Democrat Sen. Ben Luyan, 49, returns to work just a month after his coup to vote for Biden’s election to lead the FCC – which faces fierce Republican opposition
- “It’s good to be back. I’ll tell you, I missed you all, “said the New Mexico Democrat
- He received a standing ovation from fellow senators as he entered the room
- With Luhan’s vote, a split Senate trade committee votes along party lines to remove Gigi Son from the committee
- The FCC is split 2-2 between Republicans and Democrats and Sohn’s confirmation will give Democrats a 3-2 majority
- Her arrival could prompt the FCC to pursue policy initiatives such as net neutrality rules.
Democrat Sen. Ben Ray Lujan returned to Congress on Wednesday for the first time in a month after suffering a stroke, just in time to vote for the nomination of Federal Communications Commission candidate Gigi Son of Senate Trade Committee.
“To each of you who sent me notes, who sent me videos and all the prayers, it worked. And it’s nice to be back. I’ll tell you, I missed you all, “New Mexico democrat said when he returned to work.
He received a standing ovation from fellow senators as he entered the room.
The news of Luhan’s stroke, which was released from his office five days after he was hospitalized for it, took Capitol Hill of Surprise. At 49, the freshman Democrat is the younger member of the House, with an average age of about 63.
After a stay in an inpatient rehab center, the senator vowed to return to Congress “in a few more weeks” and vowed to return to vote for President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Kentanji Jackson Brown.
With Luyan’s vote, a split Senate trade committee voted along party lines to take Son out of the committee and send her nomination to a full vote. The vote was 14-14 and in case of an equal number of votes, the candidate can receive one vote, but without a favorable or unfavorable recommendation.
The FCC is split 2-2 between Republicans and Democrats and Sohn’s confirmation will give Democrats a 3-2 majority. Her arrival could prompt the FCC to pursue policy initiatives such as net neutrality rules.
With Luyan’s vote, a split Senate Trade Committee votes along party lines to take the FCC’s election of Gigi Sohn out of the committee and send her nomination to a full vote
Gigi Sohn, supra, drew strong opposition to the GOP, in part because of critical remarks he made to Fox News
Sohn, an open-minded proponent, can help deliver on President Biden’s promise to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules, which will require ISPs to treat all web traffic the same way.
Sohn drew strong opposition to the GOP, in part because of critical remarks he made to Fox News.
Son was annoyed in December with her previous tweets, which called the state-sponsored news network. Sohn, a law professor at Georgetown University, acknowledged that her tweets were “for some,” but stood behind her record and said any internal bias would not affect her work.
“Here’s a list of comments for Fox News, are you biased against them?” Senator Roy Blunt asked.
“I understand that they affect some and everyone who knows me knows that I am quite direct,” she said. And anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty direct. But they were made in my role as an advocate.
Maybe the tone was a little sharper – maybe I should have blunted it a bit, “she said. She said it was part of her job as a public defender.
Blunt then asked her about the state-sponsored comment.
“My views as a defender of the public interest will have nothing to do with how I will behave as a politician,” she replied. She said she would have nothing to do with the way she would rule in proceedings with any of these companies.
The hearing became so contested that Son had to reappear in February, where she agreed to step down from some broadcasting regulatory issues due to her role as president of Public Knowledge, a group advocating for free and open internet and accessible access. to communication.
Democrats need every vote in their group to nominate federal and judicial bodies that are not subordinate to the Senate and do not need Republican votes. In the 50-50 Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the deciding vote.
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