Gary Peters

Senator Gary Peters has been honored to represent the State of Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2015. He has focused on uniting communities by fighting for the things we all agree on — a stronger economy, good-paying jobs, affordable health care, a secure retirement, and an opportunity for everyone to succeed.

In 2008, Gary was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the Financial Services Committee. As one of the most junior members of the House, he was appointed to the conference committee that finalized the sweeping Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act. He became a leading voice for Michigan, advocating for the auto rescue and manufacturing sector and ensuring small businesses had access to the capital needed to recover from the Great Recession.

In the Senate, Gary serves as the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security and is the Senate’s top oversight body. He also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. In addition, he is one of six Congressional Regents on the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents.

Gary has been recognized as one of the most effective and bipartisan senators, according to the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking and the Lugar Center. During the 118th Congress (2023-2024), he authored and passed 15 standalone bills into law with broad bipartisan support. In the 117th Congress (2021-2022), he was the principal sponsor of 19 bipartisan bills signed into law, the most by any U.S. senator in a single Congress in more than 40 years. He was ranked the most effective senator in both the 116th and 117th Congresses for his ability to build coalitions and work across the aisle.

In the 116th Congress, he earned this recognition despite serving as a member of the minority party — an achievement that had not been accomplished since the Center for Effective Lawmaking began collecting data more than 50 years ago. Across three Congresses, he was the principal sponsor of more standalone bills signed into law than any other Democrat or Republican serving in either the Senate or House. In 2023, the Lugar Center ranked him as the second-most bipartisan senator and the most bipartisan Democrat for his work in the 117th Congress.

His legislation has addressed issues important to Michiganders, including protecting the Great Lakes and securing historic funding for restoration efforts, strengthening border security, supporting veterans and servicemembers, making government work more efficiently, and saving taxpayer dollars.