Donald Trump has nominated Danielle Thumann Severs, a senior counsel to FCC chair Brendan Carr, to fill one of two vacant seats on the Federal Communications Commission. If the Senate confirms her, Republicans would hold the three seats needed for a quorum, potentially enabling the agency to take decisions more easily and altering its political balance.

Severs would serve a five-year term retroactive to 1 July 2024, when the vacancy began. Her work at the FCC has covered wireline policy, public safety, homeland security and consumer affairs, and she previously worked for telecoms company Crown Castle. Democrats are expected to challenge the nomination because it was not paired with a Democratic nominee; commissioner Anna Gomez remains the FCC’s sole Democrat despite her term having expired.