Senate Will Examine Four Nominees Across Three Agencies

Why it Matters

Four nominees spanning the Department of Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and NASA are set to face the Senate in a single nominations hearing on November 10. The FCC seat carries particular weight: Danielle Thumann Severs, a senior counsel to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, was nominated to fill one of two open FCC seats, meaning her confirmation would shift the commission's composition. The hearing is titled "Hearings To Examine The Nominations Of Leslie Becera, Of Virginia, To Be An Assistant Secretary Of Transportation, Danielle Thumann Severs, Of North Carolina, To Be A Member Of The Federal Communications Commission, And Joshua Shoemaker, Of Virginia, To Be Chief Financial Officer, And Robert Steinau, Of Maryland, To Be Inspector General, Both Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration" and is listed as a Senate hearing. ​

Broader Context

A hearing involving Severs and Becera was previously scheduled for September 17, and its record is marked as completed; the November 10 hearing is at least 54 days later. Reuters reported on November 3 that the Senate Commerce Committee would hold a November 10 hearing on Danielle Thumann Severs's nomination to the FCC. Still, the available reporting does not identify a specific event that prompted the hearing.

Fox Corp. has lobbied on spectrum-related and media ownership issues that fall within FCC jurisdiction, reporting $1.49 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, $1.18 million in the first quarter of 2026, $1.34 million in the second quarter of 2026, and $1.18 million in the third quarter of 2026 across those issue areas, though the filings do not name any of the four nominees, the FCC, NASA, or the Department of Transportation.