Representative Scott Peters

Dear [salutation],

This week, I had extra time in San Diego following last week’s abrupt trip back to DC to vote against the Republican tax plan. Community members and businesses have told me about how the bill will end programs and services they rely on and force those with the least to sacrifice while giving tax breaks to those with the most. I promise I won't give up on expanding healthcare access, building renewable energy, strengthening our fiscal future, and protecting San Diegans. If you or your organization will be affected by this bill, please share your story here.

Below is a recap on my work from this week.

Casework Success

Justine from University Heights requested help with moving her student loan account into general forbearance, a status where repayments would be paused. Justine applied for the SAVE plan, a program that lowers monthly payments based on income in July 2024. Her application had not yet been reviewed due to ongoing litigation over SAVE, but interest continued to accrue on her account. My office contacted the Education Department to request a review of Justine’s account and removal of the accrued interest. In June, Justine’s account was successfully transferred to general forbearance with a 0% interest rate, and interest that had previously accrued was readjusted.

“In the midst of all the confusion surrounding the state of student loans, Congressman Peters’ office coordinated with the Department of Education to ensure that my loan services honored the 0% interest for the general forbearance as a result of my pending SAVE plan application, which has not been processed for a year as a result of the court injunction. They were wonderful and very supportive as they advocated for not only me, but for all borrowers that are stuck in limbo.”

Get help from my office with a federal agency.

New Dems Leading the Way on our Energy Future

The New Democrat Coalition is the largest ideological bloc of House Democrats, consisting of 115 solutions-focused Members of Congress. I am the chair of its Energy Working Group. This week, we released our energy framework to achieve energy independence, security, and affordability. America faces a massive increase in energy demand, due to AI data centers, onshoring manufacturing, and the electrification of our economy. To meet our climate goals, lower energy prices, and strengthen our economy through good-paying jobs, America needs to build infrastructure faster and more efficiently. In the Framework, New Dems lay out a roadmap to do that.

Talking with San Diego Vets

Rep. Peters speaks to a crowd at the San Diego Veterans Coalition meeting

Today, I spoke at the San Diego Veterans Coalition’s monthly meeting. I discussed ways the Big Ugly Bill will hurt our veterans, such as Medicaid cuts, making it harder for veterans to access non-VA healthcare providers, cuts to SNAP funding which veterans rely on to buy food, and the changes to student loans that could prevent veterans from pursuing higher education. We also talked about President Trump’s senseless, cruel attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in our military, and how we can best support veterans’ mental health. I told them about my resolution to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and my legislation to create a network of support for servicemembers to prevent isolation and suicide. Our veterans served this country with bravery and sacrifice. I’ll always work to keep our promises to care for them when they come home.

Talking with San Diego’s Business and Civic Community

Rep. Peters speaks to a crowd of San Diego's Economic Development Corporation members

On Wednesday, I spoke with the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. I heard from health care providers about how Medicaid cuts will devastate their ability to provide care for everyone in our community. Emergency room wait times will increase, insurance rates will go up, and rural hospitals and health clinics will be forced to close. Leaders from our life sciences industry also shared how tariffs and ongoing funding cuts to NIH are jeopardizing health care innovation in the U.S. and forcing companies to turn to other countries, like China, for new technologies. I then shared how disappointed I was in my Republican colleagues for failing to stand up for the American people and protect Medicaid and other vital programs that now face drastic cuts in the Big Ugly Bill. I also talked about how senseless it is that all the funding cuts Republicans made won’t even go toward reducing our unsustainable national debt. They will only offset the loss of revenue from extended tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. I will work to minimize the harm of this disastrous bill on San Diegans.

Scott’s Reads

Shameless plug! Rep. Laura Friedman (CA-30) and I wrote about the need to tackle our affordability, housing, and climate crises by making it easier to build more homes near transit stations. This is a win-win that would give us more resources to invest – in our families, our communities and infrastructure.
If we want to remain competitive on the global stage, particularly against China, we need to build clean energy infrastructure much faster. The charts in this article from MIT show how we are falling behind in production of solar power, electric vehicles, and other renewable energy sources.

Scott Peters
Member of Congress

Casework Success

New Dems Leading the Way on our Energy Future

Talking with San Diego Vets

Talking with San Diego’s Business and Civic Community

Scott’s Reads

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