Thumann Severs Confirmation Hearing Set for Sept. 17
If confirmed, she would give Republicans a 3-1 majority at the FCC
WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2026 – Danielle Thumann Severs’ confirmation hearing has been set for Sept. 17.
President Donald Trump had nominated Thumann Severs, a top attorney for Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, to fill a vacant seat at the agency and give Republicans a 3-1 majority.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced the hearing date late Thursday. The committee will also consider Leslie Becera's nomination to a post at the Department of Transportation.
Thumann Severs’s nomination wasn’t paired with a Democrat, as FCC nominations have historically been done. Neither was Republican FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s, leading some Senate Commerce Democrats to oppose her nomination at the time.
Trump has fired Democratic appointees at other federal agencies, but so far has not tried to remove Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez. The agency needs three members to vote on new rules and proposals, which Gomez has speculated could be a reason for keeping her on.
In a recent Harvard Business Review paper, former FCC Chief of Staff Blair Levin said it was likely Trump would nominate a third Republican before firing Gomez, if he were going to do so. That would avoid the disruption that would come from lacking three members.
But he cautioned that that path also faced “legal and political challenges,” and could potentially be fought in court. Carr also already has a 2-1 majority that allows him to enact his agenda unencumbered.
On Thursday, telecom trade groups including NATE and NCTA backed Thumann Severs’s nomination and urged the Senate to confirm her quickly. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose members are all Democrats, urged the chamber to hold off without a Democratic nominee.
