WASHINGTON — Danielle Thumann Severs, President Trump’s nominee for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission and a senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, told the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday that she would base her decisions on “the facts and the law and the record,” as Democrats used her confirmation hearing to press questions about Carr, who attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate.
Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked whether she would commit to “basing licensing decisions on the law and the record and to not using the FCC’s authority to pressure or punish a broadcaster for protected speech,” and she answered, “Yes,” Ars Technica reported. She also said she supports the JAWBONE Act, a Cruz-Wyden bill that would allow lawsuits against federal officials who try to coerce broadcasters or tech platforms into restricting speech.
Carr praised her when Trump announced the nomination in August. “Danielle is a dedicated public servant and has consistently delivered policy wins from bridging the digital divide and protecting consumers to advancing public safety,” he wrote on X, Radio World reported. The National Association of Broadcasters’ president, Curtis LeGeyt, said her “extensive experience at the commission and deep understanding of communications policy will serve her well.” Asked about Democrats’ plans for oversight, a Carr spokesperson told Reuters: “Over the next two years, under Chairman Carr’s leadership, the FCC will continue to deliver great results for the American people,” according to the Reuters report.
Two Hoyas on a three-member commission
The FCC now has three commissioners. Two are Republicans with Georgetown degrees or study: Carr, who according to his FCC biography attended Georgetown for his undergraduate studies before earning a law degree at Catholic University, and Commissioner Olivia Trusty, who received her master’s degree from Georgetown, according to her FCC biography. The third is Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat, whose term expired July 1; she may serve until the end of the next session of Congress unless a successor is confirmed, Radio World reported.
Thumann Severs, who advises Carr on the wireline, public safety and consumer bureaus, earned her law degree at Catholic University in 2016 and her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia, according to Radio World. She worked as a legal adviser in Carr’s office from 2021 to 2023 and rejoined it in 2024 after working on government relations for Crown Castle. She told senators she had not advised Carr on media issues.
Democrats’ objections
Democrats on the committee objected to moving a Republican nominee without a Democratic pair. “For many decades, the Senate has paired commission nominees: A Republican and a Democrat moving together,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), according to Ars Technica. He said that if Thumann Severs is confirmed, “President Trump could then fire Commissioner Gomez and have an FCC with no Democratic voice at all.” The three Republicans would be enough for a quorum on their own, Roll Call reported.
Much of the questioning focused on Carr’s record with broadcasters. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked about Carr’s 2025 remarks threatening action against ABC licenses over comments by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. “Those were his words. They were not my words, and I have not advised him or worked with the chairman on these particular issues,” Thumann Severs said, according to Ars Technica. On the FCC’s order for early license renewals at ABC-owned stations, she said the licenses “were called for early renewal as part of an investigation into potential rule violations,” based on public material.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the top Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees the FCC, said Carr would be called to testify at least monthly once Democrats take control of Congress in January. “I don’t think Chairman Carr is going to be around more than another three or four months,” he said, Reuters reported. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said she was “not comfortable” with the nominee’s answers on whether the FCC could end the E-Rate program, which helps connect schools and libraries; Thumann Severs said she could not prejudge an open proceeding.
Cruz did not say when the committee would vote, Roll Call reported. Senators have until Thursday to submit written questions, and the nominee has until Nov. 16 to answer them, according to Ars Technica.
The Inquisitor has covered Carr and Trusty before on our Georgetown Alumni page.
Featured photo: Brendan Carr, then an FCC commissioner, at CPAC in National Harbor, Md., February 2018. (Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)
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