Trump nominates Brendan Carr aide Danielle Thumann Severs to the FCC
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Danielle Thumann Severs, a longtime aide to Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, was nominated by President Trump on Friday to fill one of the agency's two vacant seats.
Why it matters: If confirmed by the Senate, Thumann Severs would make it much easier for the Republican-led FCC to hold and pass votes unilaterally without any Democratic friction.
By the numbers: Thumann Severs would expand the Republican majority at the FCC from 2:1 to 3:1, if her nomination is approved.
- In addition to Carr, Republican commissioner Olivia Trusty was nominated by the president and approved by the Senate last year. Commissioner Anna Gomez is the lone Democrat.
How it works: The law requires at least three FCC commissioners to establish a quorum to hold votes. From there, a simple majority is all that's needed to pass any measure.
- Adding another Republican would remove Gomez's ability to unilaterally slow down or stall votes, as Carr and the two other Republican commissioners would have quorum without her.
- It could also make it easier for the administration to structurally remove or replace Gomez without paralyzing the agency due to a lack of quorum.
Context: The law designates up to five seats for the commission, but the FCC can function with vacancies and it's not unusual for the agency to do so.
- The law does, however, stipulate that the maximum number of FCC commissioners from the same political party is three.
- Therefore, if President Trump were to nominate another commissioner alongside Thumann Severs, they would need to be a Democrat.
Flashback: There's a long history of presidents nominating bipartisan commissioners at the FCC and other federal agencies.
- President Trump himself nominated two Democratic commissioners to the FCC during his first term, including former Biden-era chair Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks.
- Rosenworcel resigned when Trump took office for the second time. Starks voluntarily retired last year before his term was set to lapse in 2027.
Yes, but: President Trump has indicated in his second term a willingness to test the bounds of the law in order to rein in the political independence of federal agencies.
- In June, the Supreme Court cleared the way for President Trump to freely fire Democratic officials from the Federal Trade Commission.
The big picture: In declining to nominate a Democrat alongside Thumann Severs, President Trump has ruffled feathers among Senate Democrats. That could make it harder to convince some Republicans that he's not trying to weaponize the agency for his own political purposes.
- Already, several Democrats have voiced concerns over the lack of a bipartisan nomination process.
- Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, have voiced concerns around the president's efforts to weaponize the FCC in what could be a violation of the First Amendment.
The bottom line: Carr has already said suggested that the FCC "is not an independent agency" and essentially operates in service of the president's goals.
- Thumann Severs' unpaired nomination could be seen as a reflection of that mentality.
