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Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz blocks FCC nominee

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, widely blamed for his quixotic fight to stop the Affordable Care Act, has turned his sights on FCC chair nominee Tom Wheeler, and has blocked his Senate confirmation.

Cruz is championing the right of big money in politics, and according to his staff, is demanding that Wheeler promise that there will be no more requirements for funding disclosures of political ads on TV.

If blockage of government functions is Cruz’s goal, then he may be succeeding. According to The Washington Post, Cruz could delay all important FCC decisions, such as the upcoming spectrum auction which would “likely to be postponed until the full five-member panel is in place.”

Hopefully, the Senate will vote to confirm Wheeler – and the Republican nominee Mike O’Reilly for the other open Commissioner slot – when it returns from recess on October 28.

Sen. Ted Cruz blocks confirmation of Tom Wheeler, nominee for FCC chairman (The Washington Post, Oct. 18, 2013)