The Senate Commerce Committee has postponed its Oct. 3 vote on several nominations.
That means lawmakers won’t vote on Michael O’Rielly to be a GOP FCC Commissioner.
Though Congress isn’t shut down like much of the federal government is, lawmakers and their staffers are finding it difficult to do their jobs because of the shutdown.
O’Reilly’s support in committee isn’t in question. When the committee does vote, it would send his nomination to the full Senate, where it will likely be paired with a vote on Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman.
In addition to O’Rielly, the committee had planned to vote on four other nominees, including Terrell McSweeny to be a Democratic commissioner at the FTC. A new committee voting date has not been scheduled.
The delay means the FCC will remain short-staffed, with three commissioners, a little longer.
