Republican News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent a letter requesting U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland review the policies allowing federal inmates to use deposit accounts without having to comply with financial sentencing obligations. This follows the recent development about former U.S. Olympic Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s failure to pay financial penalties, including restitution to abuse victims.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, today introduced the Setting an American Framework to Ensure Data Access, Transparency, and Accountability (SAFE DATA) Act. The legislation would provide Americans with more choice and control over their data and direct businesses to be more transparent and accountable for their data practices. The bill would also enhance the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority and provide additional resources to enforce the Act.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an analysis of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) decision to withdraw port inspectors during the COVID-19 pandemic and the risks to consumers from dangerous products that may have increased as a result.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member and chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change, and Manufacturing, along with Sens. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced a resolution to commend the service of Hamilton-class Coast Guard Cutters and the crews who served on them.

Top leaders and organizations are expressing support for the Promoting Rights and Online Speech Protections to Ensure Every Consumer is Heard (PRO-SPEECH) Act after U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced the bill last month. The legislation would establish baseline protections to prohibit Big Tech from engaging in unfair, deceptive, or anti-competitive practices that limit or control consumers’ speech.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and Todd Young, R-Ind., today introduced the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable (FAIR) Contributions Act. The legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a study into the feasibility of collecting Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions from internet edge providers such as YouTube, Netflix, and Google.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today joined eight Committee colleagues in a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move any broadband-related provisions through the committee process while developing bipartisan infrastructure legislation.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, along with Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, today sent a letter urging President Joseph Biden to prioritize comprehensive data privacy legislation as part of the Administration’s agenda.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and John Thune, R-S.D., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to request a status update on the agency’s long-form application review process for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction, which awarded $9.2 billion over ten years to over 300 bidders to deploy high-speed broadband to over 5.2 million unserved homes and businesses in 49 states. The FCC’s RDOF rules prohibit the agency

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today released a Committee report detailing misconduct in the Investigations and Threat Management Service (ITMS) at the Department of Commerce.