East Michigan News

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D) is being condemned by the Michigan Republicans after he reportedly failed to show for 84% of the Small Business Committee hearings prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peters, the Michigan Republicans website reported, skipped 43 of the 51 House Small Business Committee hearings in the years of 2011-2012, followed by not attending any of the 23 meetings held in 2012. 

“As the nation today focuses on Michigan and our efforts to revive the economy -- following damage done both by COVID-19 and Gov. Whitmer’s unscientific, unemployment-raising and unconscionable nursing home policies -- research shows Gary Peters failed to lift a finger to strengthen our small businesses before crisis hit,” the Michigan Republicans website reported. 

Additionally Peters did little to impact important decisions regarding China, as he only attended two of the 18 meetings on the Congressional Executive Commission on China, resulting in an absence rate of 89%.

Laura Cox, Michigan Republican Party Chairman, said that Peters’ failure to attend these meetings hints at a deeper issue, which should give voters pause as they head to the polls. 

“Gary Peters shows up for important work so rarely that new polling shows only 19% of Michigan voters said he deserves a second term,” Cox told Michigan Republicans. “Gary Peters didn’t show up to stop China, and he didn’t show up to make Michigan’s small businesses stronger, so he shouldn’t be surprised when voters don’t show up for him in November.”

On his website, Peters touts himself as a bipartisan member of the Michigan political scene. 

“This year, the nonpartisan Lugar Center ranked him as the 3rd-most-bipartisan Democrat and 12th-most-bipartisan senator,” according to his website. “This follows Gary being named the 4th-most-bipartisan Democrat by the Lugar Center last year and the 4th-most effective Democratic senator in the 115th Senate (2017-2018) by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.”

Peters is running for reelection in November against Republican John James, who had previously run an unsuccessful campaign against U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2018.