Democratic News

Press Releases 06/21/2023
Cantwell Chairs Amtrak, NTSB Nominations Hearing
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, delivered the below opening statement at the nomination hearing for President Biden’s picks to serve on the Amtrak Board of Directors and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Press Releases 06/15/2023
SeatGeek & Live Nation Agree to Disclose Full Ticket Costs Upfront Following Cantwell’s TICKET Act Introduction
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, heralded President Biden’s announcement that major ticket sellers SeatGeek and Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation have pledged to disclose the full cost of event tickets upfront – including fees – after the senator introduced a bill to require such transparency on behalf of consumers.
Press Releases 06/14/2023
ICYMI: America’s Governors, Mayors and County Officials Call for Railway Safety Act Passage in New Letter to Senate Leadership
This week, leading voices for states and cities, the National Governors Association (NGA), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), sent a letter to Senate leadership urging the passage of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act stating that inaction puts the economic future and safety of their communities at risk the longer the bill waits.
Press Releases 06/12/2023
Cantwell Calls for Junk Fee Transparency At Hearing
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today called for a crackdown on “junk fees” and demanded fee transparency and upfront pricing so consumers can have confidence in knowing the real price of services and be able to accurately compare prices across the market. Last month, Sen. Cantwell cosponsored the TICKET Act, a price transparency bill.
Press Releases 06/12/2023
Cantwell, Cruz, Duckworth, Moran Introduce Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Aviation Subcommittee Chair Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to ensure the United States has safe, reliable and resilient air travel, stronger consumer protections for the flying public, advanced research in aviation innovation and a modernized national airspace system to maintain the gold standard in aviation safety for years to come.
Press Releases 06/7/2023
New Map Shows Hazardous Train Derailments Pose an Urgent Threat to Communities
This week, the National League of Cities (NLC) launched an interactive map showing the alarming number of train derailments across the country as the bipartisan Railway Safety Act awaits a vote before the U.S. Senate. The Act, led by Sen. Cantwell and supported by the NLC, aims to improve rail safety and prevent a disastrous train derailment like the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.
Press Releases 06/6/2023
Cantwell-Authored Program to Eliminate Dangerous Traffic-Blocking Rail Crossings in 32 States
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding a total $570 million for projects to eliminate highway-railroad crossings in 32 states including nearly $40.5 million to the City of Washougal, Washington to eliminate one of the busiest BNSF railroad grade crossings in the state. Sen. Cantwell authored the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program and shepherded its passage through Congress as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Press Releases 06/6/2023
NOAA Announces $3.31 Billion Investment in Coastal Resilience, Salmon Recovery, and Infrastructure – Largest in Agency’s History
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., to announce a $3.31 billion framework to build climate resilience and support coastal communities through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding.
Press Releases 05/19/2023
NASA Selects Washington’s Blue Origin to Help Land Astronauts on the Moon for Artemis V Mission
Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, announced that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected Kent-based Blue Origin to develop the human landing system for NASA’s Artemis V mission to the Moon.
Press Releases 05/18/2023
‘Rail Town’ Mayors Call for Passage of Railway Safety Act
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, held a press conference with mayors and municipal leaders from railroad communities calling for the Senate to pass legislation to prevent a disastrous train derailment like the one that devastated East Palestine from happening in their cities.