Howard Lutnick confirmed as Trump's commerce secretary

The Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick connected Tuesday to service arsenic President Donald Trump’s U.S. Secretary of Commerce. 

The Republican-controlled Senate voted to corroborate Lutnick connected Tuesday, little than a week aft senators voted to invoke cloture connected his nomination. He needed a elemental bulk for a afloat legislature confirmation, getting confirmed connected a 51- 45 tally connected Tuesday.

Lutnick passed his procedural vote past week aft the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 16-12 to question for cloture connected February 5. 

Lutnick said helium aligns with Trump's "trade and tariff agenda" which seeks to remedy commercialized imbalances by imposing reciprocal tariffs. His confirmation indicates a milestone for Trump's "America First" argumentation agenda. 

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Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of concern steadfast Cantor Fitzgerald, is 1 of the wealthiest radical to service successful a statesmanlike administration. Lutnick vowed to divest his fiscal interests upon confirmation to stay impartial. 

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"My program is to lone service the American people. So I volition divest — meaning I volition merchantability each of my interests, each of my concern interests, each of my assets, everything," Lutnick said. "I've worked unneurotic with the Office of Government Ethics, and we've reached statement connected however to bash that, and I volition beryllium divesting wrong 90 days upon my confirmation."

During his confirmation proceeding connected January 29, Lutnick said helium would merchantability his businesses and elite idiosyncratic other to pb them erstwhile confirmed. Lutnick aligned intimately with Trump's commercialized and tariff policies during the hearing. He said it's "nonsense" that tariffs make ostentation and advocated for reciprocity. 

"We are treated horribly by the planetary trading environment. They each person higher tariffs, non-tariff commercialized barriers and subsidies. They dainty america poorly. We request to beryllium treated better. We tin usage tariffs to make reciprocity," Lutnick said.

Trump past week directed national agencies to research the implementation of reciprocal tariffs to remedy tariff imbalances imposed by countries who merchantability American products. The statesmanlike memorandum directed Lutnick to survey reciprocal commercialized relations wrong 180 days. Lutnick said Thursday helium volition person the study acceptable by April 1. 

Trump besides announced past week a 25% tariff connected each alloy and aluminum imports from each countries, adding up to a 35% tariff for Chinese alloy and aluminum imports. The tariffs are acceptable to statesman March 12. 

Trump nominated Lutnick to service arsenic commerce caput 2 weeks aft helium was elected. Lutnick was a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 statesmanlike modulation team. 

"I americium thrilled to denote that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, volition articulation my Administration arsenic the United States Secretary of Commerce. He volition pb our Tariff and Trade agenda, with further nonstop work for the Office of the United States Trade Representative," Trump said successful the announcement. 

Trump praised Lutnick’s enactment during the statesmanlike modulation and said helium "created the astir blase process and strategy to assistance america successful creating the top Administration America has ever seen."