Representative Scott Peters

Dear [salutation],

Speaker Johnson set an ambitious agenda this week, including four major pieces of legislation. All ended up getting done, but not without Republican infighting, back and forth votes between the House and Senate, and complete chaos.

Homeland Security Reopens After a

10-Week Shutdown

We've been telling Republicans to fund Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — besides Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — since February. It took them 76 days to finally get that done.

They waited just up until President Trump and Secretary Mullin announced they would no longer be paying essential DHS staff this month. But hardworking Americans already paid the price. At Transportation Security Administration (TSA), thousands of TSA workers have been forced to leave and it will take months of time and millions of dollars to hire and train new agents.

The Senate voted for this bill on April 1. It funded all of DHS at the agreed upon levels, except it gave no more money to ICE and Border Patrol, which are already heavily funded from last year's "One Big Beautiful Bill." The Speaker has held this since then, but needlessly prolonged the longest agency shutdown in our nation’s history and compromised our national security at a time when President Trump continues to wage war in Iran.

Shutdowns cannot become the new normal and we cannot use federal employees as collateral damage. It’s time to pass my No Budget No Pay Act so Congress stops being paid unless it does its job and passes a budget on time. I hope we return to bipartisan, good-faith negotiations as we head into the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations process.

Republicans Propose Another $70 Billion for ICE and Border Patrol!

The reason Speaker Johnson finally allowed a vote on DHS funding is because Republicans agreed to a new budget proposal that would give ICE and Border Patrol an additional $70 billion. That’s on top of the $170 billion they gave them in the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ Today, $150 billion of that hasn’t even been spent.

I voted no because they don’t need another dime from Congress. We cannot keep writing blank checks to agencies accused of serious abuses. Rather than more funding for ICE, we should pass my Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act and other commonsense guardrails. I’ll keep you updated on this as it moves through the reconciliation process, and I’ll continue to advocate against the Administration’s crazy mass deportation agenda.

Congress Reauthorizes FISA, Protecting National Security

The most chaotic part of the work surrounded the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702, which was set to expire at midnight yesterday. Reauthorizing Section 702 of FISA is a national security imperative. For decades, it's helped our intelligence community monitor foreign threats and identify plots before they happen.

In recent years, intelligence gathered from the Section 702 authority has helped stop a planned terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert, locate cartel leader “El Mencho,” and disrupt fentanyl production operations. Letting the program expire would dismantle that progress at the exact moment we need it.

In the end, the House and Senate agreed on a 43-day clean extension to stop FISA from expiring. Before extending it long term, we need more work to protect civil liberties. I voted for the 43-day extension to allow for that work because keeping San Diegans safe is my top priority, and allowing Congressional authorization for 702 to expire would threaten to interrupt the intelligence community's authority to compel telecom providers to turn over the communications of foreign nationals and cut off information critical to our security.

The short extension should’ve been an easy vote, however, Republican leadership was in disarray. The House passed a different version than the Senate, the lack of bipartisan negotiation in a narrowly divided House meant Speaker Johnson struggled to keep his caucus in line, and votes were cancelled and rescheduled multiple times. It was like a ping pong match. I hope that the issues are worked out before we consider FISA again in six weeks.

Partisan Farm Bill Passes the House

For the first time since 2018, the House passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act – a bill that is supposed to update agriculture, conservation, and nutrition programs. It sounds like it should be something that both parties would agree on, but “Make America Healthy Again” enthusiasts hijacked the bill and pushed their anti-science agenda.

Republicans also cut $187 billion from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in their ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ last year, resulting in benefits being taken away or reduced for more than 40 million Americans. Those cuts are protected by this farm bill. It was an easy no vote for me.

All of this mismanagement comes at a time when we face real challenges in our country. Gas prices continue to skyrocket as Trump’s war with Iran continues. Americans are forced to choose between having enough food or paying for life-saving medical needs because of healthcare funding cuts. Our tax dollars are being used on masked agents who go after our own communities and incite violence on our streets. It’s time for my Republican colleagues to get serious about making life easier and more affordable for hardworking Americans – and I’ll continue to work with anyone who’s interested in solving those problems.

SD in DC

This week, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce made their annual trip to DC to discuss upcoming projects and priorities for San Diego and ways we can all work together to help achieve our shared vision for our region. My staff participated in important conversations with the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the transboundary sewage crisis, and with the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) about homeless support and the path to more housing San Diegans can afford. My office hosted meetings with San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the San Diego Housing Commission, and other members of the Chamber’s delegation.

The Chamber’s trip provided an excellent opportunity for San Diego’s elected officials, business and community leaders, and workers to discuss their priorities and how those in Washington can help implement San Diego’s goals.

Scott’s Reads

The Hill breaks down how we’ve spent $25 billion on President Trump’s war in Iran.
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Thanks, and take care.

Scott H. Peters
Member of Congress