# United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, and transportation, the Senate Commerce Committee is one of the largest of the Senate's standing committees, with 28 members in the 117th Congress. The Commerce Committee has six subcommittees. It is chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) as Ranking Member. The majority office is housed in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, and the minority office is located in the Hart Senate Office Building.

## History

The committee has its roots in the Committee on Commerce and Manufacturers, which served as a standing committee in the early-1800s. This committee was split in two in the 1820s and remained in this configuration until the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. Under the LRA, the number of standing committees was dramatically decreased to increase congressional efficiency and increase institutional strength. As a result, the Committee on Commerce, the Committee on Manufactures, the Committee on Interstate Commerce, and the Committee on Interoceanic Canals were combined into the United States Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. In 1977, as a part of widespread committee reorganization, the committee was renamed the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and given additional oversight jurisdiction over nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The original progenitors of this committee were:
* United States Senate Committee on Commerce and Manufactures (1816–1825)
* United States Senate Committee on Commerce (1825–1946, 1961–1977)
* United States Senate Committee on Manufactures (1825–1855, 1864–1946)
* United States Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce (1885–1946)
* United States Senate Committee on Interoceanic Canals (1899–1946)
* United States Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1946–1961)
* United States Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences (1958–1977)

## Jurisdiction

In accordance of Rule XXV of the United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects is referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
* "Coast Guard;
* Coastal zone management;
* Communications;
* Highway safety;
* Inland waterways, except construction;
* Interstate commerce;
* Marine and ocean navigation, safety, and transportation, including navigational aspects of deepwater ports;
* Marine fisheries;
* Merchant marine and navigation;
* Nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences;
* Oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities;
* Panama Canal and interoceanic canals generally, except as provided in subparagraph (c);
* Regulation of consumer products and services, including testing related to toxic substances, other than pesticides, and except for credit, financial services, and housing;
* Regulation of interstate common carriers, including railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil aviation;
* Science, engineering, and technology research and development and policy;
* Sports;
* Standards and measurement;
* Transportation; and,
* Transportation and commerce aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands."
The Senate Commerce Committee is also charged to "study and review, on a comprehensive basis, all matters relating to science and technology, oceans policy, transportation, communications, and consumer affairs, and report thereon from time to time."

## Members, 119th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Ted Cruz, Texas, Chair John Thune, South Dakota Roger Wicker, Mississippi Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Todd Young, Indiana Ted Budd, North Carolina Eric Schmitt, Missouri John Curtis, Utah Bernie Moreno, Ohio Tim Sheehy, Montana Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming | Maria Cantwell, Washington, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Gary Peters, Michigan Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Jacky Rosen, Nevada Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico John Hickenlooper, Colorado John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Andy Kim, New Jersey Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware |

## Subcommittees

| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
| Aviation, Space, and Innovation | Jerry Moran (R-KS) | Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) |
| Telecommunications and Media | Deb Fischer (R-NE) | Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) |
| Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy | Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) | John Hickenlooper (D-CO) |
| Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) | Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) |
| Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness | Ted Budd (R-NC) | Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) |
| Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety | Todd Young (R-IN) | Gary Peters (D-MI) |

## Chairs

The committee, under its various names, has been chaired by the following senators:

### Committee on Commerce and Manufactures, 1816–1825

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| William Hunter | Federalist | Rhode Island | 1816–1817 |
| Nathan Sanford | Republican | New York | 1817–1820 |
| Mahlon Dickerson | Republican/Crawford Republican | New Jersey | 1820–1825 |

### Committee on Commerce, 1825–1947

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| James Lloyd | Adams-Clay Republican/Adams | Massachusetts | 1825–1826 |
| Josiah Johnston | Adams | Louisiana | 1826–1827 |
| Levi Woodbury | Jacksonian | New Hampshire | 1827–1831 |
| John Forsyth | Jacksonian | Georgia | 1831–1832 |
| William R. King | Jacksonian | Alabama | 1832–1833 |
| Nathaniel Silsbee | Anti-Jackson | Massachusetts | 1833–1835 |
| John Davis | Anti-Jackson | Massachusetts | 1835–1836 |
| William R. King | Jacksonian/Democratic | Alabama | 1836–1841 |
| Jabez Huntington | Whig | Connecticut | 1841–1845 |
| William Haywood | Democratic | North Carolina | 1845–1846 |
| John Dix | Democratic | New York | 1846–1849 |
| Hannibal Hamlin | Democratic | Maine | 1849–1856 |
| Henry Dodge | Democratic | Wisconsin | 1856–1857 |
| Clement Clay | Democratic | Alabama | 1857–1861 |
| William Bigler | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1861 |
| Zachariah Chandler | Republican | Michigan | 1861–1875 |
| Roscoe Conkling | Republican | New York | 1875–1879 |
| John B. Gordon | Democratic | Georgia | 1879–1880 |
| Matt Ransom | Democratic | North Carolina | 1880–1881 |
| Roscoe Conkling | Republican | New York | 1881 |
| Samuel J.R. McMillan | Republican | Minnesota | 1881–1887 |
| William Frye | Republican | Maine | 1887–1893 |
| Matt Ransom | Democratic | North Carolina | 1893–1895 |
| William P. Frye | Republican | Maine | 1895–1911 |
| Knute Nelson | Republican | Minnesota | 1911–1913 |
| James P. Clarke | Democratic | Arkansas | 1913–1916 |
| Duncan U. Fletcher | Democratic | Florida | 1916–1919 |
| Wesley L. Jones | Republican | Washington | 1919–1930 |
| Hiram W. Johnson | Republican | California | 1930–1933 |
| Hubert D. Stephens | Democratic | Mississippi | 1933–1935 |
| Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | New York | 1935–1939 |
| Josiah W. Bailey | Democratic | North Carolina | 1939–1946 |

### Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 1947–1961

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| Wallace H. White, Jr. | Republican | Maine | 1947–1949 |
| Edwin C. Johnson | Democratic | Colorado | 1949–1953 |
| Charles W. Tobey | Republican | New Hampshire | 1953 |
| John W. Bricker | Republican | Ohio | 1953–1955 |
| Warren Magnuson | Democratic | Washington | 1955–1961 |

### Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, 1958–1977

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Democratic | Texas | 1958–1961 |
| Robert S. Kerr | Democratic | Oklahoma | 1961–1963 |
| Clinton P. Anderson | Democratic | New Mexico | 1963–1973 |
| Frank E. Moss | Democratic | Utah | 1973–1977 |
| Wendell H. Ford | Democratic | Kentucky | Jan. 10–Feb. 11, 1977 |

### Committee on Commerce, 1961–1977

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| Warren Magnuson | Democratic | Washington | 1961–1977 |

### Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 1977–present

| Chair | Party | State | Years |
| Warren Magnuson | Democratic | Washington | 1977–1978 |
| Howard Cannon | Democratic | Nevada | 1978–1981 |
| Bob Packwood | Republican | Oregon | 1981–1985 |
| John C. Danforth | Republican | Missouri | 1985–1987 |
| Ernest F. Hollings | Democratic | South Carolina | 1987–1995 |
| Larry Pressler | Republican | South Dakota | 1995–1997 |
| John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 1997–2001 |
| Ernest F. Hollings | Democratic | South Carolina | 2001 |
| John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 2001 |
| Ernest F. Hollings | Democratic | South Carolina | 2001–2003 |
| John McCain | Republican | Arizona | 2003–2005 |
| Ted Stevens | Republican | Alaska | 2005–2007 |
| Daniel Inouye | Democratic | Hawaii | 2007–2009 |
| Jay Rockefeller | Democratic | West Virginia | 2009–2015 |
| John Thune | Republican | South Dakota | 2015–2019 |
| Roger Wicker | Republican | Mississippi | 2019–2021 |
| Maria Cantwell | Democratic | Washington | 2021–2025 |
| Ted Cruz | Republican | Texas | 2025–present |

## Historical committee rosters
### 118th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Maria Cantwell, Washington, Chair Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Gary Peters, Michigan Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Jon Tester, Montana Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Jacky Rosen, Nevada Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico John Hickenlooper, Colorado Raphael Warnock, Georgia Peter Welch, Vermont | Ted Cruz, Texas, Ranking Member John Thune, South Dakota Roger Wicker, Mississippi Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Todd Young, Indiana Rick Scott, Florida (until February 2, 2023) Ted Budd, North Carolina Eric Schmitt, Missouri JD Vance, Ohio Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming |

#### Subcommittees

| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
| Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation | Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) | Jerry Moran (R-KS) |
| Communications, Media and Broadband | Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) | John Thune (R-SD) |
| Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security | John Hickenlooper (D-CO) | Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) |
| Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing | Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) |
| Space and Science | Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) | Eric Schmitt (R-MO) |
| Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports | Gary Peters (D-MI) | Todd Young (R-IN) |
| Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion | Jacky Rosen (D-NV) | Ted Budd (R-NC) |
Source:

### 117th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Maria Cantwell, Washington, Chair Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Gary Peters, Michigan Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Jon Tester, Montana Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Jacky Rosen, Nevada Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico John Hickenlooper, Colorado Raphael Warnock, Georgia | Roger Wicker, Mississippi, Ranking Member John Thune, South Dakota Roy Blunt, Missouri Ted Cruz, Texas Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Mike Lee, Utah Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Todd Young, Indiana Rick Scott, Florida Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming |

#### Subcommittees

| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
| Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation | Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) | Ted Cruz (R-TX) |
| Communications, Media and Broadband | Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) | John Thune (R-SD) |
| Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security | Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) | Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) |
| Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing | Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) |
| Space and Science | John Hickenlooper (D-CO) | Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) |
| Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports | Gary Peters (D-MI) | Deb Fischer (R-NE) |
| Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion | Jacky Rosen (D-NV) | Rick Scott (R-FL) |
Source:

### 116th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Roger Wicker, Mississippi, Chair John Thune, South Dakota Roy Blunt, Missouri Ted Cruz, Texas Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Dan Sullivan, Alaska Mike Lee, Utah Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Cory Gardner, Colorado Todd Young, Indiana Rick Scott, Florida Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee | Maria Cantwell, Washington, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tom Udall, New Mexico Gary Peters, Michigan Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Jon Tester, Montana Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Jacky Rosen, Nevada |

#### Subcommittees

| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
| Aviation and Space | Ted Cruz (R-TX) | Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) |
| Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet | John Thune (R-SD) | Brian Schatz (D-HI) |
| Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection | Jerry Moran (R-KS) | Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) |
| Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather | Cory Gardner (R-CO) | Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) |
| Security | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) | Ed Markey (D-MA) |
| Transportation and Safety | Deb Fischer (R-NE) | Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) |

### 115th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| John Thune, South Dakota, Chair Roger Wicker, Mississippi Roy Blunt, Missouri Ted Cruz, Texas Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Dan Sullivan, Alaska Dean Heller, Nevada Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Mike Lee, Utah Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Cory Gardner, Colorado Todd Young, Indiana | Bill Nelson, Florida, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, Washington Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Brian Schatz, Hawaii Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tom Udall, New Mexico Gary Peters, Michigan Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada Jon Tester, Montana |
Source