Senate Confirms Trusty to Serve Out Rosenworcel’s Term
Senate voting Wednesday on giving Trusty a new five-year term beginning July 1.
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2025 – The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Republican Olivia Trusty to fill out the remaining 13 days in the term of former Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat.
The vote gave FCC Chairman Brendan Carr a 2-1 Republican majority and a quorum. The Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday at Noon on giving Trusty her own five-year term beginning July 1.
The vote was 53-45 to confirm Trusty, with Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., absent. The vote was split almost entirely along partisan lines, with all present Republicans voting for Trusty and all present Democrats voting against her, except for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
When Broadband Breakfast asked Fetterman why he voted for Trusty, he hesitated, looked down at his phone, but ultimately declined to comment.
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Earlier Tuesday, senators voted 46-39 to invoke cloture on Trusty’s confirmation for the remainder of Rosenworcel’s term, which ends June 30, and 53-44 to invoke cloture on her confirmation for a new five-year term starting July 1. The procedural votes ended debate on the nominations, and were required before a nominee can be confirmed.
Like the vote to nominate Trusty, both cloture votes were split along mostly partisan lines, with only Fetterman voting for both cloture motions. This marked a sharp contrast with an April motion to advance Trusty’s nomination out of the Commerce Committee. That motion passed 21-7 and included the support of several key Democratic senators.
One of those Democrats, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., explained why she withdrew her support for Trusty in a Monday letter to Majority leader John Thune, R-S.D.
“Although I respect the nominee’s professional background,” she wrote, “when I spoke in support of Ms. Trusty’s nomination in Committee on April 30, I explained that my support was not absolute. Since then, the Trump Administration has pursued a series of concerning policies, leading me to oppose Ms. Trusty’s nomination.”
Cantwell explained that when she voted to advance Trusty out of Committee, it was with the expectation that she would be nominated alongside a Democrat nominee.
“As you know, I had hoped Ms. Trusty’s nomination would be paired with a Democratic nominee, consistent with longstanding practice,” she said. "But her nomination is being brought to the floor this week while an open Democratic seat on the Commission remains vacant …”
Cantwell also said she was worried that Trump might fire Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, though doing so prior to a third Republican joining Carr and Trusty would leave Carr without a quorum to perform agency business.
“.. 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 Gomez, refuse to nominate any Democratic replacements, and then operate the Commission on a strictly partisan basis.”
Cantwell concluded her letter by stating that she “must oppose Ms. Trusty’s nomination and urge[s] my colleagues to do the same.”
The FCC has seen a number of its commissioners resign recently, including Republican Nathan Simington and Democrat Geoffrey Starks. She joins the FCC at a time when it is involved in several controversial matters, ranging from its ongoing proceeding with EchoStar to its initiative to roll back regulations.
Both Carr and Gomez welcomed Trusty to the commission.
“Olivia will be a great addition to the Commission,” Carr said. “I am confident that her deep expertise and knowledge will enable her to hit the ground running, and she will be an exceptionally effective FCC Commissioner.”
Gomez agreed. “I have known Olivia for years and have been very impressed with her strong background in communications policy and deep understanding of the technical aspects of this job, which will be a great asset to this agency,” said Gomez, who became a commissioner in September 2023.
The FCC’s next Open Meeting in Washington is set for June 26.
