and the Postal Regulatory Commission further studies their potential impact on communities. As a result, Peters successfully got DeJoy and USPS to pause these changes at facilities around the country, including the Iron Mountain Processing Center in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In 2022, Peters authored and led passage of a historic, bipartisan law to set the Postal Service on a more sustainable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country. The law made the first major reforms to the Postal Service in more than 15 years, including requiring six-day delivery.