Representative Scott Peters

Dear [salutation],

This week, the House passed a short-term government funding bill, also known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), to keep the government open through December 11, 2026. The Energy and Commerce Committee advanced my bipartisan Proper Leadership to Align Networks (PLAN) for Broadband Act. And I introduced legislation to limit noncompete agreements to foster creativity and empower American workers.

This CR is Better than a Shutdown

One of Congress’ most important Constitutional powers is drafting a federal budget that supports the needs of our constituents. If we don’t fund the government by September 30th, it shuts down. I've long said this Republican-controlled Congress's reliance on short-term, stopgap funding bills is unsustainable. But I won't let workers in San Diego and across the country get crushed by another lengthy government shutdown, so I supported this bill.

I was encouraged by the improvements to this CR from the version House Republicans forced through in July. It closes the loopholes they snuck in to secretly funnel more money to Border Patrol, a reckless agency already sitting on billions in unspent funds with zero accountability for its agents. And it puts guardrails in place to stop the Trump Administration from politicizing federal grantmaking for the next several months. That matters for cities like San Diego, where we depend on billions in federal grants for biotech, housing, military, and transportation.

But this isn't how government is supposed to work. We should be focused on a real, annual funding process and responsibly use taxpayer dollars. I've led proposals to get us there, like the Budgeting for a Better America Act, which would establish a two-year budgeting framework and a bipartisan advisory commission to lower the risk of disastrous shutdowns and CRs altogether. It's time we used our power of the purse wisely.

A Practical Plan to Expand Broadband Access

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was one of the largest investments Congress has ever made to expand broadband access nationwide, but implementation has been fragmented and duplicative. We need a comprehensive, national strategy to deploy this funding, connect Americans to high-speed internet, and close the digital divide. I introduced the PLAN for Broadband Act with Rep. Walberg (MI-5) to do just that.

On Tuesday, our bill passed the subcommittee in charge of electronic communications. Next, it will go to the full Energy and Commerce Committee before getting a vote on the House floor. Millions of Americans still need high-speed internet, but the broadband connection they were promised has yet to reach them. Even in cities like San Diego, one in three households in low-income areas still don't subscribe to home broadband. This legislation would fix that, and I look forward to it becoming law.

My Bill to Boost Innovation and Productivity

I reintroduced the Workforce Mobility Act this week, a bill to limit employers' ability to force employees to sign noncompete agreements except in certain cases. A noncompete agreement is a legal agreement between an employer and an employee that prohibits an employee from working for a competing company after the employment period is over, often for a specified period. They can be necessary to protect proprietary information or when people acquire a business, for example, but shouldn't be used in every industry. Right now, an employee at a fast food restaurant can be forced to sign a noncompete agreement and would be unable to work at another fast food restaurant. That's just silly and unnecessary.

When they're used too broadly, noncompete agreements stifle innovation and productivity, restrict workers’ ability to share new ideas, and disrupt labor markets. This bipartisan bill would help limit these burdensome agreements to foster competitiveness and creativity, empower American workers, and strengthen our economy. California has been the blueprint for what is possible without noncompete agreements, and I am glad to once again push this effort at a national scale.

Scott’s Reads

Read an important cross-border sewage pollution update from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors regarding a proposal to construct a water treatment plant on our side of the border.
The Center for American Progress put together an interactive way to measure what else the U.S. could be funding if we weren’t spending billions on President Trump’s war in Iran.

Catch up on the first season of 72 and Sunny!

Click here for a comprehensive list of the actions I've taken to push back on the Trump Administration and protect San Diego.

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Thanks, and take care.

Scott H. Peters
Member of Congress

This CR is Better than a Shutdown

A Practical Plan to Expand Broadband Access

My Bill to Boost Innovation and Productivity

Scott’s Reads

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