Wednesday Senate Cloture Vote on FCC Nominee Gomez Possible

There's a strong possibility Senate leaders will set a vote to invoke cloture on Democratic FCC nominee Anna Gomez for Wednesday, several communications policy lobbyists told us Tuesday. Those lobbyists and others cautioned that a cloture vote could still happen Thursday instead, an outcome that appeared the likeliest outcome last week. A Thursday cloture vote would mean a final confirmation vote on Gomez would not happen until next week, while holding it Wednesday cloture vote would set the Senate up to approve her earlier. The chamber was expected to vote Tuesday night on President Joe Biden’s nomination of Federal Reserve Board member Philip Jefferson to be the body’s vice chairman, one of a few high-profile administration nominees along with Gomez that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed cloture on before the August recess (see 2307280074).

Officials saw Gomez as all but certain before the Senate left for the August recess to win confirmation when the chamber returned because of expectations she would get unanimous support from the 51-member Democratic caucus and a commitment from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to also back the FCC nominee. Lobbyists believe a “handful” of other Senate Republicans will vote for cloture and confirmation on Gomez. They view three Republicans who in the past frequently backed Biden nominees as the likeliest Senate GOP members to back Gomez: Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.

Other Senate Republicans lobbyists believe could be yes votes: former Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Judiciary Committee ranking member Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana. Moran, Wicker and Young were the only Commerce Republicans besides Capito who didn’t ask the panel to record them as no votes on Gomez in July (see 2307120073). None of the senators’ offices commented Tuesday.

Biden, meanwhile, renominated CPB board member Miriam Hellreich to a term ending Jan. 31, 2030, the White House said. The Senate previously confirmed her in 2019 (see 1903150033).

Neither Schumer nor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., mentioned Gomez during floor speeches when the chamber gaveled back in Tuesday afternoon. Schumer invoked his planned Sept. 13 AI forum (see 2309010061), which will be “an open discussion about how Congress can act” to address the emerging technology, which “is unlike any topic we’ve undertaken in Congress.” Tackling AI “is not going to be easy,” but “we cannot behave like ostriches with heads in the sand,” Schumer said: “We must treat it with the same level of seriousness as national security” and other priorities. Future forums will focus on “a variety of topics, including finding ways to promote AI innovation, IP issues, workforce issues” and privacy matters, he said.