Senate confirms Trump’s FCC pick, Olivia Trusty

The Senate confirmed Republican Olivia Trusty to serve on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, installing another nominee by President Donald Trump and ending the brief lack of quorum at the agency. The vote was 53-45, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) being the only Democrat to vote in her favor. 

Trusty will join Republican Chair Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez on the panel, with two seats remaining empty. Trump has yet to select other nominees for the roles. No more than three commissioners on the independent agency are allowed to be from the same party, though Gomez had expressed doubt that Trump may nominate another Democrat to the agency. Former Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington endorsed his chief of staff, Gavin Wax, a MAGA loyalist who once said Trump’s return to office would be a “time for retribution,” after announcing he’d be stepping down from his post.

Trusty was a longtime staffer for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who previously served as the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC and related issues. Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Monday, she opposed Trusty’s confirmation largely due to concern with the Trump administration’s actions.  “Although I respect the nominee’s professional background, when I spoke in support of Ms. Trusty’s nomination in Committee on April 30, I explained that my support was not absolute,” Cantwell wrote. “Since then, the Trump Administration has pursued a series of concerning policies, leading me to oppose Ms. Trusty’s nomination.”

Cantwell said she’s concerned that Trusty’s nomination was not paired with a Democratic one, which would be “consistent with longstanding practice,” she wrote. She pointed to Trump’s attempted firing of two Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, another agency created to be independent from the president and whose commissioners the Supreme Court has said cannot be fired without cause. “I remain seriously concerned that this Administration will try to illegally terminate Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez, refuse to nominate any Democratic replacements, and then operate the Commission on a strictly partisan basis,” Cantwell wrote.

Trusty’s confirmation gives Carr a 2-1 Republican majority to carry out his agenda, including slashing agency regulations and pursuing action against media outlets he views as countering the administration. “I look forward to welcoming Olivia to the Commission as a colleague and advancing an agenda that will deliver great results for the American people,” Carr said in a statement.

Gomez similarly praised Trusty’s experience and welcomed her to the panel. “I have known Olivia for years and have been very impressed with her strong background in communications policy, which will be a great asset to this agency,” Gomez wrote in a statement. 

“In normal times, there’d be little reason to oppose the confirmation of a candidate as qualified as Trusty. But these are not normal times.” Matt Wood, VP of policy and general counsel of nonpartisan group Free Press Action, said in a statement. “Trusty’s confirmation gives Carr the majority he needs to radically reshape the media sector in Trump’s image, including offering policy favors to large broadcasters in exchange for their unwavering loyalty to the president.”