As Gas Prices Spike, Cantwell, Padilla & Wyden Introduce Bill to Target Petroleum Market Manipulators & Protect Consumers at the Pump
Today, in the face of record gas price spikes caused by the war in Iran, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced the Transportation Fuel Market Transparency Act. The bill would create a new Transportation Fuel Monitoring and Enforcement Unit at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dedicated to proactively monitoring and preventing fraud or manipulation that may be artificially inflating pump prices, increase price transparency in transportation fuel markets and increase penalties for bad actors. In the past, unscrupulous oil traders have taken advantage of volatility and supply disruptions to profit at the expense of consumers.
Cantwell-Led Bill Would Restore FTC Authority to Return Billions to Consumers Ripped Off by Scams, Fraud & Unfair Practices
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Lujàn (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced legislation to restore the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority to return money to consumers victimized by illegal scams, fraud and other unfair practices. In April 2021, the Supreme Court slashed the FTC’s “Section 13(b)” authority which it had used to refund $11.2 billion dollars to consumers in the five years prior to the decision. Over the last five years, the FTC has returned $2 billion while consumer scams have surged. Consumers reported $15.9 billion lost to fraud in 2025, up from $5.8 billion in 2021.
Cantwell to Trump FTC Chair: Protect Consumers, Not the President’s Allies
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, blasted the Trump Administration for illegally firing two Democratic Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners and the failure of the Trump-led FTC to protect consumers who are facing skyrocketing costs for basic necessities like groceries and gas. Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya were illegally removed from the FTC on March 18, 2025, and neither was invited to testify at today’s FTC oversight hearing. Instead, the Committee heard only from Trump-appointed Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Republican Commissioner Mark Meador who confirmed the agency is no longer independent but serves the President’s agenda, not consumers.
Cantwell Opening Remarks at April 14 Markup of Legislation Including Reauthorization of the National Quantum Initiative
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 Executive Session to consider nine bills, including the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026 and the Regional Ocean Partnerships Reauthorization Act of 2026:
Cantwell Statement on Trump’s College Sports Executive Order
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released this statement regarding President Trump’s executive order about college sports […]
Cantwell Warns Trump Administration Gutting of NHTSA Puts Americans at Risk as Self-Driving Cars Take to the Road in Increasing Numbers
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee warned that the Trump administration’s gutting of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will make it impossible for the agency to regulate autonomous vehicle technology to protect consumers while at the same time support the future growth of self-driving cars in the United States. Sen. Cantwell also emphasized the importance of ensuring consumers have a means for holding Autonomous Vehicle (AV) companies accountable.
Cantwell Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Autonomous Vehicles
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the below opening statement at a hearing on the future of self-driving vehicles featuring testimony from Lars Moravy, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, Waymo’s Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Pena, Jeff Farrah, Chief Executive Office for the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association and Professor Bryant Walker Smith, Associate Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina’s Rice School of Law.
Cantwell, Klobuchar, Markey Raise Concerns on the Use of AI in Toys
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address the safety risks of AI in children’s toys.
Cantwell Slams Trump Admin for Giving Southwest Airlines Free Pass on Millions in Fines Owed for 2022 Holiday Travel Meltdown
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, slammed the Trump Administration for its decision to waive $11 million in fines levied against Southwest Airlines by the Biden Administration following the airline’s 2022 holiday travel meltdown which stranded more than 2 million passengers.
Cantwell Slams Efforts by Brendan Carr’s FCC to Roll Back Network Protection Rules Put in Place After Salt Typhoon Hacks
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr strongly opposing an effort by the FCC’s Republican majority to roll back rules put in place after last year’s China-sponsored Salt Typhoon hack to better protect U.S. data networks from future attacks.