Sen Cantwell Will Oppose Olivia Trusty for FCC Commissioner, Urges Colleagues to Join Her

Sen Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said she will oppose the nomination of Olivia Trusty to be a Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission, citing Republicans’ breach of the longstanding practice to advance both Republican and Democratic nominees, and their plan to auction spectrum used for national security and aviation safety. “I am opposing the pending nomination of Olivia Trusty to serve as a Commissioner on the FCC and will be urging my colleagues to do the same,” wrote Sen Cantwell in a letter to Majority Leader Thune. “Although I respect the nominee’s professional background, when I spoke in support of Ms. Trusty’s nomination in Committee on April 30, I explained that my support was not absolute. Since then, the Trump Administration has pursued a series of concerning policies, leading me to oppose Ms. Trusty’s nomination.” "Moreover," she wrote, "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."