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Whistleblower

Issue: Maritime, Ports, Freight, Ocean Shipping

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.).

Cantwell, Cruz, Colleagues Introduce Weather Act Reauthorization to Modernize Weather Forecasting and Research

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Chairman Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) today introduced the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation authorizing programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would strengthen weather research and forecasting to save lives and better prepare our nation against dangerous weather disasters.

Cantwell Cheers on Team USA Ahead of Olympics Opening Ceremony

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, emphasized the need to invest in women’s and Olympic sports at U.S. colleges and universities—the nation’s Olympic pipeline—in a statement ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. While many colleges have eliminated or cut funding for these sports programs, Sen. Cantwell’s SAFE Act would amend the Sports Broadcasting Act to expand media revenues so schools can protect and invest more funding in women’s and Olympic sports programs.

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, Colleagues, Call on GAO to Expand MBDA Investigation to Include Potential Violations of Court Orders by Lutnick, Other Administration Officials

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to expand its investigation into the Department of Commerce’s actions to illegally dismantle the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to include possible violations of federal district court orders and to assess whether Department leadership has taken adequate steps to ensure compliance.

PHMSA Officials Weakening Federal Safety Protections Amid Conflict-of Interest Allegations

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent letters to Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Deputy Administrator Ben Kochman and PHMSA Chief Counsel Keith Coyle, as well as Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and INGAA Foundation President & CEO Amy Andryszak, regarding serious conflict of interest allegations raised in a recent ProPublica story. The story clearly describes how Kochman—whom INGAA employed as its Director of Pipeline Safety Policy until President Trump appointed him to PHMSA in January 2025—and Coyle, a former attorney for INGAA, have spearheaded efforts to weaken safety laws opposed and disfavored by INGAA while also significantly curtailing safety enforcement actions against companies INGAA represents.

Cantwell & Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect College Athletes’ New NIL Compensation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Helping Undergraduate Students Thrive with Long-Term Earnings (HUSTLE Act) so that college athletes earning NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) money can protect more of it for their post-playing lives. The bill would create a new NIL investment account that would allow student athletes to save a portion of their NIL earnings. The HUSTLE Act also protects athletes’ NIL earnings by reining in abusive practices by unscrupulous athlete agents, including by requiring college athlete agents to register in a state and capping agent fees.

Cantwell Blasts Republicans Ahead of Vote to Replace NTSB Vice Chair Alvin Brown, Illegally Fired by Trump

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, slammed Senate Republicans ahead of a vote scheduled for Monday evening on Trump nominee John DeLeeuw to replace NTSB Vice Chair Alvin Brown, who President Trump unlawfully removed from his position. Vice Chair Brown, who was unanimously approved by the Senate for a term through December 2026, has a pending lawsuit over the removal.