April 1, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the below statement following the successful launch of the Artemis II mission around the moon. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of the Artemis program and is designed to test the life support system and other critical components of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion vehicle on a 10-day lunar flyby mission. […]
April 1, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the below statement regarding the ruling by a federal judge that blocks President Trump’s 2025 Executive Order to cease federal funding for PBS and NPR. […]
March 31, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Commerce Committee, have introduced the bipartisan Sportfish Restoration, Recreational Boating Safety and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2026. The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). […]
March 12, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford demanding they immediately address the interagency coordination failures that led to two major incidents last month involving counter-drone high energy laser systems near El Paso and Fort Hancock Texas, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
March 6, 2026
Press Release
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), member of the Committee, released a bipartisan discussion draft of the College Sports Competitive Act that would amend the Sports Broadcasting Act to allow colleges to pool their media rights in broadcast negotiations, which some have estimated would generate more than $9 billion in new revenue for college sports. The Senators expect to work with colleagues and stakeholders to finalize legislation that will grow broadcast revenue and help stabilize schools in the era of NIL.
March 5, 2026
Press Release
President Trump’s nominee to serve as Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Dr. Arvind Raman, faced a bipartisan grilling from members of the Commerce Committee, including Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), over actions by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to undermine the CHIPS and Science Act and Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers across the country adopt advanced technologies. The United States lost 108,000 manufacturing jobs in the first year of President Trump’s second term.
March 4, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement before the Committee approved two bipartisan bills led by Sen. Cantwell, the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 (S. 933) and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 (S. 3923):
March 4, 2026
Press Release
Today, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the Tsunami Warning, Research and Education Act of 2026 that would reauthorize the Tsunami Warning and Education Act through 2030. Led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Committee, Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the bill passed as part of Sen. Cantwell’s Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026.
March 4, 2026
Press Release
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, led by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee, Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), Chairman of the Committee, and Committee members Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). The bipartisan legislation authorizes $24.7 billion for Fiscal Year 2026, and $25.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2027 for NASA, a 2.5 percent increase over the previous year, and provides the clear guidance needed to maintain American leadership in aeronautics, space exploration, Earth and
March 4, 2026
Press Release
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the bipartisan Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 which authorizes programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will strengthen weather research and forecasting to save lives and better prepare our nation against dangerous weather disasters. The legislation is led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee and Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and co-sponsored by Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Ted Budd