Chairman Cruz Announces Hearing for NASA and NIST Nominees
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider nominations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology at 10:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 5, 2026. Nominees: Hearing Details: WHAT: Full Committee Nominations Hearing DATE: Thursday, March 5, 2026 TIME: 10:00 AM […]
Trump NIST Nominee Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Lutnick’s Actions Undermining U.S. Investment in Manufacturing, Chips R&D
President Trump’s nominee to serve as Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Dr. Arvind Raman, faced a bipartisan grilling from members of the Commerce Committee, including Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), over actions by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to undermine the CHIPS and Science Act and Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers across the country adopt advanced technologies. The United States lost 108,000 manufacturing jobs in the first year of President Trump’s second term.
Sen. Cruz: NASA, NIST Nominees Important to American Technological Innovation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee nominations hearing, Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) praised Matthew Anderson, nominee to serve as Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as a strong leader who will work with Administrator Isaacman to ensure the Artemis program succeeds and America beats China back to the Moon. Aided by the $10 billion that Chairman Cruz secured for NASA […]
Cantwell-Led Bipartisan Legislation to Modernize Weather Forecasting & Research Unanimously Passes Committee
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the bipartisan Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 which authorizes programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will strengthen weather research and forecasting to save lives and better prepare our nation against dangerous weather disasters. The legislation is led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee and Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and co-sponsored by Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
Commerce Committee Passes Landmark NASA Authorization Act
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, led by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee, Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), Chairman of the Committee, and Committee members Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). The bipartisan legislation authorizes $24.7 billion for Fiscal Year 2026, and $25.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2027 for NASA, a 2.5 percent increase over the previous year, and provides the clear guidance needed to maintain American leadership in aeronautics, space exploration, Earth and space science, and space technology development.
Committee Passes Cantwell-Led Bipartisan Tsunami Preparedness Bill
Today, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the Tsunami Warning, Research and Education Act of 2026 that would reauthorize the Tsunami Warning and Education Act through 2030. Led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Committee, Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the bill passed as part of Sen. Cantwell’s Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026.
Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement Ahead of Commerce Committee Approval of NASA Reauthorization Act and Weather Act
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement before the Committee approved two bipartisan bills led by Sen. Cantwell, the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 (S. 933) and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 (S. 3923):
Commerce Committee Advances NASA Reauthorization Act and Weather Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously advanced two bipartisan measures: the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026.
Sen. Cruz: Securing U.S. Leadership in Space and Weather Forecasting Modernization
WASHINGTON, D.C.?–??In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee executive session, Chairman?Ted Cruz (R-Texas)?detailed how the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 delivers critical funding and a clear strategic direction to ensure the United States —not China—leads the next era of space exploration.
Cantwell, Moran Introduce Bill to Boost AI Education
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a senior member of the Commerce Committee, introduced the bipartisan NSF AI Education Act of 2026 to expand scholarship and professional development opportunities to study artificial intelligence with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).