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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing on the nominations of Jared Isaacman to be NASA Administrator and Steven Haines to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis.

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for this hearing. Congratulations, Mr. Isaacman on being renominated to lead NASA and Mr. Haines on your nomination to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. I too would like to welcome our colleague, Senator Britt from a state that has a very robust aerospace community, and look forward to continuing to work with her. And I'd like to say a special welcome to two Washingtonians who are here -- Bill Nye, the Science Guy from Washington, and Mr. Dietrich, who is Mr. Haines’ father-in-law. Great to have you here as well in support of him.

“Mr. Isaacman, I supported your nomination the first time you came before the Committee, and I hope to do so again. I -- as the Chairman mentioned -- hope to get you in this position before the end of the year. But there is no secret that a lot of NASA changes have been made since the last time you were before this Committee, including the NASA decision to re-compete for the Lunar Lander, the release of the President's proposed NASA budget, which calls for cutting the agency's budget by nearly a quarter,  its workforce, [by] nearly a third [and] the science funding cut in half.

“So given all that, I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're here to answer questions about NASA's future, and I hope that today's hearing will show that there is bipartisan agreement, strong bipartisan agreement, that we must redouble our efforts to get American astronauts back to the surface of the moon as soon as possible.

“At our Committee hearing in [September], we heard concerning testimony from several expert witnesses who left little room for doubt that the current SpaceX lunar lander would not be ready to put Americans back on the moon either in 2027 or 2028. And…[we] almost certainly would lose the race to China, and I know that you are going to have robust competition [and] in response, Acting Administrator Duffy reopened the contract and its competition for the lunar lander that can be ready sooner, by the end of 2028. And I think this was the correct decision, and I expect you to continue executing on this plan, if confirmed.

“To be clear, winning the race to the moon is not just about short-term token victories. It is the first step in accomplishing a very long term presence on the lunar surface, which is strategic economically and is a national security imperative. Mr. Isaacsman, I expect to hear from you today about how you will ensure we achieve these goals. NASA is also much more than just a moon exploration program. The agency leads in a number of other vital strategic missions, including aeronautic research, space technology and, of course, the agency's critical science mission.

“NASA is one of the world's leading research and development organizations. I think that's why we have, I don't know, about 50 people waiting outside to get in this hearing room. I think they really believe you're going to get confirmed, and they all want to be first in line to talk about all these developments. NASA is one of the leading research and development organizations and [an] agency that feeds a multiple of sectors of innovation, including AI, quantum, advanced aerospace materials, manufacturing, and aviation safety.

“You and I have had a chance to talk about this issue as it relates to my home state, [there are over] 1,500 companies form a robust aerospace supply chain, including 40 Artemis Program suppliers. And this issue of a tech hub working on next generation thermoplastics that is so critical to all space and aerospace manufacturing to [develop] hi-rate [composite] manufacturing production. 

“Nevertheless, as we've discussed these issues, OMB Director Vaught has been working to gut NASA's budget, especially in science. Earlier this year, multiple NASA whistleblowers provided evidence showing that OMB was pushing NASA to implement the dangerous cuts requested in the President's budget for fiscal year 2026, disregarding the law and the impacts that this would leave on NASA. This is just unacceptable. Mr. Isaacman, if confirmed, I expect you will push back on these dangerous ideas and advocate for NASA's budget.

“Oh, I also invite you to visit Washington State. We'd love to continue this discussion on how to generate the next aviation innovation. It's clear that there's a lot going on that will help us on the Moon-to-Mars mission, not just the 40 Artemis suppliers, but a lot of other issues in how to guarantee our satellite communication for the future and how to make sure that is secure. So thank you again for your willingness to step up to these challenges.

“Turning to you, Mr. Haines, if confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis you will be responsible for strengthening the globe's competitiveness in U.S. industry and overseeing key trade analyses. You would lead a team charged with value-added analysis and tools to support economic policy decisions. No doubt, there's been a big sea change since Covid about supply chain issues and supply chain vulnerabilities and the interest that Commerce play a larger role in identifying those risk sectors.

“Myself and Senator Risch have been leading a charge on fusion technology and hoping that we can be very aggressive on supply chain issues if, in fact, fusion technology gets to the actual point of manufacturing in the United States.

“So I look forward to working with you on those supply chain issues, and I want us to continue to know that we have to reduce tariffs. In my mind, tariffs are causing Americans to be challenged on affordability issues, and I look forward to working with you and asking you questions about that agenda as well. And welcome to our colleague from Tennessee, Senator Haggerty.”

Video of Sen. Cantwell’s opening remarks can be found HERE, video of her Q&A is HERE and the Q&A transcript is HERE.

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