Donald Trump removed Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel’s nomination to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, March 1.
“Jessica Rosenworcel, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission for a term of five years from July 1, 2015. Received message of withdrawal of nomination from the President,” the U.S. Senate website announced.
Rosenworcel, who former president Barack Obama renominated in January before leaving office, served on the FCC from 2012 to 2016. Her term expired in July of 2015, but the Senate Commerce Committee stated that she was allowed to “remain in her current role as commissioner until Dec. 31, 2016 while awaiting Senate confirmation for a second term.” Obama had hoped that she would be the Democratic choice once Trump took office.
The five-member panel currently has two vacancies to fill, which Trump will nominate and then be considered by the Senate. Former Democratic chairman Thomas Wheeler left when Obama’s presidency ended. At this moment, there are two Republican members and one Democrat.
Last night, Trump gave his first address to a Joint Session of Congress. It is estimated that 48 million people tuned in to watch his speech last night, in which he spoke about a variety of topics including immigration, the U.S.-Mexico border, repealing Obamacare, and his plans for “American greatness,” among many other concerns. Right after, late-night talk show hosts gave their opinions on the address, with Bill Maher telling Chris Matthews that his speech to Congress “will fool a lot of people,” and Josh Earnest mentioning to Stephen Colbert that Trump succeeded in giving a speech without berating anyone.
