The shock resignation of Nathan Simington has intensified Republican efforts in Washington to confirm Trump nominee Olivia Trusty to the FCC, where Chairman Brendan Carr has been left in the lurch to preside over a quorum-less Commission.
Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filed cloture on Trusty’s nomination, triggering a formal process to limit debate and move her confirmation toward a floor vote as early as next week. Trusty has been nominated to serve the remainder of former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s term, which ends June 30.
Simington’s surprise departure on June 6 – paired with the simultaneous exit of Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks – left the five-member body with just two members, an insufficient number to conduct official business under agency rules, thus stalling pending deregulatory initiatives, merger reviews, and other sweeping policy efforts.
Majority Leader Thune’s filing came just hours after a comprehensive discussion of the matter at Radio Ink‘s Hispanic Radio Conference 2025.
“There’s no love lost between the two Republicans that were there,” Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth Partner Frank Montero said. “I think they both wanted to be chair… Simington wrote a critical editorial the day after he left, and I think announcing on Wednesday that he’s leaving Friday was a little bit of a ‘go jump in the lake’ move.”
That editorial, a sharply worded feature in RealClearPolicy, delivered a forceful institutional critique of FCC leadership that stopped just short of naming Carr directly. Carr offered no formal farewell following Simington’s resignation, acknowledging it only in passing in a blog post.
Trusty’s confirmation has now taken on greater urgency, as her appointment would restore a Republican voice and reestablish the Commission’s ability to function. However, while invoking cloture only requires a simple majority for executive nominees, Democrats have pledged to oppose any Republican nominee unless a Democratic pick is advanced in tandem.
Though Trusty has held senior roles in communications policy circles and is generally favored by both Republicans and Democrats, her nomination is now caught in a broader political standoff over FCC control and party balance.
Meanwhile, Simington’s 31-year-old Chief of Staff, Gavin Wax, is reportedly under serious consideration by President Donald Trump as his replacement. Despite his age, Wax is seen as a strong conservative voice on tech and media policy with close ties to Trump-aligned figures.
