16 | OCTOBER 15 • 2020
M
ichigan’
s junior U.S.
Sen. Gary Peters, a
Democrat, is run-
ning for reelection as his first
six-year term is coming to
a close. He recently sat for a
Zoom interview with JN staff.
This account has been edited
for brevity and clarity.
JN: What is the message you
want to communicate to the
Jewish voters of Michigan?
PETERS: It’
s been really a
privilege and an honor to
work closely with
the Jewish com-
munity over the
years. I regularly
attend events with
the community,
work closely with
members of the
community and have a record
of getting things done for the
community.
I’
m ranked the third-most
bipartisan Democrat in
the U.S. Senate. …The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, which
is clearly not any Democratic
organization, just recently
awarded me their Jefferson
Hamilton award for biparti-
sanship, a willingness to reach
across the aisle to get things
done — and that leads to being
effective.
If you look at this Congress,
these two years that we’
re in
right now, I have authored
and passed more legislation
through the U.S. Senate than
any other senator, either
Democratic or Republican.
As a minority member in
the Senate and as a fresh-
man, no other senator, either
Democratic or Republican, has
written and passed more bills.
JN: How do you see the U.S.
relationship with Israel?
PETERS: I’
m a staunch
defender of the U.S.-Israeli
relationship. I think that’
s
absolutely critical.
I’
m the ranking member
on the Homeland Security
Committee, and I’
m on the
Armed Services Committee.
And in the Armed Services
Committee, I’
m the ranking
member on a Subcommittee
on Emerging Threats and
Capabilities, which looks at the
dangerous spots around the
world … and that brings me
in contact with the Israeli gov-
ernment on a regular basis and
particularly cooperation when
it comes to advanced research.
I’
ve worked to build bridges
with Israeli companies and
the IDF, clearly leaders in
advanced military technolo-
gy … to create a permanent
working group between the
Israeli military and the U.S.
military to deal with advanced
technology.
Israelis excel in advanced
cyber security. They excel in
advanced research into artifi-
cial intelligence, all areas that
we also sell them. But putting
our collaborating together will
mean both of our countries
are more secure. I’
ve worked
other research programs, and
I helped to get funding for a
very valuable research pro-
gram done by the IDF and that
was an anti-tunneling tech-
nology to protect Israel from
tunnels that were being dug
particularly from Gaza into
Israel that presented a national
security threat to Israel.
But it’
s directly related to my
work in Homeland Security
because we also have tunnels
on our southern border that
are used by folks who smuggle
contraband, and we need to
have technology to be able to
stop that.
It’
s an example of how our
interests are so closely aligned
in so many ways. And we have
to strengthen that alliance.
JN: In 2017, you co-sponsored
a bill that would make BDS
activity a federal crime. Why
did you support the bill?
PETERS: I’
ve spoken out
against BDS and will continue
to speak out against it and sup-
port appropriate legislation to
make folks know that it is not
the policy of the United States
government to support a BDS
movement, which I think is
counterproductive to what we
ultimately all want, which is a
two-state solution negotiated
by the parties in the Middle
East.
JN: There was strong local
Jewish support this summer
for the Black Lives Matter
movement and for more atten-
tion to be paid on a federal
level to issues of racial justice
and possible police reform.
Where do you come down on
this?
PETERS: That’
s a very broad
question. Racial disparities are
broader: It’
s police activities;
it’
s access to healthcare, to
economic activity, econom-
ic opportunity. There’
s the
income divide; there’
s the
wealth divide. So, all of those
need to be addressed.
I believe that we need to
right now enact things; many
of those were enacted in
the Democratic House. For
example, we know we can ban
choke holds. We don’
t need
further studies. We don’
t need
further talk. Choke holds have
no place in those police prac-
tices.
The other thing we know
we must do, we don’
t need
to study it anymore, is that
we need to have independent
investigations. Whenever a
police officer is accused of
wrongdoing, it should not be
investigated within the depart-
ment. It’
s important for com-
munities to trust the decisions
that are made.
We know that COVID
disproportionately impact-
ed communities of color.
Sen. Gary
Peters
Peters Values Close
U.S.-Israel Ties
Senator also speaks about racial
justice as he seeks a second term.
JN STAFF
“No other senator, either
Democratic or Republican, has
written and passed more bills.”
— SEN. GARY PETERS