Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is one of the largest standing committees in the Senate, with 28 members. It holds broad jurisdiction over a wide range of economic and technological matters that touch everyday American life. The committee oversees communications and media ownership rules, highway and aviation safety, rail and shipping regulation, the Coast Guard and maritime affairs, ocean and fisheries policy, weather and disaster preparedness, space exploration and NASA, consumer product safety, and interstate commerce. The committee also reviews science and technology research policy and competitiveness issues.

When bills are referred to the committee, they go through a formal process of review and deliberation. The committee holds hearings where experts and government officials testify, conducts markups where members debate and amend proposed legislation, and votes to recommend bills to the full Senate. The committee's seven subcommittees—covering aviation, space, innovation, coast guard and maritime affairs, consumer protection and data privacy, science and manufacturing, surface transportation, telecommunications and media, and tourism and trade—allow for specialized oversight of specific policy areas. Bills that pass committee are then sent to the full Senate floor for consideration by all 100 senators.

The committee is chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) serving as ranking member. Recent activity shows significant bipartisan work on space policy. In March 2026, the committee unanimously passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, which authorizes over $24 billion for NASA and supports continued human space exploration through the Artemis program, including a planned return to the moon. The committee has also held hearings on emerging issues including self-driving vehicle safety, media ownership rules in the digital age, and surface transportation reauthorization. Bills referred to the committee address diverse topics ranging from data center construction and artificial intelligence privacy to sea turtle rescue and student athlete protections.