Democratic News

Press Releases 06/27/2025
Aviation Safety Leaders Whitaker, Sullenberger, Thomson Denounce Republican Spectrum Auction Plans That Put Public Safety at Risk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, former FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, safety expert Captain “Sully” Sullenberger and former Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson spoke out against Chair Cruz’s reconciliation proposal to auction 800mhz of spectrum, including spectrum immediately adjacent to bands used by radio altimeters for commercial and military aircraft. Radio altimeters provide pilots with precise altitude readings during takeoff and landing, particularly in low-visibility conditions. When similar spectrum was auctioned in 2020, 5G deployment caused flight cancellations, forced 600 5G towers to go dark on launch day and left over 1,000 aircraft restricted from certain landings.
Press Releases 06/27/2025
Senate Passes Cantwell, Blackburn, Blunt Rochester, Shaheen Bill to Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions, Protect American Producers, Consumers
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) applauded Senate passage of the bipartisan Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act. The Act would authorize the Department of Commerce to strengthen American supply chains for critical industries and emerging technologies by working with the private sector and U.S. government partners to anticipate and prevent future supply chain disruptions before they happen. In the process, it will also identify opportunities to grow manufacturing capacity and jobs and reduce costs for consumers.
Press Releases 06/26/2025
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.
Press Releases 06/26/2025
Senators Demand Answers from SBA Administrator Loeffler and Commerce Secretary Lutnick on Gutting Support for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, joined by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), demanded answers from Administrator of the Small Business Administration Kelly Loeffler and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the Trump Administration’s actions eliminating support for small businesses, including small minority-owned businesses.
Press Releases 06/25/2025
Cantwell Votes ‘No’ on Bryan Bedford’s Nomination to Lead FAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and all Committee Democrats voted against the nomination of Bryan Bedford to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Press Releases 06/25/2025
New Cruz Budget Reconciliation Bill Same as the Old Cruz Budget Reconciliation Bill: Leverages BEAD Funding to Ban State AI Laws for 10 Years
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, criticized new reconciliation bill language released today by Chair Cruz which forces states receiving BEAD funding to choose between expanding broadband or protecting consumers from AI harms for ten years. The new language also auctions spectrum critical to national defense.
Press Releases 06/24/2025
Cantwell Will Oppose Bryan Bedford to Lead FAA
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced today she will oppose the nomination of Bryan Bedford to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Press Releases 06/24/2025
NPR and PBS Are More Than “Tiny Desk” and “Daniel Tiger” They Are Critical to Public Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today released a Snapshot Report that highlights data on public broadcasters across the United States and broadcasters' role in responding to emergencies and public safety events. In rural areas, public broadcasters may be the sole source of information during emergencies, leaving them disproportionately impacted by federal funding cuts.
Press Releases 06/18/2025
Ranking Member Cantwell Lays Out Rail Priorities for Surface Reauthorization – Freight Investments to Support the Economy, Improved Safety, and Support for Passenger Rail
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke of the need for additional resources to support future economic growth, and also the need to enhance safety features at today’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety, hearing titled “On the Right Track: Modernizing America’s Rail.”
Press Releases 06/18/2025
State Attorneys General Tell Congress: AI Moratorium Will Leave Consumers, Citizens Vulnerable to AI Fraud, Theft & Other Harms
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The State of Washington’s Democratic Attorney General Nick Brown and Tennessee’s Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti underscored the harmful impacts to Americans across the country if Congress enacts a controversial provision in the House and Senate budget reconciliation bills imposing a sweeping 10-year moratorium on States’ enforcement of laws “limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating” artificial intelligence (AI). The attorneys generals spoke during a virtual press conference today with Sens. Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a senior member of the Committee, who have worked together on federal AI and privacy protection legislation and vehemently oppose the moratorium.
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