What happened Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has scheduled a November 10 nomination hearing for Danielle Thumann Severs, President Trump's pick for the Federal Communications Commission.
Why it matters Confirming her would give Republicans an unusual 3-1 majority on the commission.
In detail Cruz appears to want her confirmed in his last two months as chairman, before Democrats take control of the Senate in January 2027.
Thumann Severs is an attorney and senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
Trump nominated her in August, and a September hearing was postponed to accommodate her maternity leave.
Federal law sets a three-member quorum and bars more than a bare majority of commissioners from belonging to one party.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) warned in a September 24 letter to Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez that an all-Republican panel could leave actions such as license renewals, equipment certifications and spectrum transfers legally vulnerable, creating uncertainty across the communications industry.
Wyden said there is speculation that Trump might fire Gomez after the confirmation to run a 3-0 commission.
Tradition has been for presidents to pair their party's nominees with opposing-party picks recommended by Senate leaders, but Trump has not nominated a Democrat for the other vacant seat or renominated Gomez. Her term expired June 30, and she can serve until the end of 2027 or until a replacement is confirmed. Twenty-one Democrats on the House Commerce Committee urged Cruz and Majority Leader John Thune to pair any new Republican nominee with a Democrat, and Gomez called on Congress to fill the vacancies in a bipartisan manner. Gomez cannot block Carr's majority, but she has opposed his actions against news organizations and efforts to police broadcast speech. A lame-duck confirmation would echo Nathan Simington's in December 2020, which led to a 2-2 deadlock that lasted until Gomez was confirmed in September 2023.
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