A group of 21 U.S. House Democrats have written a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), urging that any new Republican nominee to the FCC be paired with the renomination of Commissioner Anna Gomez.
“The commission functions as intended only when both parties have a seat at the table,” the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote on Oct. 29. “Confirming an additional Republican nominee without also securing continued Democratic representation would upset that balance.”
Gomez currently serves as the lone Democrat on the three-member commission. Her term expired July 1, but under the Communications Act, a sitting commissioner may legally remain in office until the expiration of the following congressional session or until a successor is confirmed.
Timeline
In August, President Donald Trump nominated Republican Danielle Thumann-Severs to complete a five-year term as commissioner.
Thumann-Severs has not yet been confirmed, with reports stating she is currently on maternity leave. She was selected to fill the seat vacated by Republican Nathan Simington, who resigned in July 2025. Her confirmation would give Republicans a 3–1 majority at the FCC.
[Related: “Senator Asks If All-GOP FCC Would Violate Federal Law]
Republican Olivia Trusty, the third commissioner currently serving with Chairman Brendan Carr and Gomez, was confirmed by the Senate in June 2025. The FCC requires a minimum of three commissioners to maintain a quorum to conduct official business.
TV Tech also reported that civil rights groups asked Sens. Cruz and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to delay action until Gomez is renominated with Thumann-Severs, allowing both nominees to move through the confirmation process together as a package in accordance with traditional congressional practice.
Both sides
In the letter, the members of the House committee praised Gomez for her understanding of the FCC’s statutory responsibilities and her track record of working across the aisle.
“Commissioner Gomez has shown the experience and judgment to continue that work,” the letter concluded. “We therefore ask that the Senate pair any new Republican nominee with her renomination to a full term, consistent with the bipartisan design Congress built into this agency.”
The signers of the letter were:
- Doris O. Matsui (D-Calif.)
- Jennifer L. McClellan (D-Va.)
- Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.)
- Kathy Castor (D-Fla.)
- Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.)
- Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
- Greg Landsman (D-Ohio)
- Marc A. Veasey (D-Texas)
- Lori Trahan (D-Mass.)
- Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.)
- Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas)
- Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.)
- Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.)
- Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.)
- Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
- Darren Soto (D-Fla.)
- Paul D. Tonko (D-N.Y.)
- Scott H. Peters (D-Calif.)
- Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Calif.)
- Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
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