February 16, 2023
Press Release
This week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, joined U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) to reintroduce the Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act, a bipartisan bill to establish a first-of-its-kind demonstration program to reduce the amount of space junk in orbit.
February 15, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing with Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen on last month’s FAA NOTAM system failure and ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s airspace. Cantwell also pointed to the lack of diversity in aviation, calling for continued work to encourage more women to enter the aviation industry.
February 15, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today directed the Acting FAA Administrator to return within a week with an immediate plan for building a reliable, separate back up system to ensure true redundancy for the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system.
February 14, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell delivered the following opening remarks at today’s 3rd nomination hearing for Gigi Sohn, President Biden’s nominee to serve on the FCC Commission, underscoring Sohn’s exception qualifications, bipartisan support and her commitment to serving the public:
February 14, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the below statement ahead of the Wednesday, February 15, hearing with Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen regarding the causes and impacts of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system outage on January 11, 2023, which prompted Nolan to issue the first nation-wide ground stop since 9/11:
February 8, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the below statement ahead of tomorrow’s hearing titled “Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections.” Sen. Cantwell will question Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson about the upheaval at the airline over the 2022 holiday season that resulted in 16,700 canceled flights and millions of stranded passengers. The Committee will also hear testimony from representatives from Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Flyers’ Rights and Airlines for America.
February 7, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today joined Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) to call on the CEOs of three telehealth companies to protect their patients’ sensitive health data following reports the companies are tracking and sharing their customers’ personally identifiable health data with social media platforms for advertising purposes.
February 7, 2023
Press Release
Today, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, held a virtual roundtable to hear from five Washington state residents who were caught up in Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown. Sen. Cantwell will chair a hearing on Thursday, February 9, 2023 regarding these operational failures and strengthening consumer protections for air travelers.
February 3, 2023
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today announced Democratic subcommittee chairs for the 118th Congress.
February 1, 2023
Press Release
On the 20th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), incoming Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, introduced a Senate resolution honoring the seven crewmembers who lost their lives on February 1, 2003. The resolution is co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).