Senate Commerce Committee members and space industry witnesses told senators at a hearing that Congress needs to pass a multiyear NASA authorization and avoid repeated continuing resolutions to preserve Artemis, the International Space Station (ISS) and U.S. commercial partnerships. Chairman Ted Cruz opened the session by calling for the committee to produce the first comprehensive NASA authorization since 2017 and said continuing, predictable funding is essential. "Make no mistake. We are in a new space race with China," Cruz said. "Any drastic changes in NASA's architecture at this stage threaten United States leadership in space." Why it matters: witnesses said program pauses or funding uncertainty ripple through the industrial base and university partners that supply parts, research and workforce training. Alan Cutler, president and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, told the committee that multiyear authorization would give NASA long‑term certainty and keep contractors and suppliers working on Artemis hardware. "A multiyear authorization bill with these elements will provide the long term certainty needed to keep NASA focused and our workforce, our partners, and our allies aligned," Cutler said. Key details: testimony and exchanges covered several funding risks and near‑term deadlines: - Several senators expressed concern that the administration's proposed budget reductions and the use of continuing resolutions (CRs) would interrupt procurement, slow schedule‑critical work and prompt layoffs; witnesses said contractors and small suppliers are already reassessing staffing when program funding is uncertain. - Committee members repeatedly referenced the reconciliation measure described in the hearing as the "1 Big Beautiful Bill," which witnesses said included roughly $10 billion for NASA human spaceflight; panelists said that funding was important to sustain Artemis work. - Senators raised the risk that, absent timely awards and investments in commercial low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) destinations, the U.S. could face a capability gap when the ISS is retired; witnesses stressed the need for multiple commercial providers to preserve redundancy and competition. - Michael Gold, president of civil and international space at Redwire, warned that without congressional direction and NASA action the number of American crew on the ISS could fall "from 4 to 3, and then down to 2," and said that could result in "more Chinese astronauts in space than Americans." Discussion vs. action: the hearing produced no formal committee vote or enacted directive; senators asked witnesses for written follow‑up and set deadlines for post‑hearing questions and responses. The chairman said senators may submit questions for the record and that witnesses will have deadlines to reply. Context and constraints: witnesses and senators repeatedly emphasized that Congress controls appropriations and authorization but that program schedules rely on continued, multiyear funding to keep factories producing mission hardware. Several speakers also noted that NASA programs are multidecade in nature and vulnerable to abrupt administrative changes or short‑term budget measures. Ending: Committee members signaled bipartisan concern about funding continuity and set a record schedule for post‑hearing questions; no new statutory authority was enacted at the hearing and appropriations remain subject to the regular congressional process.