June 9, 2026
Press Release
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, congratulated the astronauts selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to execute the upcoming Artemis III mission. The Mission will send the crew into Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.
June 4, 2026
Press Release
At a landmark hearing on the Protect College Sports Act, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee heard powerful testimony on the worsening crisis facing college athletics, including the future of women’s and Olympic sports, athletes’ rights and the financial sustainability of the entire collegiate sports system. Former University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, University of Notre Dame Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua, West Virginia University President Emeritus Gordon Gee and Lance Holtzclaw, a student athlete with the University of Utah underscored the urgency to act on the bill’s key measures to preserve athletic opportunities
June 3, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, gave the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing on the future of college sports:
June 2, 2026
Press Release
During a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing on our maritime economy, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member, emphasized the need for the United States to support American maritime workers and shipbuilders, especially as the Trump Administration’s waiver of the Jones Act threatens to further destabilize the industry.
June 2, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led 13 Senate Democrats in a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanding that the Department cease its involvement in President Donald Trump’s illegal Executive Order (EO) attacking vote-by-mail and interfering with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). They also called for the Department to preserve and prepare all records and documents related to Commerce’s involvement in its drafting and implementation for congressional oversight purposes.
May 27, 2026
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), along with Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Chris Coons (D-Del. are introducing the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 to protect athletes, preserve true competition in college sports and maximize collegiate athletic opportunities while bringing desperately-needed stability to the college sports system. The Act creates new rules and new tools to stabilize college sports, including codifying athletes’ rights and protections in law, supporting women’s and Olympic sports and amending the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) to expand revenue for all
May 27, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released this statement regarding NASA’s announcement today of the first three Moon Base missions that will begin building sustained operations on the lunar surface:
May 21, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, raising serious concerns over Paramount’s unprecedented request to allow the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to own 49.5% and potentially up to 100% of Paramount’s equity to finance Paramount $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. This is despite the fact that Congress set a 25% cap
May 20, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, pressed witnesses at a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on the unchecked expansion of prediction markets into sports gambling — demanding answers about how these platforms are undermining tribal sovereignty, threatening the economic vitality of Indian Country and exposing vulnerable individuals, including minors, to predatory gambling practices. Senator Cantwell drew a parallel to the explosion of subprime mortgage lending leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, warning that the failure to act to rein in prediction markets risks repeating the same disastrous results for millions
May 19, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, demanded that Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford fully implement the 50 recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board following last year’s tragic mid-air collision in DCA airspace that took the lives of 67 people. One of the most important NTSB recommendations is the full implementation of ADS-B In technology for all aircraft required to be equipped and operating with ADS-B Out, which will give pilots the stronger situational awareness to nearby traffic they need to avoid collisions in the air and on