Maria Cantwell

Force in Play

Pressing telecom executives for answers on Salt Typhoon vulnerabilities

Salt Typhoon, a hacking group tied to China's Ministry of State Security, spent years quietly burrowing into American telecommunications networks — AT&T, Verizon, and at least seven others — accessing the systems that carry out court-authorized wiretaps. Now it has reached the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) itself. On April 1, 2026, the FBI classified a breach of its Digital Collection System Network, the internal platform managing surveillance operations under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), as a 'major incident' — the most serious cybersecurity designation available under federal law. It is the first time the bureau has made that determination about its own systems since at least 2020.

Updated Apr 2

Money Moves

Supported Isaacman while warning against budget and workforce cuts

One day after his 67–30 confirmation, Jared Isaacman was sworn in on Dec. 18, 2025 as NASA’s 15th administrator—walking directly into a White House-driven acceleration campaign that now has his name on the clock, not just the contracts.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

Built World

Pressing FAA leadership on ethics and conflicts during a huge procurement moment

The FAA is no longer talking about “modernization” like it’s a distant science project. In a House hearing, Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency will commit $6 billion by the end of 2025 to upgrade ATC telecom networks and radar surveillance—aiming to deploy by the end of 2028.

Updated Dec 16, 2025