Oppose Danielle Thumann Severs for FCC Commissioner

In a move that could further politicize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Trump has nominated Danielle Thumann Severs, a longtime senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to fill one of the agency’s two vacant seats.

The nomination has raised concerns about further politicizing an agency that’s supposed to operate independently of the White House. If confirmed by the Senate, Thumann Severs would increase the Republican majority from 2-1 to 3-1. Typically the majority party maintains a single vote advantage. Without simultaneously confirming an additional Democratic appointee, the majority will now have a 2-vote advantage. This makeup would enable Carr and his allies to pass measures without any support from Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democrat.

This kind of unchecked majority is especially alarming given the recent track record of Carr’s FCC. In September of 2025, Carr publicly threatened ABC’s broadcast licenses over Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing, and ABC pulled his show off the air within hours. With a 3-1 majority and no Democratic friction, nothing would prevent Carr from pursuing even more aggressive actions against broadcasters, journalists, or anyone else who criticizes this administration.