January 15, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, elicited testimony from experts at today’s hearing on children’s screen time that AI, particularly companion apps, pose an even greater risk to children than social media. The Committee heard from Dr. Jenny Radesky, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, Director, LME Global, and Ms. Emily Cherkin, Author and Founder of The Screentime Consultant.
January 15, 2026
Press Release
America’s leading science agencies have survived an existential threat thanks to bipartisan rejection of massive budget cuts proposed by the Trump Administration. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the three-bill FY26 appropriations package including Commerce, Justice, Science. The bill stabilizes funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Science Foundation (NSF), and boosts funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
January 15, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address the safety risks of AI in children’s toys.
January 8, 2026
Press Release
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Todd Young (R-Ind.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to accelerate quantum technology development and real-world applications that are vital to U.S. national security and global economic competitiveness.
December 18, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Budget, led 27 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter demanding Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology Craig Burkhardt provide clear answers to why the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been withholding and delaying congressionally-approved funds to the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program’s Centers and why the Administration has repeatedly insisted MEP is inconsistent with their priorities. The MEP Program is a
December 18, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the below statement following Senate confirmation of Admiral Kevin Lunday as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard:
December 17, 2025
Press Release
Ahead of today’s hearing with Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released a Snapshot Report highlighting the increasing costs to American consumers of policies being pushed and actions taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Brendan Carr’s leadership.
December 17, 2025
Press Release
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr:
December 17, 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 morning in support of the nomination of Jared Isaacman to serve as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), citing his commitment to NASA’s science mission and winning the race to the moon against China.
December 17, 2025
Press Release
As American families face an affordability crisis, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led her Democratic committee colleagues in demanding to know why Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr is failing to address the crisis at an FCC oversight hearing that also included Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez. Sen. Cantwell made clear that the FCC is enabling continued industry consolidation that will only lead to less competition, creating higher prices and fewer choices for consumers across a range of services.