Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is one of the largest committees in the Senate, with 28 members. The committee oversees a broad range of matters, spanning communications, highways, aviation, rail, shipping, transportation security, merchant marine, the Coast Guard, oceans, fisheries, weather, disasters, science, space, interstate commerce, tourism, consumer issues, economic development, technology, U.S. competitiveness, product safety, and insurance. Bills referred to this committee are reviewed, debated, and amended in committee markups before being reported to the full Senate floor for consideration.

The committee is led by Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The committee is organized into seven subcommittees: Aviation, Space, and Innovation; Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries; Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy; Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness; Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety; Telecommunications and Media; and Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion.

Recent committee activity reflects bipartisan work on major legislation. The committee unanimously advanced two bipartisan measures: the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026. The committee advanced eight bipartisan measures, including the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act from Chairman Ted Cruz. Chairman Cruz convened a full committee hearing to conduct oversight of the Federal Trade Commission on April 15, 2026. The committee has also been active on consumer protection, technology, and transportation safety issues, with bills addressing privacy, artificial intelligence, and aviation safety among its recent referrals.