To: Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
From: National Taxpayers Union
Date: July 14, 2026
Subject: NTU’s Views on July 15 Committee Markup
I. Introduction and Key Taxpayer Considerations
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we write to express our views on two measures slated for consideration before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. NTU applauds the Committee for its continued efforts to advance legislation that reduces regulatory burdens, improves government efficiency, and protects taxpayer interests. As such, NTU strongly urges Committee members to support S. 4448 and oppose S.4802.
II. NTU Views on Legislation at June 30 Markup
S. 4448, Accelerating Broadband Permits Act – Support. This bipartisan legislation, led by Sens. Thune (R-SD), Luján (D-NM), and Barrasso (R-WY), establishes a coordinated federal review process, creates public tracking tools for permit applications, and requires agencies to better meet existing statutory deadlines for approving communications facilities on federal lands. It also directs agencies and broadband grant recipients under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to identify and monitor federal permit requirements so projects can move forward more quickly. Broadband deployment requires compliance with federal, state, and local permitting requirements, environmental reviews, and right-of-way approvals that serve important public purposes. However, these processes frequently operate sequentially rather than in parallel and often without effective coordination across permitting authorities. As a result, projects can be delayed for reasons unrelated to construction itself, introducing avoidable uncertainty into deployment timelines and costs. With over $40 billion allocated specifically for the BEAD Program, reducing red tape is an important way to maximize each taxpayer dollar spent. NTU Supports S.4448.
S. 4802, Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Recapitalization Act – Oppose. This bipartisan legislation, led by Sens. Cantwell (D-WA), Cruz (R-TX), and a handful of others, would direct NOAA to buy and maintain a new fleet of aircraft used for hurricane and weather reconnaissance, research, and related missions. In plain terms, it is meant to update and expand the “hurricane hunter” planes that fly into or near storms to collect data. While NTU has no issues with the important goals of this legislation, it unfortunately authorizes over $2.5 billion in spending over the next five years, which is significantly higher than the previous authorization of $800 million. Further, this higher authorization is not offset with reductions elsewhere in the federal budget. One of the biggest challenges facing this Congress is how to resolve our growing spending crisis. According to the Congressional Budget Office, our annual deficit is nearing $2 trillion, interest payments on our debt have become the fastest-growing part of the federal budget, and the national debt is approaching $40 trillion. For those reasons, it’s essential that funding—even “only” $2.5 billion—is offset with commensurate cuts or budgetary shifts elsewhere. NTU Opposes S. 4802.
III. Contact Information
Should you have any questions about the recommendations in this memo, please do not hesitate to reach out to Thomas Aiello at taiello@ntu.org.