WASHINGTON – For the first time since his controversial push to remove ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr will be questioned by the Senate on Wednesday. This move has sparked bipartisan disapproval, raising alarms over potential governmental meddling in the media.

As part of an oversight hearing, Carr will present before the Senate Commerce Committee, joined by his fellow FCC commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna M. Gomez. This meeting marks the first complete oversight of FCC commissioners by the Senate Commerce Committee since 2020, despite two open seats on the typically five-member board.

Since his appointment by President Donald Trump last November, Carr has taken a firm stance in line with the administration’s combative approach towards media deemed antagonistic. His tenure has seen FCC probes into major networks including ABC, CBS, and NBC News, as well as certain local broadcasters.

In his second term, Trump has initiated legal actions against major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and more recently, the BBC. Additionally, at Trump’s behest, Congress approved a $1.1 billion cut to public broadcasting funding this summer.

Earlier this year, Carr faced backlash from both sides of the political spectrum after criticizing Kimmel for remarks about the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk, labeling them as “truly sick.” Carr warned broadcasters, suggesting compliance was non-negotiable. Subsequently, ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely just hours following the incident.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, who scheduled the hearing last month, was among the Republicans who criticized Carr’s remarks at the time.

“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said on his podcast, calling Carr’s comments “dangerous as hell.”

The hearing comes as Carr faces additional scrutiny from Democrats over media consolidation. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, a member of the committee, joined other Democrats this week in urging Carr to closely examine Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of rival broadcaster Tegna.

In a letter sent Tuesday, the lawmakers warned the deal would further concentrate media power in the U.S. local television market.

“Regulatory approval of the conglomerate would likely raise prices for consumers, accelerate job losses, and weaken the independence and news coverage of local TV stations,” they wrote.

The transaction would require the FCC to loosen rules limiting how many stations a single company may own. Carr has said he is open to changing those ownership limits. Nexstar was one of two ABC affiliate owners that said they would preempt Kimmel’s show with local programming following his comments about Kirk.

Kimmel’s suspension came after his monologue included a reference to Kirk’s shooting and compared Trump’s grief to “how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.” The show returned to air less than a week after the indefinite suspension was announced.