Olivia Trusty Confirmed as FCC Commissioner by Senate to Bring Commission to Quorum Again

By Nathan Seibert

This week Olivia Trusty was confirmed by the Senate as the newest commissioner of the Federal Communications. Commissioner Trusty was nominated by President Trump in January and confirmed yesterday on June 17th. The confirmation vote was 53-45, falling mostly on partisan lines with Senator Fetterman as the only Democrat voting for Trusty.

Commissioner Trusty’s confirmation brings the Commission to three commissioners out of five, achieving a quorum. This will allow for Chairmen Carr to pursue his deregulatory at the FCC. Trusty is a spectacular choice for the Commission and has ample experience with FCC issues.

Before her confirmation, Commissioner Trusty served on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee. She previously worked as policy director for the Senate Commerce Committee, handling FCC issues.  Trusty also worked in the private sector holding senior policy positions at Verizon and Qwest. Her extensive understanding of telecommunications and cybersecurity will serve her well on the Commission in her term. Trusty received praise from Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez.

I have known Olivia for years and have been very impressed with her strong background in communications policy and deep understanding of the technical aspects of this job, which will be a great asset to this agency.

Chairmen Carr also released a statement on the confirmation of Commissioner Trusty. As previously mentioned, Trusty’s confirmation is a huge win for Carr’s agenda and the function of the agency.

Olivia brings years of valuable experience to the agency, including her public service on Capitol Hill and time in the private sector. I am confident that her deep expertise and knowledge will enable her to hit the ground running, and she will be an exceptionally effective FCC Commissioner. I look forward to welcoming Olivia to the Commission as a colleague and advancing an agenda that will deliver great results for the American people.

Senator Cantwell Votes No on Flimsy Rationale

The Senate confirmation of Trusty was not without controversy. None of the issues raised by Democratic lawmakers were directly related to Trusty, but rather the administration and the direction of the agency. Senator Cantwell, who serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee wrote a letter this week to majority Leader Thune expressing opposition to Commissioner Trusty’s confirmation.

As you know, I had hoped Ms. Trusty’s nomination would be paired with a Democratic nominee, consistent with longstanding practice. But her nomination is being brought to the floor this week while an open Democratic seat on the Commission remains vacant following former Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’s resignation. Moreover, given President Trump’s alarming record of seeking to illegally fire Democrats on independent commissions like the FCC, I remain seriously concerned that this Administration will try to illegally terminate Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez, refuse to nominate any Democratic replacements, and then operate the Commission on a strictly partisan basis.

Senator Cantwell chose to look past Commissioner Trusty’s clear merits as a nominee and use the opportunity to unfairly criticize the President’s nomination practices.

Last month Democratic Commissioner Starks and Republican Commissioner Simington simultaneously resigned from the Commission. Trusty was not nominated to replace either of these recently departed commissioners. Former Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel left the agency in January of 2025, leaving the vacancy intended for Commissioner Trusty.

Precedent of the FCC Nominations

Pairs of nominees from each party have historically been the norm for the FCC but there is precedent for individual nominations as well. This was the case for Commissioner Simington in 2020. It is not a reasonable expectation for there to be a Democratic nominee given how recently Starks departed, but in that same vein, there isn’t a Republican nominee yet to replace Simington. Senator Cantwell used the publicity of the nomination to spread fear of President Trump stacking the commission.

The weak attempt to fearmonger by the Senate Democrats shouldn’t come as a surprise and certainly should not cast a cloud over the confirmation of Commissioner Trusty. Olivia Trusty is more than qualified and carried herself well through her confirmation hearing. The Commission can now not only resume its functions with quorum but also gained another bright mind on technology and cybersecurity regulation.