WASHINGTON—Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump’s lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), members of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, have reiterated their call for a full Federal Communications Commission vote on the pending Paramount Global-Skydance Media merger.
On July 2, Paramount, the parent of CBS, agreed to pay $16 million to settle what the senators have a called “frivolous lawsuit" brought by President Donald Trump over coverage of the presidential campaign.
In a letter to Republican FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, the senators urged her to push for a vote by the full commission on the merger, repeating demands made prior to the settlement.
In May 2025, as Paramount was reportedly pushing for the settlement to help facilitate approval of its merger, Markey and Luján wrote to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr requesting that the FCC hold a full vote on the Paramount-Skydance merger.
Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, has also called for a full vote.
In a new July 10 letter, the lawmakers wrote: “As we explained in a letter to Chairman Brendan Carr in May, the Paramount-Skydance merger is unique in the FCC’s storied history, with the sitting President actively litigating against a news organization whose parent is seeking FCC approval of a major media merger. In that baseless lawsuit, Trump falsely alleged that CBS had violated state consumer protection laws through its editorial decisions around an interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Although the transcript of the interview indisputably showed that Trump’s claims were a flagrant attempt to intimidate the media, Paramount has nevertheless agreed to settle that lawsuit for $16 million. This settlement casts a shadow over the proposed Paramount-Skydance merger and raises serious questions about the editorial independence of one of the nation’s largest media organizations. The Commission cannot turn a blind eye to this context.
“For that reason, in our May letter, we urged Chairman Carr to hold a vote on the merger by the full Commission, instead of unilaterally directing the Media Bureau to approve it on its delegated authority,” the lawmakers continued. “Commissioner Anna Gomez has similarly called for a full Commission vote on the merger. We respectfully request you to join her and encourage Chairman Carr to schedule a full Commission vote. The FCC owes the public a transparent, deliberative process on such a high-profile and controversial issue.”
The full letter is available here.
