Trump’s nominee for Commerce secretary passes key vote in the Senate
President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, has passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, paving the way for his final confirmation vote. The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on Lutnick’s nomination, with a 52-45 vote in favor. Republicans, who control the Senate by a 53-47 majority, advanced his nomination to bring his final confirmation vote to the Senate floor.
Lutnick, the Chairman and CEO of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald and a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential transition team, needed a majority vote to move forward in the confirmation process. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee had previously voted 16-12 on February 5 to advance Lutnick to the procedural vote after he testified for over three hours before the committee on January 29.
If confirmed, Lutnick will become one of the wealthiest people to serve in a presidential administration, alongside figures like Elon Musk and President Trump himself. During his confirmation hearing, Lutnick committed to selling all of his interests and assets if confirmed, in order to prevent any potential conflicts of interest.
“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest — meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick stated during the hearing. “I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation.”
President Trump announced Lutnick’s nomination shortly after his election, praising him for his leadership during the presidential transition. Trump expressed his confidence in Lutnick’s ability to lead the Tariff and Trade agenda, as well as oversee the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
During his confirmation hearing, Lutnick addressed questions about tariff policy, stating that the argument that tariffs create inflation is “nonsense.” He emphasized the need for the U.S. to be treated more fairly in the global trading environment and expressed support for using tariffs to create reciprocity.
Lutnick also shared Trump’s stance on tariffs, advocating for an “across-the-board” strategy rather than “country-by-country” tariffs. Trump recently announced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports from all countries, with a 35% tariff specifically for Chinese steel and aluminum imports, set to take effect on March 12.
As Lutnick moves closer to confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, his commitment to divesting his business interests and assets demonstrates his dedication to serving the American people without any conflicts of interest. With his background in finance and trade, Lutnick is poised to play a significant role in shaping the country’s trade policies and economic strategies in the coming years.
