The Senate confirmed Olivia Trusty to the FCC, a move that gives Donald Trump and Republicans a 2-1 majority on the commission.

The Senate voted 53-45 to confirm Trusty, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) the sole Democrat to vote in favor.

The FCC has been split 2-2 since Trump took office, and more recently 1-1 after the departures of Democrat Geoffrey Starks and Republican Nathan Simington.

With the majority, the Republican-controlled FCC will be able to carry out some of the promised initiatives on Trump’s agenda, which has included a deregulation initiative. Broadcasters are pushing for lifting of ownership rules, which they call outdated.

Less clear is how Trusty will weigh in on other controversial commission proceedings and inquiries. The FCC under chairman Brendan Carr, appointed to the post by Donald Trump, also has launched investigations of major media companies, including over the diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Carr also revived a complaint against CBS over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris, as well as complaints against other broadcast networks. Skydance and Paramount also are seeking FCC approval for their merger.

RELATED: Paramount-CBS And Trump Legal Teams Say They Are In “Continued Mediation” To Settle ’60 Minutes’ Lawsuit, Ask Judge To Extend Some Filing Deadlines

At her confirmation hearing, Trusty was asked about Trump’s call for broadcasters to lose their license over news coverage he disfavors. Trusty said that she thought that the president had “First Amendment rights to express his views,” while saying that her responsibility would be to “focus on the facts, FCC precedent and the law.”

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) asked Trusty whether it was “appropriate to consider a broadcaster’s editorial decisions when reviewing a merger.” Before he took office as chairman, Carr had said that the 60 Minutes complaint was “likely to arise” as part of the FCC review of the Skydance-Paramount merger.

“With respect to mergers and transactions, I would look at them through the lens of what advances the public interest,” Trusty said. “These are very fact-specific cases that require a very thorough and thoughtful review of information in the record, and I would be guided by the statute.”

Democrats were nearly united in opposition to Trusty because Trump has not nominated a Democrat to fill the other FCC slot. A president’s party cannot control more than three seats on the five-member commission.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, originally supported Trusty’s nomination but cited what she called the Trump administration’s “concerning policies.”

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Cantwell cited Trump’s “alarming
record of seeking to illegally fire Democrats on independent commissions like the FCC,” as the president ousted the two Democrats on the Federal Trade Commission. Cantwell wrote that she was “seriously concerned” that Trump would move to fire the remaining Democrat on the FCC, Anna Gomez, refuse to name replacements and operate the commission on a “strictly partisan basis.”

The commissioners, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, have sued Trump, arguing that their removal from an independent agency without cause was outside the scope of the president’s authority. Trump has sought to remove Democrats or dissenting voices across an array of agencies and institutions, including the Kennedy Center, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Labor Relations Board and the Holocaust Memorial.

In a statement, Carr said, “Olivia brings years of valuable experience to the agency, including her public service on Capitol Hill and time in the private sector.  I am confident that her deep expertise and knowledge will enable her to hit the ground running, and she will be an exceptionally effective FCC Commissioner.”

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