Olivia Trusty on April 9. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Olivia Trusty to serve on the FCC.
Why it matters: The FCC is operating without a quorum and Trusty's confirmation comes just in time for the next open meeting on June 26.
- FCC chair Brendan Carr will now have a quorum and a 2-1 Republican majority.
State of play: The Senate voted 53-45 for Trusty, a longtime Republican Hill staffer, to serve through June 30.
- That's the remainder of former FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel's term, which allows Trusty to attend the upcoming meeting.
- Senators will also vote for Trusty to serve a five-year full term starting July 1.
Between the lines: Commissioner Anna Gomez is the sole Democrat left.
What they're saying: Ahead of the vote, Senate Commerce Ranking Member Maria Cantwell urged colleagues to join her to oppose Trusty's confirmation.
- Cantwell cited plans to auction spectrum used for national security purposes and aviation.
- In a letter to Majority Leader John Thune, Cantwell noted that the longstanding practice of pairing nominations did not happen to replace former Democratic commissioner Geoffrey Starks.
- "Moreover, given President Trump's alarming record of seeking to illegally fire Democrats on independent commissions like the FCC, 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.
