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Press Type: Press Release

Cantwell-Led Bill Would Restore FTC Authority to Return Billions to Consumers Ripped Off by Scams, Fraud & Unfair Practices

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Lujàn (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced legislation to restore the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority to return money to consumers victimized by illegal scams, fraud and other unfair practices. In April 2021, the Supreme Court slashed the FTC’s “Section 13(b)” authority which it had used to refund $11.2 billion dollars to consumers in the five years prior to the decision. Over the last five years, the FTC has returned $2 billion while consumer scams have surged. Consumers reported $15.9 billion lost to fraud in 2025, up from $5.8 billion in 2021.

Cantwell to Trump FTC Chair: Protect Consumers, Not the President’s Allies

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, blasted the Trump Administration for illegally firing two Democratic Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners and the failure of the Trump-led FTC to protect consumers who are facing skyrocketing costs for basic necessities like groceries and gas. Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya were illegally removed from the FTC on March 18, 2025, and neither was invited to testify at today’s FTC oversight hearing. Instead, the Committee heard only from Trump-appointed Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Republican Commissioner Mark Meador who confirmed the agency is no longer independent but serves the President’s agenda, not consumers.

Cruz Lauds Success at FTC, Calls for Consent Decree Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his opening statement during today’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) praised majors wins for consumers because of recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Chairman Cruz also said that while the FTC has a strong record of combating fraud and abuse, it has on occasion stretched its authority beyond Congress’s mandate, particularly with consent decrees.   The last time FTC commissioners appeared before the Committee for an oversight hearing was August […]

Led by Cantwell and Young, National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act Unanimously Passes Commerce Committee on World Quantum Day

Led by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Todd Young (R-Ind.), the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act which will accelerate quantum technology development and real-world applications that are vital to U.S. national security and global economic competitiveness passed the Commerce Committee unanimously today. The legislation is cosponsored by Senators 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.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Dave McCormick (R-Penn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Commerce Committee Advances Nine Bipartisan Bills 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced nine bipartisan measures and cleared promotions to senior leadership roles in the Coast Guard.  The following actions were taken during today’s Executive Session   Passed by voice vote:  S.1682, Alex Gate Safety Act of 2025, as amended by the Curtis-Klobuchar substitute  S.1885, Stop the Scroll Act, as amended by the Fetterman substitute, Duckworth 1, and Fetterman 1  S.1962, Secure […]

Chairman Cruz: Artemis Mission Success  Paves the Way for Future Space Exploration 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) applauded the successful conclusion of Artemis II. At approximately 8:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. PT, the Orion crew capsule safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California.   Chairman Cruz said: “I am incredibly proud of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Their 10-day mission in space, traveling farther than any humans in history, displayed the very best of American […]

Cantwell Speaks Live to Artemis II Crew

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke to the Artemis II crew from her Seattle office as they return from their mission around the moon.

Cruz, Klobuchar TAKE IT DOWN Act Leads to Conviction in Case Targeting AI-Generated Deepfakes

First conviction under the bipartisan legislation WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of Senate Commerce Committee, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) highlighted the first conviction under their bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act following the guilty plea of an Ohio man who used artificial intelligence to create and distribute non-consensual intimate images. […]

Cantwell to Cruz: Committee Must Hear from Illegally Removed Democratic Commissioners at April 15 FTC Oversight Hearing

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a letter to Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) calling on him to invite the unlawfully fired Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, to testify at the FTC oversight hearing scheduled for April 15, 2026.