Editorials historically came about as a means to let the average person know the opinions of the editors and publishers of newspapers and magazines.

Eventually editors realized that added interest in their newspapers and magazines could be sparked by allowing readers to express their opinions on the page opposite the editorial, and the modern op-ed was invented. Today 'editorial' and 'op-ed' are often used interchangeably to refer to any written piece expressing an opinion on the issues of the day, whether in a magazine, a newspaper, or a website.

Appeared in San Diego Metro 2/5/13 - http://sandiegometro.com/2013/02/message-from-congressman-scott-peters/

By Rep. Scott Peters -

It is my distinct honor to serve California's 52nd Congressional District as a member of the 113th Congress. I thank you for this humbling opportunity, and thought I would give you an update after the first few weeks.

Appeared in East County Magazine - 3/12/14 http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/12712

By Congressman Scott Peters (D-San Diego)

Appeared in the Pomerado News 3/18/13 - http://www.pomeradonews.com/2013/03/14/guest-column-finding-a-solution-to-the-sequester/

By Congressman Scott Peters

The Hill - Don’t let another hurricane season blow by without climate action http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-a-environment/303093-dont-let-another-hurricane-season-blow-by-without-climate-action

Reps. Scott Peters (CA-52), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), & Paul Tonko (NY-20) -

Op-Ed: Voice of San Diego http://voiceofsandiego.org/2013/06/10/six-possible-stymies-to-innovation-in-san-diego/

After more than two decades in San Diego, I had some thoughts about Kelly Bennett's June 3 question, "What could stymie the kind of invention and innovation that San Diego strives to be known for?" Here are six possible stymies:

Op-Ed: Isn’t it about time for a budget conference? http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-a-budget/305141-isnt-it-about-time-for-a-budget-conference

By Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52)

Last year, the House Republican leadership made a point to criticize the Senate, controlled by Democrats, for not having passed a budget in four years. I agreed with them. They were right.

UT OpEd - LGBT workplace discrimination must end http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/20/LGBT-workplace-discrimination-legislation/

Op-Ed (The Hill) - The benefits of a competitive seat http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/306835-the-benefits-of-a-competitive-seat

Roll Call - Mean and Clean: Mission Readiness Through Energy Diversity http://www.rollcall.com/news/mean_and_clean_mission_readiness_through_energy_diversity_commentary-225846-1.html?pos=oopih

By Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) -

No Labels: Bipartisan Cooperation is Imperative http://www.nolabels.org/blog/bipartisan-cooperation-imperative

Time to End the Sequester - http://media.washtimes.com/media/misc/2013/09/17/aerospacedefense0913sp.pdf

Since March 1 of this year our country has been living under "sequestration." These across-the-board, nonsensical budget cuts are harming our military, hurting our ability to maintain intern

End the Shutdown Now - http://www.lajollalight.com/2013/10/09/op-ed-end-the-government-shutdown-now-by-congressmember-scott-peters-d-52/

In the Coronado Eagle & Journal October 16-22

NY Times - Letter to the Editor: Seeking Lessons From the Fiscal Crisis -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/opinion/seeking-lessons-from-the-fiscal-crisis.html?_r=0

To the Editor:

Re "Changing the Debt-Ceiling Game" (Op-Ed, Oct. 15):

As seen in UCCA October Newsletter - http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/October-2013-_2.pdf

Since I took office, After a lack of action by House leadership allowed the rates to double to 6.8% on July 1st, I joined my colleagues later in July to pass a bipartisan compromise (H.R. 1911) that lowered the federal student loan interest rates back to more reasonable levels.

Roll Call - Why Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers Are a Necessary Investment

http://www.rollcall.com/news/why_nimitz_class_aircraft_carriers_are_a_necessary_investment_commentary-228938-1.html?pos=oopih

By - Reps. Derek Kilmer, Rick Larsen, Scott Peters and Scott Rigell

Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-scott-peters/national-entrepreneurs-day_b_4298456.html

Over the past century, the United States has maintained its position as the global leader in innovation. This is due, mostly, to the optimistic and adventurous spirit of American entrepreneurs. But it also due in part to the investments in science and technology our nation has historically made, which support the research and creativity needed to pursue new ventures.

Roll Call - http://www.rollcall.com/news/a_quick_climate_cure_stopping_super_pollutants_commentary-229541-1.html

By Rep. Scott Peters and Michael Shank

Congress vs. the Super-Pollutants - http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/12/11/congress-must-act-now-to-rein-in-global-warming-super-pollutants

Pomerado News Chieftan - http://www.pomeradonews.com/2013/12/24/guest-column-progress-in-d-c-but-hold-off-celebrating/

As seen in UCCA December Newsletter - http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Dec-Jan-201314.pdf

During my time on the San Diego City Council and as a Commissioner for the Port of San Diego, I was proud to work with members of both parties to address difficult problems facing the region. We worked with the mentality that while we wouldn't always agree on every issue, we would put the interests of constituents above all else to reform our local government.

UT - http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/14/letters-museums-border-gregory-landfill/

Since coming to Congress, we've fought for a budget that invests in infrastructure necessary to support our economic recovery. Funding for the San Ysidro Port of Entry has been at the top of our list. The hours-long wait times at our broken border cost the region an estimated $7.2 billion in economic output and 62,000 jobs annually.

Voice of San Diego - A Win for Both Sides of the Border: http://voiceofsandiego.org/2014/01/17/a-win-for-both-sides-of-the-border/

Reps. Scott Peters & Juan Vargas

Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a spending bill that included $226 million for an ongoing improvement project at San Ysidro's Port of Entry.

Ports Are Critical To U.S. Economy's Health - 'Seaports Magazine' -- Spring 2014

http://nxtbk.co/d59

By Congressman Scott Peters

Ports play a strategic role in our national competitiveness and are vital to keeping the United States at the top of the global economy in coming years. Our ports connect farmers in Iowa, automakers in Michigan, and manufacturers in California to markets around the world.

Roll Call - Building Extreme Weather Resiliency is Good for Business

By Rep. Scott Peters and Dal LaMagna

What should make members of Congress from both parties and small-business owners all agree about increasingly extreme weather? Resilience.

As seen in the UCCA April 2014 Newsletter - http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/UCCA-Newsletter-April-2014-Web-Version1.pdf

Services Available to Constituents

Huffington Post - 4.9.14 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-scott-peters/take-a-moment-for-earth-d_b_5111875.html

The Hill - Solar Industry Successful and Growing in California --- 4.10.14

The United States has made major advances toward creating new sources of renewable, clean and domestic energy in the last decade. Federal, state and local governments are committed to working with private businesses, unlocking America's entrepreneurial spirit so that we might solve the challenge of creating whole new energy industries where none existed before.

University City Newsletter - May 2014 http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/May-2014-Newsletter-UCCA.pdf

Environmental and Sustainability

University City Newsletter - June 2014 http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/June-2014-UCCA-Newsletter.pdf

Thoughts and Prayers...

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by last month's fires and our graditude continues to be woth our first responders. Their tireless efforts ensured containment of the fires and allowed many residents of my district to return to their homes promptly.

Energy diversity is a national security imperative - 6.19.14 in The Hill: http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/209852-energy-diversity-is-a-national-security-imperative

Innovation: Key to Reducing Carbon Emissions - Huffington Post 7/15/14 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-scott-peters/innovation-key-to-reducin_b_5587909.html

University City Newsletter July/August 2014 - http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/July-Aug-2014-newsletter.pdf

College Affordability

Primed for The Future: Growing San Diego's Economy - Times of San Diego 7.29.14

http://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2014/07/29/primed-future-growing-san-diegos-economy/

San Diego is still recovering from one of the toughest recessions in America's history. That's why growing the economy and fostering an atmosphere for job creation must be the number one priority of Congress. It is mine.

University City Newsletter, September 2014 http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/September-2014-UCCA-Low-Res.pdf

Plan for a Prosperous Future

San Diego is still recovering from one of the toughest recessions in America's history. That's why growing the economy and fostering an atmosphere for job creation must be the number one priority of Congress. It is mine.

Export-Import Bank is a Vital Tool for Trade

San Diego Business Journal - 9/15/14

Rep. Scott Peters, Rep. Juan Vargas, Jerry Sanders:

How much do disasters cost?

As seen in The Hill: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/218100-how-much-do-disasters-cost

By: Reps. Scott Peters, Gerry Connolly, Paul Tonko, Steve Israel

University City Community Association Newsletter - October 2014

http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Newsletter-UCCA-October-2014.pdf

Making Necessary Reforms at the VA

Entrepreneurs: Engines of Our Economic Growth - Huffington Post 11/18/14 ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-scott-peters/entrepreneurs-engines-of-_b_6180284.html )

By: Reps. Scott Peters (CA-52), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), & Ron Kind (WI-03)

UT - San Diego County congressmen invite parents of dead soldier, Marine vet once jailed in Mexico

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/20/state-union-peters-hunter-tahmooressi-somers/all/?print

Jeanette Steele - At Tuesday's State of the Union address, two San Diego County congressmen brought guests to draw attention to issues.

San Diego Community Newspaper Group - Civic engagement, volunteerism head OB Town Council's agendas for 2015

http://sdnews.com/view/full_story/26332523/article-Civic-engagement--volunteerism-head-OB-Town-Councils-agendas-for-2015?instance=update1

Times of San Diego - Tax Reform Among Peters' 10 Resolutions for Congress

http://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2015/01/06/peters-lists-new-years-resolutions-congress/

Chris Jennewein - As the 114th Congress convened on Tuesday, Rep. Scott Peters issued a list of 10 New Year's resolutions ranging from creating jobs and supporting the military to comprehensive action on immigration.

After last November’s election, Democrats in Congress are at our lowest numbers since President Herbert Hoover. This week’s House Democratic Caucus retreat offers us a chance to take a hard look at ourselves to see why.

Democratic turnout was even lower than many expected in an off year. It’s clear that the plans and positions our party was selling weren’t compelling enough to get our own core constituencies out of the house to vote. And we failed to convince independents that we are the party they can trust to grow the economy and keep high-quality jobs here at home.

The Hill - 03/18/15 07:47 PM EDT

By Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.)

Plan for the Future: Use the Social Cost of Carbon - Huffington Post 4/23/15 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-scott-peters/plan-for-the-future-use-t_b_7127294.html

By. Rep. Scott Peters

While scientists resoundingly agree that climate change is occurring, and that we should be taking action to address greenhouse-gas emissions now, opinion in Congress on the topic is dismayingly split.

Clairemont Times (5/15/15) - http://www.clairemonttimes.com/2015/05/15/71657/from-the-desk-of-congressman-scott-peters

UCCA News - May 2015 - http://www.universitycitynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/UCCA-Newsletter-May-2015.pdf

By Congressman Scott Peters, 52nd District of California

Repeal the Medical Device Tax

Huffington Post 6/2/15 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-suzan-delbene/repeal-the-medical-device-tax_b_7487462.html

Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52), Rep. Kysten Sinema (AZ-09), Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01)

Congress's job is to pass laws that serve the American people. However, Congress often passes sweeping reforms into law and then fails to make updates to ensure they're working in the real world.

No deal better than bad one over Iran nuclear program - UT San Diego 7/3/15

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/03/no-deal-better-than-bad-one-over-iran-nuclear/

Reps. Susan Davis, Juan Vargas, and Scott Peters

Bolstering Community Resilience Through Information Sharing

American Planning Association Blog 7/22/15 - http://blogs.planning.org/policy/2015/07/22/bolstering-community-resilience-through-information-sharing/

Time for Congress to Back Military Energy Diversity

8/6/15 - https://medium.com/@Rep.ScottPeters/time-for-congress-to-back-military-energy-diversity-30502524679d

Deal is Best Obstacle to Iran Nuke Threat - San Diego Union Tribune 8/27/15

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/27/peters-why-i-support-the-nuclear-agreement/

By Scott Peters

San Diego’s Downtown has grown into a thriving center for arts, business, tourism and urban living. Ask any resident or business owner what challenges remain, and most will cite homelessness.

San Diego’s Regional Continuum of Care Council, led by Councilmember Todd Gloria, has brought together community leaders and service providers to distribute resources and get people off the streets and into permanent housing.

In the San Diego way, we have been cooperative and innovative in our approach.

By Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.)

By Scott Peters

Last year, 6,300 wildfires burned over 300,000 acres across California. In May 2014, more than a dozen wildfires broke out in San Diego County alone, burning 26,000 acres, taking one life, and costing home and business owners $29.8 million. Five years into the worst drought in California’s history, we know the devastation that comes from wildfire seasons paired with severe drought conditions. Since coming to Congress, I have made it a priority to get our communities the resources they need to protect lives and property from the threat of wildfires.

By Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.)

President Obama and many members of Congress support an "all of the above" national energy supply strategy that relies on power from oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.

But a vital and overlooked component of ensuring we have the power we need is energy conservation – the less we use, the less we have to buy.

Fall is an exciting time for students and families across the country. It is a time to celebrate a new academic year, dream about the future, and embark on the next chapter of their education. Unfortunately, for far too many students, the start of the school year also means adding to the already massive burden of student loan debt.

In February, in his joint address to Congress, President Trump promised to work with both parties to promote clean air and clean water. The president's actions, however, do not reflect the words he delivered to us that day. Among his first actions: appointing an Environmental Protection Agency administrator who made his name trying to block that very agency from keeping our water clean. He acted to scrap the Clean Power Plan, which was designed to keep our air clean by reducing emissions from power plants.

It's hard to find anyone other than Republican members of Congress who think the current proposals to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act are good policy.

BY SCOTT PETERS

When I was first elected to Congress in 2013, I met with retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Ronne Froman, who had formerly commanded Navy Region Southwest in the congressional district I represent. I told her I planned to form a veterans' advisory committee and asked her to lead it. In her no-nonsense Navy fashion, she promptly turned to me and said, "Scott, that's a terrible idea."

San Diegans celebrate our partnership in the national defense. We're a home port for Navy vessels and a center of Marine Corps recruiting and training. We're an officially designated Coast Guard City. We're home to shipyards for construction and repair, companies that specialize in unmanned vehicle technology, and a center of cybersecurity excellence.

The United States entered the 21st century as the world's undeniable economic leader.

After World War II, the United States led the transition to a peacetime, global economy and the United States prospered as other nations invested in our goods, services and industries. In the decades after, our economic and political strategy hinged on open markets, booming international trade, and avoiding conflict.

Today, America's leadership in the global economy is threatened as President Trump seems poised to build barriers to international trade instead of new opportunities.

During district work periods, the days there are no votes in Congress, I spend my time visiting local businesses and attending events throughout San Diego, and hosting meetings in my office with constituents. Meeting new people throughout my district and hearing how the federal government is helping—or hurting—them is one of the best, and most important, parts of the job.

"You mean it gets better?" a female veteran asks Olga, a certified peer specialist working at the Department of Veterans Affairs. For the last decade, Olga has served as an integral part of the VA's peer specialist program in Dallas. After going through the dizzying process herself as an Army veteran, she wondered how other veterans experiencing severe mental health episodes were managing to get the care they needed.

Last week, the Trump administration announced its intent to roll back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks sold in the United States through 2026, and to eliminate states' authority to set their own, more stringent pollution standards. The move is backward looking for American business, consumers and the environment.

Small businesses — those with fewer than 100 employees — fuel San Diego's economy. They represent 98 percent of our firms and nearly 60 percent of our workforce. For a long time, the general narrative around supporting small business has been a call to action for people to "shop local." That's great, but it's not enough.

As floodwaters in Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa recede, the cleanup is just beginning. In our home states, fires in California and hurricanes in North Carolina took the lives of loved ones and neighbors, caused irreparable damage to communities and businesses, and cost the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars.

By Rep. Scott Peters

It is with sadness that I write about the horrific attack on Chabad of Poway, a synagogue in our district, on the last day of Passover and the six month anniversary of the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.

Today, we have the ability to cut the rate of global warming in half–and not just by curbing fossil fuel consumption.

It doesn’t require the invention of new technology. We already have some of the technology we need in place. No one has gone bankrupt putting it into practice. In fact, many of these measures are revenue generators. Some are even life savers.

On Wednesday, I walked to the Capitol to listen to the testimony on accepting the electoral votes as certified by the states. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, not all members could be seated on the House floor, and many of us sat in the gallery above. As we listened to the argument over Arizona’s electors, we saw the top leaders of both parties quickly and forcefully escorted from the floor.

Projects/Programs Submitted

Listed below are the funding requests for important community projects in California's 50th congressional district Rep. Peters has submitted to the Appropriations Committee. The projects are listed in no particular order.

Harbor Drive Pump Station 1 & 2

$5,000,000

City of San Diego - 202 C Street, San Diego, CA, 92101

The most recent United Nations IPCC Report found that the world must cut emissions by 60% by 2035 to limit the planet’s rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The solutions exist, but we are running out of time. We need to act big, and we need to act fast.

California’s majestic sequoia trees are the largest trees in the world, reaching heights of over 300 feet. They live for thousands of years because their massive trunks are both insect- and fireproof. They’ve been considered virtually indestructible — until now.

Last month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee considered 16 individual elements of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion Build Back Better agenda. I supported 15 and opposed one: a proposed drug pricing reform plan known as H.R.3, which the Congressional Budget Office and other analysts believe will stifle investment in medical research and reduce drug discovery.

Scientists warn that aggregate global warming of over 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) or even 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) could harm our planet and its habitability beyond repair. This sober admonition is often followed by the reassurance that we know the mark we need to hit — net zero carbon emissions by mid-century. We must take carbon emissions out of power production, transportation, agriculture, buildings and industry.