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Republicans Race to Give Trump More Power Over the FCC Before Losing the Senate

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Republicans Race to Give Trump More Power Over the FCC Before Losing the Senate

Republicans lost big this week in the midterm elections and will have to cede control of both the Senate and the House to the Democrats come next year. But before that, some are making sure to take full advantage of this power they will soon lose.

Earlier this week, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will have a hearing next week to consider President Trump’s nominee for the Federal Communications Commission.

Trump nominated FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s aide Danielle Thumann Severs to join the FCC back in August. If the committee advances Thumann Severs’s nomination following the November 10 hearing, she could face a full Senate confirmation vote before Republicans lose their majority in January.

If Thumann Severs is confirmed, the FCC’s Republican majority would expand from 2–1 to 3–1, potentially paving the way for an entirely Republican commission if Trump manages to remove its lone Democrat, Anna Gomez. Whether a 3–0 Republican FCC would be legal is a matter of dispute, however, given federal requirements intended to preserve some degree of political balance on the commission.

The FCC currently has just three commissioners, the minimum needed for a quorum: two Republicans and one Democrat, Anna Gomez. Gomez’s term expired June 30, but she can continue serving through the end of 2027 under a statutory holdover provision unless a successor takes office sooner. She would need to be renominated and confirmed to serve another term.

“Because the Communications Act sets a quorum at three members, there is speculation that the President intends to fire you once [Thumann Severs] is confirmed, attempting to run the agency with an all-Republican 3-0 panel,” Sen.


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