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

