Thune Pitching Trump on Minority-Party FCC, FTC Picks; Democrats Skeptical
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday night confirmed reports that he's urging President Donald Trump to pick Democratic nominees to the FCC and FTC in a bid to ease Democrats’ opposition to speeding up confirmations ahead of the August recess. Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and others told us they’re skeptical that the Trump administration will follow through, given that the president didn’t pick minority-party nominees to independent commissions during the first six months of his term and fired sitting members of the FTC and other bodies.
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Thune told us he “pointed out [to the White House] that it will make it easier to get some of” Trump's nominees through the Senate if Republicans “have something to trade with the Democrats on,” including minority-party picks for the seats vacated by former FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and ex-FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. Starks and Republican Nathan Simington departed the FCC in June, temporarily leaving the commission in a 1-1 tie and without a quorum, prompting Thune to expedite GOP Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s confirmation (see 2506040073). Bedoya resigned from the FTC in June but unsuccessfully tried to remain a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Trump for firing him and Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter (see 2506100030).
“I don't have a good read yet” on whether the administration is close to naming anyone to replace either Bedoya or Starks, Thune told us. “If I did, we would be in a position to probably do some horse trading” to push through some Trump nominees. Thune has threatened to delay the Senate’s August recess so the chamber can process more nominees if Democrats don’t allow some to move by unanimous consent. A White House official indicated that the administration intends to pick FCC and FTC nominees very soon following consultation with Thune.
Thune said he expects that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will still have final say on Trump's picks for Bedoya's and Starks' seats. “That’s always been the way that [selections for] independent boards and commissions work for minority-party representation,” Thune said. “I don’t know how else you would do it” and get Democrats’ support. Trump nominated Starks to the FCC in 2018 because Schumer recommended him (see 1803090040).
Schumer’s office didn’t comment on whether it's talking with the Trump administration about Democratic FCC and FTC nominees. Lobbyists noted that no such consultation had happened as of Tuesday night and indicated that's a sign that nominations for those vacancies aren’t imminent. Cantwell told us that nothing has been decided on a recommendation for Starks' seat, although “I’ve had some people who called me [in favor of] various” contenders.
'Bad Deal'
Schumer remains likeliest to recommend Didier Barjon, his tech and telecom legislative aide, for the FCC, officials and lobbyists told us. Lobbyists have seen Barjon as a strong contender since Starks announced his departure plans in March (see 2503180067). Trump would likely nominate a Democratic Starks successor in tandem with a GOP pick for Simington’s seat (see 2506180076).
Officials and lobbyists also mentioned as Democratic possibilities SpaceX's David Goldman; Narda Jones, ex-FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s chief of staff; former Incompas President Angie Kronenberg; Phil Murphy, a Senate Communications Subcommittee Democratic aide and former White House Office of Science and Technology Policy assistant director of spectrum and telecom policy; and T-Mobile Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Smitty Smith.
Cantwell questioned whether Thune’s push for Trump administration action on Democratic nominees would move the needle now. Thune “said something similar before” Senate Commerce advanced Trusty in late April, which prompted six panel Democrats to support her (see 2504300047), Cantwell told us. “Then [Thune] just went ahead and moved” forward in June on Trusty’s confirmation without Trump naming a Democrat to Starks’ seat. Cantwell and all other Democrats except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against confirming Trusty. “We could have a discussion” on expediting confirmation of some Trump nominees if the president named Democrats “to the FCC [and other] important” commissions, Cantwell said.
Senate Communications ranking member Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., said he will “be very surprised" if Trump names Democrats to any vacancies. “All this White House has been doing [thus far] is chasing [Democrats] out” of commissions, Lujan said. But “there are experts in so many fields who understand the importance of these roles and … would come forward” to serve in those agencies.
Free Press Vice President of Policy Matt Wood said it’s not surprising that Thune is pitching the White House on picking Democratic nominees because he's “more of an institutionalist than [Trump] is.” But he questioned why Senate “Democrats would go for [what amounts to] a bad deal” on minority-party nominees. Trump could either “turn around and get rid of them” immediately after confirmation or pick Democrats who “the president likes better, basically rigging these commissions,” Wood said. “Why would they take that kind of deal when [Trump has] shown utter disrespect for actually letting [sitting commissioners] do their job once they're in the building?”