Ranking Member Cantwell Delivers Opening Remarks at Nomination Hearing for NASA Administrator
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.
New Democratic Staff Report: Direct Evidence Trump Administration Has Been Illegally Imposing President’s Proposed Budget Cuts at NASA Since Early Summer—Threatening Safety, Mission, Science
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released a new staff report revealing that OMB Director Russell Vought has been directing NASA—since early summer—to begin implementing the devastating cuts in President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request (PBR), without regard for the destructive impacts to NASA’s missions, safety and workforce. Based on whistleblower reports and documents, the report also reveals that Vought plans to impound NASA funds “to get to the PBR” under a continuing resolution (CR), in violation of the Constitution.
Cantwell Questions NTSB Nominee Over FAA Failure to Implement Safety Recommendations, Including ADS-B In Technology
During the nomination hearing of Michael Graham to serve on the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB), U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, continued her criticism of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety oversight, pointing to the agency’s failure to act on numerous warnings at Washington National Airport (DCA) and its long delays in implementing NTSB safety recommendations, including ADS-B In and Out technology.
Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement at Hearing for NTSB, OSTP, and Commerce Nominees
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 renomination of Michael Graham to serve as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the nominations of Dr. Ethan Klein to be Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Joyce Meyer to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs.
Cantwell Tells OSTP Director Kratsios that White House AI Action Plan Tenets Align with Bipartisan Bills Previously Passed by Commerce Committee
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, called for the passage of seven previously approved bipartisan AI bills that align with components of the White House AI Action Plan during a subcommittee hearing today on the Administration’s artificial intelligence strategy. Just prior to the start of the hearing, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the Trump Administration is pursuing a proposal that would allow the federal government to take 50 percent of profits from patents that are the result of university research supported by federal funding.
Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement at Today’s Hearing on the White House AI Action Plan
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement during today’s Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness hearing on the White House AI Action Plan.
Cantwell, Experts Warn U.S. Cannot Afford to Lose Race Against China to Get Back to the Moon
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, warned of the serious consequences to the United States’ global leadership and future economic and national security if we allow China to beat the United States in the race back to the moon. Her warnings came during a hearing featuring witnesses with extensive experience related to human space exploration: Jim Bridenstine, Managing Partner of the Artemis Group and Former NASA Administrator; Lieutenant General John Shaw, Former Deputy Commander of the U.S. Space Command; Allen Cutler, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration; and Michael Gold, President of Civil and International Space for Redwire.
Ranking Member Cantwell Opening Statement at Today’s Hearing on Why NASA Must Win the Race Against China to Return to the Moon
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement during today’s hearing on the importance of winning the space race against China.
Cantwell Slams Trump Administration for Latest Assault on NSF Workers, This Time Kicking Them Out of Headquarters Building
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, reacted to reports that the Trump Administration is displacing over 1,800 National Science Foundation (NSF) employees from their headquarters building in order to accommodate luxury upgrades ordered by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner.
Cantwell Letter to Duffy: ‘You Must Make Sure That All Conflicts Of Interest Between The FAA & Elon Musk Are Removed’
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy calling on him to ensure that Elon Musk stays out of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), citing Musk’s clear conflicts of interest.