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How often we called Maria Cantwell's passage votes correctly, from their stated positions on each bill's tagged topics. Excludes “unclear” calls and abstentions.
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Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to ensure that only citizens are eligible to vote in Federal elections.
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to the withdrawal of the rule relating to "Statement of Policy Regarding Prohibition on Abusive Acts or Practices".
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Crossing the aisle
No party-break passage votes recorded for Maria Cantwell. Either they've voted with Democrats on every substantive passage vote in the corpus, or their tenure overlaps few high-threshold party-line votes so far.
Cantwell Statement on Stagnant June Jobs & Wages Report | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell states that current employment data indicates economic stagnation, with wage growth lagging inflation and job growth remaining weak, suggesting the economy is not performing well for average workers.
EDMONDS, WA – Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new data showing American wages are not keeping up with inflation. Average hourly earnings growth for workers was 3.5% over June of last year, falling short of annual inflation, which is approximately 4%.
The new BLS data also showed nonfarm payroll employment holding relatively steady between May and June 2026, and that the unemployment rate ticked down slightly -- from 4.3% to 4.2%.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement:
“Today’s employment data does not suggest a booming economy. In fact, it shows we are just hanging on. The growth in jobs is tepid and any growth in wages still falls short of inflation. While President Trump and his family are making billions, average American workers are continuing to struggle.”
Cantwell Statement on Trump Admin Refusing to Renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell calls on the Trump administration to negotiate in good faith and extend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, citing its economic benefits to Washington state and North America.
EDMONDS, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, released the following statement on the Trump administration refusing to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):
“The formal review of the USMCA started today. The agreement and the subsequent investments in supply chains built on a three-country market have created wealth and opportunity for all of North America. I ask the USTR to negotiate in good faith with our partners and extend the agreement.”
Mexico and Canada support more than 320,000 jobs across Washington state and account for $11 billion in exports – or around 20% of Washington state’s total exports. In the past year, Washington state businesses saved over $126 million thanks to the USMCA reducing or eliminating tariff costs, according to a recent report.
Sen. Cantwell previously called on the Trump administration to renew the USMCA, citing its importance to Washington state manufacturers, farmers, and consumers.
In March 2026, Sen. Cantwell joined 21 Senate Democrats in introducing legislation requiring refunds of President Trump’s illegal tariffs, which collected approximately $175 billion in revenue and jacked up prices for American families.
In April 2025, Sen. Cantwell introduced bipartisan legislation to rein in President Trump’s tariff authorities and create trade certainty for American business and consumers.
Cantwell Statement on SCOTUS Ruling Affirming Birthright Citizenship | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell affirms support for birthright citizenship and expresses relief that the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's executive order attempting to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.
EDMONDS, WA – This morning, the United States Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, ruling against an executive order from President Donald Trump that would have denied citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are here temporarily or illegally.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement:
“Our country has long held that children born on U.S. soil or U.S. territories are citizens. Today they no longer have to worry about an administration who tried to deny them this right.”
Cantwell Statement on SCOTUS Ruling Affirming States Have Right to Count Mail-In Ballots Received After Election Day | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell supports the Supreme Court's affirmation of states' constitutional authority to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day if postmarked by Election Day, and opposes efforts to restrict this practice.
SPOKANE, WA – This morning, the United States Supreme Court ruled against an effort to stop states from counting mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day, even if they’ve been postmarked in time.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement:
“The court has affirmed what we have known all along: states have the right to set rules for counting ballots when they are received. The Supreme Court affirmed both a key element of by-mail voting and the constitutional authority of states to administer their elections. Like Washington, most states have long counted ballots received after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked on time. This is especially important for our seniors and people living in rural areas to have their voices counted. Washington and seven other states are leading the nation with universal vote by mail and increasing voter turnouts. Unfounded attacks on safe and secure by-mail voting should stop, including the Postmaster imposing a rule to delay postmarking.”
The Court recognized the Constitution empowers states to administer elections, and that while Congress may preempt state legislation, it has not prevented states from counting ballots postmarked by Election Day, but received after that day. The Court noted that a substantial majority of states count at least some absentee ballots received after Election Day – a practice some states have followed for more than a century. Moreover, the Court noted that under the plaintiffs’ reasoning, other election practices permitted by states, such as early voting, “would also be at risk.”
Sen. Cantwell has been a stalwart defender against overreach of the Trump administration into our elections, which has sought to impermissibly seize control of election administration from the states and supported this suit. Following the decision, President Trump decried the ruling as a “tremendous loss.” On Jan. 9, she joined 13 Senate colleagues in filing an amicus brief before the Supreme Court in the case decided today, Watson v. Republican National Committee. The case, brought by the Republican National Committee, threatened the election administration practices of states like Washington that permit mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to be counted when they are received within a certain number of days after Election Day. Other actions include:
Cantwell Joins Colleagues Introducing Bill to Defend Americans’ Right to Vote | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell co-sponsors the Right to Vote Act, which would establish a federal statutory right to vote in federal elections and allow citizens to challenge state policies that restrict ballot access. She opposes the Trump Administration's restrictions on mail-in voting and other voter disenfranchisement measures.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, co-sponsored legislation to create the first-ever affirmative federal voting rights guarantee for all eligible citizens.
First introduced in 2021, the Right to Vote Act would protect American citizens’ fundamental right to vote by establishing a first-ever statutory right to vote in federal elections — protecting U.S. citizens from laws that make it harder to cast a ballot.
The bill would allow Americans to enforce that right by challenging in court any policy that unduly restricts ballot access. States attempting to restrict voting access would have to meet a high bar to justify any policy that makes it harder for U.S. citizens to participate in federal elections.
On Monday, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling out the Trump Administration’s war on mail-in voting as the latest frontier in a long history of voter disenfranchisement in the United States.
“Voting in America is your right. Americans have been beaten, they’ve been bloodied, and they’ve given their lives to secure that right. Disenfranchisement today is more bureaucratic, and it’s more technical, but the results for ordinary citizens is the same: Their voices are shut out of a democracy,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I ask my colleagues to stand up for their constituents — because if we don’t stop this administration’s war on voting rights, I guarantee you, millions of Americans will be disenfranchised.”
Video of her speech this week is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
Sen. Cantwell joined Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in cosponsoring the bill.
Representative Summer Lee (D-PA-12) is introducing the companion bill in the House.
Sen. Cantwell has been a stalwart defender against overreach of the Trump administration into our elections:
Cantwell Statement on SCOTUS Ruling Terminating Temporary Protected Status For Haitian and Syrian Nationals | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell opposes the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Trump Administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals. She calls on Congress to act to reverse this decision and protect TPS beneficiaries from deportation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump Administration’s efforts to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian nationals. TPS is a humanitarian immigration designation that allows nationals of a country experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the U.S. without being deported.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement:
“The Administration will use the Supreme Court’s inhumane TPS decision to send thousands of law-abiding immigrants back to unstable and dangerous home countries. Congress must act to rectify the error.”
Washington state is home to nearly 3,300 people of Haitian ethnicity according to 2020 census data, including a large community of about 500 people in Spokane. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has urged the federal government to extend TPS for Haitians. Across Washington state, TPS protects approximately 18,065 people from deportation or removal. Nationwide, 330,735 Haitian nationals and 3,860 Syrian nationals have TPS.
In November 2025, then-Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem issued a decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation. Sen. Cantwell joined her Senate Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to Noem demanding that she reverse the directive. In April, Sen. Cantwell also signed an amicus brief challenging the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for immigrants from Haiti and Syria.
Cantwell, Colleagues Demand USPS Abandon Proposed Rule to Carry Out President Trump’s Illegal Executive Order Restricting Vote by Mail | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell and colleagues oppose a proposed USPS rule that would restrict vote-by-mail access by requiring states to submit voter information to create a federal mail-in voter list, arguing the rule is unconstitutional and gives USPS an illegal role in election administration.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined her Senate Democratic colleagues sending a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) demanding the USPS abandon attempts to restrict voting by mail called for in an unconstitutional executive order from President Trump. Yesterday, a federal court correctly held the Executive Order unconstitutional, but that litigation may continue and there is no certainty that the USPS will terminate the rulemaking.
Sen. Cantwell previously joined her colleagues in urging USPS not to carry out the executive order, which would force states to submit absentee voters’ information to the Postal Service for the creation of a federal mail-in voter list. Under the order, USPS could then refuse to deliver ballots to voters who are not included on that list, giving the agency an unprecedented and illegal role in the administration of American elections. USPS did not respond to that letter and has now issued a proposed rule that would ultimately allow the Postal Service to determine whether millions of Americans can receive and cast ballots through the mail. Moreover, yesterday, Postmaster General David Steiner testified before a Senate committee that USPS will not mail ballots in states that decline to turn over their voters’ information. Steiner asserted that the plan will allow the Trump Administration plan to ensure “the right ballots are going to the right people.”
This morning, a federal judge blocked key portions of President Trump’s executive order, emphasizing that the power to oversee elections belongs to the states. In that case – brought by the State of Washington, 22 other states, and the District of Columbia – the court said clearly, “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” The court’s ruling also says “no law enacted by Congress delegates authority to control mail-in voting to USPS.”
“We write for a second time regarding the unconstitutional and illegal attempt to transform the United States Postal Service into an election administration agency controlled by the White House and President Trump,” wrote the senators. “In April, 37 senators wrote to you after President Trump issued his Executive Order directing USPS to issue a rule to establish compulsory specifications for election mail and create a master absentee voter list of millions of American voters – with the power to refuse to deliver their ballots.”
They continued: “Despite these grave and serious legal deficiencies, on June 2, 2026, USPS published a proposed rule that, if finalized, would establish President Trump’s control over federal elections and allow USPS to adjudicate who can and cannot vote by mail. This proposed rule risks disenfranchising millions of voters. We again insist that you follow the law, refuse to implement President Trump’s Executive Order, and withdraw this presidentially-directed proposed rule.”
The senators warned that the proposed rule would create a federally controlled national list of absentee voters, raising serious concerns about potential misuse and abuse. In court filings, the Administration has acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is already in discussions with USPS about potentially comparing the list to DHS datasets. The senators raised concerns that combining USPS data with unreliable federal records could lead to eligible voters being disenfranchised, or voters and election officials being unfairly targeted for investigation.
“Ultimately, the proposed rule seeks to create a centralized national absentee voter database with individualized barcodes connected to the voters’ names under the control of the President that contains the voting information of millions of Americans,” wrote the senators. “That information would be ripe for potential abuse or improper disclosure potentially imperiling the integrity of American elections.”
“Accordingly, we insist that the Postal Service abandon this proposed regulation and return to its core mission of providing universal postal services to every American. The Constitution and federal law demand nothing less,” they concluded.
The letter was led by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Joining Sen. Cantwell in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The letter can be read in full HERE.
This week, Sen. Cantwell delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling out the Trump Administration’s war on mail-in voting as the latest frontier in a long history of voter disenfranchisement in the United States – especially a new rule that significantly delays the postmarking of ballots, leading to them being tossed out instead of counted. She highlighted a new rule implemented by the USPS in December under pressure from the Trump administration. The new rule changes where mail is postmarked, requiring it to be processed at a regional distribution center instead of a local post office, which can delay postmarking for up to several days.
Video of her speech this week is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
Cantwell Joins Senate Democrats in Opposing Plan to Cut Veterans’ Benefits | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell and 45 Democratic colleagues oppose proposed cuts to VA benefits for veterans with service-connected sleep apnea and tinnitus, both through a draft VA rule and the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, arguing these cuts would strip disabled veterans of earned compensation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined 45 of her Democratic colleagues in opposing cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits for disabled veterans who suffer from sleep apnea and tinnitus, as proposed by a draft VA rule and the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act.
In a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators condemned a proposed reduction in benefits for more than one million veterans suffering from sleep apnea and tinnitus: “We write in strong opposition to a proposed reduction in benefits for more than one million veterans suffering from sleep apnea and tinnitus outlined in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) draft rule entitled “Schedule for Rating Disabilities--Ear, Nose, Throat, and Audiology Disabilities; Special Provisions Regarding Evaluation of Respiratory Conditions; Respiratory System” (RIN: 2900-AQ72). We urge you to listen to the growing opposition from veterans and publicly commit to addressing their concerns.”
The Senators continued, “Along with the draft rule, we are equally opposed to the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act because it codifies the same harmful reductions in benefits for veterans with tinnitus and sleep apnea benefits. By writing these cuts into statute, the legislation would permanently implement the very policies that veterans, medical experts, and veterans service organizations have overwhelmingly opposed. Whether implemented through regulation or enacted by Congress, these cuts would strip disabled veterans of earned compensation and health care benefits – they should be rejected outright.”
The Senators emphasized how the policy would cut benefits for veterans with service-connected sleep apnea and tinnitus and pointed to veterans service organizations’ opposition. They noted that tinnitus in particular is the most common service-connected disability recognized by VA, with an estimated 3.6 million veterans receiving benefits for this condition. The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that nearly one million veterans would have their monthly disability compensation reduced by the change.
The Senators concluded by calling on VA Secretary Collins to join them in opposing these harmful cuts to benefits: “At your confirmation hearing last year, you pledged, ‘We’re not going to balance budgets on the back of veterans’ benefits.’ We urge you to honor that commitment by abandoning these proposals and to further reject any legislation that would permanently cut off these benefits to veterans. We look forward to working with you to ensure our nation’s veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve.”
Tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability among veterans. Nationally, up to 30 percent of veterans are affected by the condition, which would represent an estimated 148,000 veterans in Washington state. Sleep apnea affects roughly 19 to 22 percent of veterans nationwide, which would represent up to 109,000 veterans in Washington.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, led the letter, which was also joined by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Timothy Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacklyn Rosen (D-NV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Earlier this month, Republicans introduced the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, a 553-page veterans’ bill that includes a provision to pay for the Major Richard Star Act and other legislation by cutting $60 billion in benefits for more than 1.4 million disabled veterans. Leading veterans’ groups, including Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), have also opposed the Republican proposal. Republicans have also blocked Blumenthal’s attempts to pay for the Major Richard Star Act with $13 billion in unspent Department of Defense funds.
The Major Richard Star Act, which Sen. Cantwell co-sponsors, is bipartisan legislation to fix an injustice preventing combat-injured veterans from receiving their full military benefits. This legislation, which includes no proposal to slash veterans’ disability benefits, has overwhelming support from the majority of both chambers of Congress, with 79 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and 336 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, and support from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support, Senate Republican leadership has blocked eight attempts to advance or vote on this bill, including in October, March, two weeks ago, and again last week.
Sen. Cantwell is a strong advocate for veterans in Washington state and across the nation. She is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act, which would create a new grant program at the Department of Veterans Affairs to help organizations like Northwest Battle Buddies, K9s For Warriors, and Canine Companions provide service dogs to eligible veterans. These dogs can be life-changing for those recovering from both the visible and invisible wounds of military service.
She was a steadfast supporter of the 2022 PACT Act, which expanded VA health care eligibility for exposure to toxic burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, automatically covering treatment for veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001.
In 2021, in response to an uptick in call volume to veteran suicide hotlines, she joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues calling on the VA to swiftly develop a program that proactively reaches out to veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq and provides them with mental health resources.
In 2020, she and her fellow Senate Democrats advocated for Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange in the line of duty, calling on the Trump administration to stop stonewalling critical benefits for service members suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinsonism and hypertension related to their exposure.
The full text of the letter is below.
We write in strong opposition to a proposed reduction in benefits for more than one million veterans suffering from sleep apnea and tinnitus outlined in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) draft rule entitled “Schedule for Rating Disabilities--Ear, Nose, Throat, and Audiology Disabilities; Special Provisions Regarding Evaluation of Respiratory Conditions; Respiratory System” (RIN: 2900-AQ72). We urge you to listen to the growing opposition from veterans and publicly commit to addressing their concerns.
We laud your decision earlier this year to rescind an interim final rule after it faced significant backlash from the veterans’ community. At the time you stated, “Veterans spoke, and [VA] listened.” We ask that you again heed concerns from the medical and veterans’ communities about the benefits they receive to address tinnitus and sleep apnea. VA must make clear it will not punish veterans seeking effective sleep apnea treatments or deny veterans with service-connected tinnitus the benefits and health care they have earned.
Tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability recognized by VA, with an estimated 3.6 million veterans receiving benefits for this condition. The most controversial proposal in the draft rule would eliminate tinnitus as a stand-alone disability – instead requiring veterans to be service connected for an underlying pathology related to hearing loss. According to the draft rule’s regulatory impact analysis, more than 60 percent of veterans who submit claims for tinnitus-related benefits are not service connected for an underlying pathology. Those veterans would no longer qualify for life-saving VA health care and benefits. In total, VA’s analysis concluded that nearly one million veterans would have their monthly disability compensation reduced by the change.
Our urgent concern is validated by the American Tinnitus Association’s comments to the draft rule that “tinnitus often occurs independently of any other health condition.” The American Tinnitus Association made clear that medical research, including VA-commissioned studies, confirms the debilitating effects of tinnitus and the need for it to remain a stand-alone disability. It warned that removing the stand-alone disability would also hinder research to improve tinnitus treatments and efforts to find a cure. Also important, the American Legion in its comments categorized the change as problematic because it conflicts with several “court decisions that recognize tinnitus as a stand-alone condition.”
Sleep Apnea is a breathing disorder that involves a decrease or complete halt in airflow despite an ongoing effort to breathe. More than 763,000 veterans receive VA benefits for service-connected sleep apnea. The draft rule would reduce the level of compensation veterans receive for their service-connected sleep apnea to zero. This change is similar to a recent interim final rule you rescinded after the veterans’ community made the case against reducing ratings for veterans who comply with their doctors’ orders. Veterans service organizations have made clear that veterans who use effective medical devices should not have their disability compensation lowered. In its comments on VA’s draft rule, Disabled American Veterans argued that using effective medication does not eliminate the underlying conditions' impact on veterans’ earning potential, which is the basis for VA’s schedule for rating disabilities. Medications help improve function and mask symptoms, but they do not eliminate the impact of living with a disability.
Along with the draft rule, we are equally opposed to the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act because it codifies the same harmful reductions in benefits for veterans with tinnitus and sleep apnea benefits. By writing these cuts into statute, the legislation would permanently implement the very policies that veterans, medical experts, and veterans service organizations have overwhelmingly opposed. Whether implemented through regulation or enacted by Congress, these cuts would strip disabled veterans of earned compensation and health care benefits – they should be rejected outright.
At your confirmation hearing last year, you pledged, “We’re not going to balance budgets on the back of veterans’ benefits.” We urge you to honor that commitment by abandoning these proposals and to further reject any legislation that would permanently cut off these benefits to veterans. We look forward to working with you to ensure our nation’s veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve.
Cantwell & Colleagues Demand FCC Rescind Order for Early License Renewals to Disney Following Trump’s Latest Attacks on Broadcasters | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senators demand the FCC rescind an order requiring Disney to file early license renewals for ABC broadcast stations, arguing the order violates the First Amendment and represents an abuse of FCC authority to target editorial content based on presidential pressure.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) led their colleagues in a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, urging the FCC to rescind last week’s order requiring Disney to file early license renewals for its eight ABC broadcast stations.
The FCC order, at Chairman Carr’s directive, came just one day after President Donald Trump publicly demanded ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and is the latest effort by President Trump and Chairman Carr to weaponize the FCC’s authorities to target broadcasters.
In the letter, the Senators wrote, “The campaign against Disney and its editorial decision-making, culminating in last week’s early-renewal order, is an egregious abuse of power and a clear violation of the First Amendment. Although the FCC has the authority to ensure broadcasters operate in the public interest, it cannot serve as President Trump’s roving censor, threatening to revoke licenses against broadcasters whose editorial content — including a comedian’s jokes — displeases the President. In fact, before serving as chairman, you frequently recognized the importance of the First Amendment and the freedom of speech, including for comedians. As you previously explained: ‘From Internet memes to late-night comedians, from cartoons to the plays and poems as old as organized government itself - Political Satire circumvents traditional gatekeepers & helps hold those in power accountable. Not surprising that it’s long been targeted for censorship.’ Now, you are doing exactly that — targeting political satire for censorship.”
Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) co-signed the letter.
The Senators request answers by May 21, 2026, to questions including:
Last September, in the wake of ABC’s suspension of Kimmel, Sen. Cantwell strongly defended free speech and condemned the actions of Chairman Carr.
The full text of the letter is HERE.
Cantwell Presses Trump FTC on Big Grocery Chains’ Anti-Competitive Practices that Stifle Competition, Leave Local Communities with Fewer Choices & Consumers with Higher Costs | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington
Position: Senator Cantwell and colleagues urge the FTC to strengthen enforcement against grocery retailers' use of restrictive covenants in property agreements that prevent competitors from entering local markets, arguing these practices reduce consumer choice and drive up prices, particularly harming lower-income communities.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Finance Committee, sent a letter to Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Andrew Ferguson regarding the use of “restrictive covenants” by grocery retailers to keep competitors out of local markets, leaving communities with fewer options and driving up grocery prices for consumers. The letter, which was also signed by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), follows an April 15 hearing where Sen. Cantwell called on the FTC to do more to combat skyrocketing grocery prices and protect consumers from these anti-competitive practices.
“The 2016 closure of an Albertsons grocery store created a food desert in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham, Washington,” Sen. Cantwell and her colleagues wrote. “Yet when Albertsons later sold the property in 2018, it included a deed restriction that would have prevented a grocery store from operating in the space until 2038. Albertsons ultimately removed the deed restriction after the Washington Attorney General opened an investigation into whether Albertsons had violated Washington’s antitrust laws.”
At an April 15 hearing, during which Sen. Cantwell focused on the affordability crisis facing families, Sen. Cantwell asked Ferguson whether the FTC considers restrictive covenants used by grocery chains to keep out competitors to be an unfair method of competition. Restrictive covenants are terms written in property sale, purchase, or lease agreements that restrict the future use of a property. Earlier this year, the State of Washington became the first state to ban restrictive covenants that prevent or limit a property from being used by a grocery store or pharmacy.
“Lower income communities are more vulnerable to these closures and the reduction of competition,” their letter continued. “A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that ‘[p]oorer, more concentrated markets experience larger and more persistent food price shocks, amplifying the burden on low-income households.’ That burden may be growing as the latest round of tariffs and the ongoing conflict in Iran threaten further spikes in grocery prices.”
“Americans are struggling with rising prices, and anti-competitive corporate lawfare should not be a reason costs stay high,” the senators wrote.
For decades, large retailers have used anti-competitive restrictive covenants—written into property sale, purchase, and lease agreements—to block competitors’ access to a local market. These restrictive covenants prohibit competitors from purchasing or leasing commercial real estate. As a result, storefronts are left empty, small businesses are boxed out from opening in certain locations, consumers have fewer options, and companies corner regional markets and drive-up prices.
Large retailers’ use of restrictive covenants has been especially prevalent in the grocery industry. Significant square footage and parking requirements limit the number of suitable properties available in a given area for grocers, especially in developed or urban areas, and the anti-competitive effects of restrictive covenants only exacerbate these constraints. The impact of these anti-competitive covenants on consumers is further heightened in the grocery industry because grocery store competition is local. In the FTC’s recent and successful challenge of the Kroger-Albertsons merger, data “showed that on average, more than seventy percent of defendants’ sales are drawn from within five miles of a store,” which the district court found “support[ed] the drawing of small, local geographic markets.” Fed. Trade Comm’n v. Kroger Co., No. 3:24-cv-00347, 2024 WL 5053016, at *23 (D. Or. Dec. 10, 2024).
Across the country, anti-competitive restrictive covenants have shut out grocers from operating in locations where consumers would have otherwise frequented their stores and benefited from their presence in the community. In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, only one supermarket services roughly 45,000 people due to anti-competitive restrictive covenants set by competitors. Among those stores with restrictive covenants was a Walmart store that closed in 2011. For six years, Walmart prevented competitors from moving into the location, while the property sat vacant. When Walmart finally sold the building in 2017, it included a “25-year restrictive covenant prohibiting the property from being used for a grocery store or supermarket.” The restrictive covenant also prohibits the property from being used for “a wholesale club operation similar to that of Sam’s Club.”
On the West Coast, the 2016 closure of an Albertsons grocery store created a food desert in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham, Washington. Yet when Albertsons later sold the property in 2018, it included a deed restriction that would have prevented a grocery store from operating in the space until 2038. Albertsons ultimately removed the deed restriction after the Washington Attorney General opened an investigation into whether Albertsons had violated Washington’s antitrust laws.
When grocers leave a community, anti-competitive restrictive covenants further cement the harm caused by the initial loss of the store, leaving consumers without ready access to food or more exposed to high food prices with fewer choices to seek better deals. Additionally, when a grocery store closes, communities often lose a neighborhood pharmacy, and anti-competitive restrictive covenants can prolong pharmacy deserts.
Lower income communities are more vulnerable to these closures and the reduction of competition. A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that “[p]oorer, more concentrated markets experience larger and more persistent food price shocks, amplifying the burden on low-income households.” That burden may be growing as the latest round of tariffs and the ongoing conflict in Iran threaten further spikes in grocery prices.
Americans are struggling with rising prices, and anti-competitive corporate lawfare should not be a reason costs stay high. Given the ongoing impacts of anti-competitive restrictive covenants on communities across the country, please provide answers to the following questions:
I ask that you respond to these questions by no later than May 15, 2026. I look forward to your response.
Source: GDELT 2.0 GKG, filtered to a curated list of national outlets. Inclusion is not endorsement; opinion pieces and reported news are mixed.
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Top PAC donors · 2026 cycle
Political action committees that gave the most to this rep's principal campaign committee this cycle. PAC giving is direct organizational support — industry, ideological, or leadership.
1.WOMEN SENATORS MAKING HISTORY - UNITEMIZED2 contributions$23,361
2.KEEP WA BLUE1 contribution$5,600
3.WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE1 contribution$5,000
Source: OpenFEC (api.open.fec.gov) Schedule A receipts where contributor type is “committee.” Aggregated by contributing committee. Self-transfers from joint-fundraising / victory committees are excluded.
Top individual contributors · 2026 cycle
Itemized individual contributions over $200 to this rep's campaign committee, aggregated by donor employer. PAC giving is shown above; this section is people, not organizations.
1.SV ANGEL LLC$7,000
2.BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK LLP$6,000
3.UNESCO WASHINGTON$4,500
4.SIERRA NEVADA CORP.$3,500
5.INCITE.ORG$3,500
6.PISCES INC$3,300
7.VALLEY VISTA COLLECTIVE LLC$2,500
8.JAMESTOWN S'KLALLAM TRIBE$2,000
9.PENN AVENUE PARTNERS$2,000
10.CAPITOL HILL POLICY GROUP$2,000
Source: OpenFEC Schedule A receipts where contributor type is “individual,” aggregated by the donor's self-reported employer. This is a geographic / industry correlation, not a corporate endorsement.
