Federal lawmakers are hitting the pause button on a confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s latest pick to fill a vacant seat at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Senate Commerce Committee hearing was set for Thursday, during which Senate lawmakers were scheduled to question FCC Commissioner-nominee Danielle Thumann Severs.
An official familiar with the matter said the hearing will be rescheduled after Severs gave birth this week. She is currently on maternity leave; her hearing will take place when her leave concludes, the source said.
Severs currently serves as Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, advising him on matters before the Wireline Competition Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
Trump formally sent Severs’ nomination to the Senate on August 7 for a five-year term dating from July 1, 2024. The nomination is for the seat previously held by Nathan Simington.
If confirmed, Severs would give Republicans three seats on the five-member Commission. The FCC currently has another vacancy following the departure of Geoffrey Starks.
Severs is in her second stint at the agency. She joined then-Commissioner Carr’s office as a Legal Advisor in March 2021 and left in 2023 for a private-sector government relations position with a telecommunications infrastructure provider. She returned to Carr’s office in August 2024.
