December 17, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, blasted Bryan Bedford, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, for failing to take responsibility for divesting potentially millions of dollars in Republic Airways holdings within 90 days of his confirmation, a clear violation of his ethics agreement. The exchange came during an aviation subcommittee hearing.
December 15, 2025
Press Release
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
December 12, 2025
Press Release
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement on the AI Executive Order signed yesterday by President Trump:
December 11, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) striking section 373 which rolls back safety measures put in place after last January’s devastating mid-air collision and codifies loopholes that allowed military aircraft to operate in DC airspace without ADS-B Out transmitting their location. The Senators also filed an amendment to replace section 373 with their bipartisan ROTOR Act.
December 11, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke on the Senate floor this afternoon to urge support of her bipartisan amendment to strike Section 373 from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would weaken aviation safety law and codify the loophole that allowed military aircraft to operate in DC airspace—within a few hundred feet of commercial aircraft—without ADS-B Out transmitting their location. Sen. Cantwell and Commerce Committee Chair Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also filed an amendment to replace section 373 with their bipartisan ROTOR Act.
December 10, 2025
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke on the Senate Floor tonight to warn that a last-minute provision added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would threaten aviation safety and must be removed to protect the flying public. Section 373 of the NDAA rolls back safety measures put in place after last January’s devastating mid-air collision which took the lives of 67 people, and preserves loopholes that allowed military aircraft to operate in DC airspace without ADS-B Out transmitting their location.
December 9, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, demanded answers from Bryan Bedford, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), on his failure to divest potentially millions of dollars in Republic Airways holdings within 90 days of his confirmation, a clear violation of his ethics agreement. According to his financial disclosure, at the time of his nomination, Administrator Bedford reported holding stock in Republic worth between $6 million and $30 million.
December 8, 2025
Press Release
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,
December 8, 2025
Press Release
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.
December 8, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, submitted for the record the following opening statement as prepared for delivery at today’s full committee markup: