Paul Dabbar Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Commerce
'It is absolutely ridiculous that the secretary can just decide I like this or don’t like that,' said Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. 'He has no right to rescind our money.'
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2025 – The Senate confirmed Paul Dabbar to be U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, 56-40, on Wednesday.
The vote to confirm Dabbar was split mostly along party lines, with all present Republicans, except for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting for his nomination and all but three present Democrats–Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mark Warner, D-Va. voting against it.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democratic party, also voted in favor of the nomination.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., did not vote on the nomination.
Dabbar will serve as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s number two, and will likely play a significant role in the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Development program. The former Under Secretary for Science for the Department of Energy faced intense questioning from Democratic senators about the future of the BEAD program, especially from Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.
“Our BEAD programs in Nevada were already approved, signed, all the research was done, everything was ready to go,” Rosen, who vowed to slow-walk all broadband-related Commerce Department nominations in response to Lutnick’s changes to the program, told Broadband Breakfast Wednesday.
“We did all of that. We complied. We got the stakeholders involved. We had a plan. It was approved and ready to go. It is absolutely ridiculous that the secretary can just decide I like this or don’t like that…. He has no right to rescind our money.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who serves as Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, expressed confidence in Dabbar’s abilities.
“Mr. Dabbar will be a Deputy Secretary who combines business acumen with scientific expertise,” Cruz said during a May committee meeting. “He recognizes that markets are what best help lift up the American worker, but that the government can still selectively and strategically invest. We can still build. And we must. I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Dabbar’s nomination.”
