Democratic News

Press Releases 07/23/2025
Ranking Member Cantwell Delivers Opening Statement at Hearing for Three Department of Transportation Nominees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing on three Department of Transportation (DOT) nominees: Gregory Zerzan, to be General Counsel of DOT; Michael Rutherford, to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy; and Seval Oz, to be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Research and Technology.
Press Releases 07/21/2025
In Letter to Trump, Cantwell Unveils 5-Point Plan to Improve Nation’s Weather Readiness in the Face of NOAA Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation – the committee that oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) – today sent a letter to President Donald Trump outlining her five-point plan to bolster the United States’ weather readiness.
Press Releases 07/17/2025
Cantwell Questions Nominees to Lead FMCSA, PHMSA & NHTSA on Their Commitment to Public Safety & Protecting Federal Safety Inspectors from Political Retaliation
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, questioned Trump transportation nominees to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on their commitments to public safety.
Press Releases 07/16/2025
Cantwell Condemns Republicans for Zeroing-Out Funding for Public Broadcasting, Decimating the Nation’s Emergency Information System & Leaving Millions Without Lifesaving Information When They Need It Most
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a speech from the Senate floor delivered just before "vote-a-rama" began, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, condemned Senate Republicans’ rescission bill that cuts all $1.1 billion in Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds 1,500 local public radio and television stations across the country. The rescissions will force many stations to shut down, especially in rural communities, leaving millions of Americans without life-saving emergency information. Sen. Cantwell’s full remarks are below:
Press Releases 07/16/2025
Ranking Members Cantwell and Peters Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Potentially Illegal Blocking of Consumer Protection Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, demanded documents and information from Director of the Federal Register Oliver Potts and from Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Peter Feldman about the unexplained withdrawal of a proposed safety rule that would help protect American consumers from fires caused by lithium-ion batteries despite a vote by the CPSC approving it.
Press Releases 07/14/2025
Sen. Cantwell and Rep. Baumgartner Say SCORE Act is Big Loser for College Sports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, that oversees college sports, and Representative Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.) called on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade to delay its July 15 markup of the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, citing significant changes needed to strengthen the bill and meet its goal of improving the future of college athletics—for ALL colleges and ALL athletes.
Press Releases 07/11/2025
Cantwell, Democrats Weigh in on Rail Industry Push to Cut Track Safety Inspections
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led several Democratic colleagues in a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) expressing their concern over a waiver requested by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to dramatically reduce track safety inspections and loosen requirements to repair safety defects. Sen. Cantwell was joined by Senators Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
Press Releases 07/9/2025
Cantwell Slams Trump’s Direct Assault on Americans’ Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a speech this afternoon on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, slammed Republicans’ plan to rescind $1.1 billion in congressionally-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) calling it a “reckless endangerment of 13 million Americans who depend on these stations for life-saving emergency information.”
Press Releases 07/9/2025
Cantwell Report Highlights Vital Role PBS and NPR Play in Warning Public During Weather Emergencies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, reiterated the critical role public broadcasters across the United States play in responding to weather emergencies. In rural areas, public broadcasters may be the sole source or one of only few sources of information during disasters, leaving them disproportionately impacted by federal funding cuts.
Press Releases 07/9/2025
NOAA Nominee Claims Critical Services Like Weather Forecasting Won’t Suffer Under Trump’s Proposed 27% Budget Cut. Cantwell: “I Think We’re in a Disagreement.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, questioned Dr. Neil Jacobs, President Trump’s nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about his plans to preserve the agency’s crucial weather forecasting, research, fisheries management and other core functions in the face of an administration that continues to hack away at NOAA’s budget, workforce and programs.
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