Senators Express Concerns Over Impact of Contact Tracing Order on Data Privacy, Security
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, John Thune, R-S.D., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Michael Lee, R-Utah, today sent a letter asking White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to inform Congress on how the Biden Administration plans to address data collection concerns following the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “contact tracing” order, which requires airlines and operators to collect personal information from incoming international passengers, including American citizens.
Committee Leaders Address Potential TSA Workforce Shortage Due to Vaccination Requirement
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today sent a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske requesting an update on the agency’s contingency planning for a potential sizable reduction in its frontline screening workforce because of President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal employees.
Committee Leaders Raise Concern Over Activists Calling for Physical Attacks on Energy Infrastructure
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led a letter with 36 Senate and House colleagues to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) raising concerns about the recently published book How to Blow Up a Pipeline. The letter highlights the impact attacks on pipeline infrastructure will have on the economy, environment, and personal security of Americans. The committee leaders also requested information on how the agency is identifying threats of physical attacks to pipelines and working with industry to mitigate those threats.
Wicker, Schatz, Rubio Introduce AQUAA Act to Advance American Aquaculture
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., today introduced the bipartisan Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act of 2021 to establish national standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture. The bill would designate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the lead federal agency for marine aquaculture. The legislation would also direct NOAA to harmonize the permitting system for offshore aquaculture for farms in federal waters, and direct the agency to lead a research and development grant program to spur innovation throughout the industry.
Wicker Urges President to Reconsider Plan Requiring Employees to be Vaccinated, Tested Weekly
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent a letter urging President Joseph Biden to delay or defer the anticipated COVID-19 action plan for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a rule requiring all private employers with 100 or more employees to be fully vaccinated, or have weekly testing, as a condition of work eligibility.
Committee Investigation Suggests Leading Technology Company Violated Huawei-related Rule
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today released a report following a committee investigation that finds Seagate Technology likely in violation of the Foreign Direct Product Rule implemented by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Department of Commerce, which restricts Huawei’s access to sensitive technology. The investigation found that Seagate flouted the regulation designed to protect U.S. national security by making unlawful transactions with Huawei for as long as one year, allowing the company to gain significant profits as it monopolized the market.
Sen. Cantwell Statement on FCC, NTIA Nominations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation released the following statement regarding President Biden’s intention to nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to be Commissioner and Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Gigi Sohn to be Commissioner of the FCC; and Alan Davidson to be Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA):
Cantwell Underscores Urgency to Pass NASA Authorization Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a hearing in the Commerce Subcommittee on Space and Science yesterday, Sen. Maria Cantwell underscored the urgent need for Congress to pass long-lasting, bipartisan NASA authorization legislation. NASA was last authorized by Congress in 2017. The Senate passed an updated authorization as part of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) in June 2021.
Committee Members Raise Concerns About TSA’s Rushed Cybersecurity Rules
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, John Thune, R-S.D., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Todd Young, R-Ind., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., sent a letter to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) raising concerns about the agency’s plans to issue additional cybersecurity mandates using its emergency authority for Security Directives, which will obviate important feedback from experts on the impacts of such mandates.
Committee Leaders Call on State Department to Reinstate Hand Carry Program
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Sens. Jacky Rosen, D- Nev., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion, today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting that the operational capacity of the Department of State’s (DOS) passport Hand Carry Program be brought back to pre-pandemic levels.