Democratic News

Press Releases 02/5/2026
Bedford’s Violation of Ethics Agreement May Yield the Sitting FAA Chief Millions
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill), Ranking Member of the aviation subcommittee, and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) General Counsel Gregory Zerzan demanding information and accountability regarding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford’s refusal to comply with his ethics agreement and divest his shares in Republic Airways. Instead, Bedford stalled while Republic Airways completed a merger with Mesa Air Group, which appears to have vastly increased the value of his holdings.
Press Releases 02/5/2026
As Communities Face Increasing Weather Threats, Cantwell, Budd Introduce Bill to Deploy Nation’s Next Generation Weather Radar
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) today introduced legislation to establish the Radar Next Program which will carry out deployment of the nation’s next generation weather radar system.
Press Releases 02/4/2026
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.
Press Releases 02/4/2026
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.
Press Releases 02/3/2026
Cantwell Demands AT&T, Verizon CEOs Come Clean on Salt Typhoon Hacks, Ongoing Network Security Risks
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation called on Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to hold a hearing with AT&T CEO John Stankey and Verizon CEO Dan Schulman to demand answers about the current security of their telecommunications networks after they refused to be transparent about their responses to the Salt Typhoon cyberattack.
Press Releases 01/30/2026
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.
Press Releases 01/29/2026
Cantwell Says U.S. Can’t Win Technology Long Game Against China by Undermining American Research & Innovation
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and lead negotiator of the Chips and Science Act, said that sustained federal investment in scientific research, advanced manufacturing and Washington State-inspired regional innovation ecosystems are essential to ensuring long-term U.S. global technological leadership and economic security.
Press Releases 01/29/2026
Sen. Cantwell Pays Tribute to the 67 Individuals Who Lost Their Lives in the Jan. 29 Mid-Air Collision at Reagan National Airport and Their Families
On the eve of the one year anniversary of the mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport which took the lives of 67 individuals, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke at a commemoration event to honor those who died and the families who have turned their grief into action on aviation safety. The commemoration also honored the first responders who rushed to their aid and the unsung heroes who have supported the healing process and the ongoing push for aviation safety.
Press Releases 01/27/2026
Cantwell, Duckworth, Warner, Markey, Shaheen & Klobuchar Reintroduce Legislation to Review and Strengthen FAA’s Safety Management System to Ensure Agency Comprehensively Identifies and Corrects Safety Risks
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill,), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the FAA SMS Compliance Review Act of 2026 to improve the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety oversight and its ability to identify and address aviation safety issues.
Press Releases 01/15/2026
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.
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