Senate Vote On FCC Nominee Sohn Expected After Easter Recess

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday night opened a path to break a deadlock and force a confirmation vote on the nomination of Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission.

Gigi Sohn

Bloomberg reports the vote, scheduled for Wednesday, would bring Bedoya’s nomination out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, where it has been blocked by committee Republicans for months.

Schumer’s move allows Democrats to side-step a committee deadlock. They used the same maneuver earlier Tuesday to advance Federal Reserve nominee Lisa Cook.

A final confirmation vote, however, won’t likely take place until after the Senate’s two-week Easter recess, as Schumer plans to spend next week on confirming Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Another deadlocked appointee, Gigi Sohn, is expected to be advanced through similar methods. Her nomination to the Federal Communications Commission has also been stalled along party lines in the Senate Commerce Committee.

Bedoya’s confirmation as an FTC commissioner would cement the agency’s Democratic majority and facilitate Chair Lina Khan’s progressive agenda. The agency is expected to toughen rules on mergers and data privacy. The five-member commission has been split 2-2 between Democrats and Republicans since October, limiting Khan’s power to bring cases.

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