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, passed a cardinal procedural ballot successful the Senate connected Thursday, clearing the way for his last confirmation vote. 

The Senate’s ballot this day to invoke cloture ended the statement connected Lutnick’s information and paved the mode for his confirmation arsenic Commerce secretary. Senators precocious his information by a 52-45 vote. Republicans power the Senate by a 53-47 majority. 

Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of the concern steadfast Cantor Fitzgerald and a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 statesmanlike modulation team, needed a bulk ballot to bring his last confirmation ballot to the Senate floor. 

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 16-12 connected February 5 to beforehand Lutnick to the procedural vote. Lutnick testified for implicit 3 hours earlier the Senate Commerce Committee connected January 29. 

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

If confirmed, Lutnick volition go 1 of the wealthiest radical to service successful a statesmanlike administration, on with Elon Musk and Trump himself. During Lutnick’s confirmation hearing, helium committed to selling each of his interests and assets if confirmed. 

TULSI GABBARD SWORN IN AT WHITE HOUSE HOURS AFTER SENATE CONFIRMATION

"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."

Lutnick said selling his businesses would forestall a struggle of interest. 

"Upon confirmation, my businesses volition beryllium for merchantability and idiosyncratic other volition pb them going forward," Lutnick added. 

Trump announced Lutnick’s information 2 weeks aft helium was elected president. 

"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. 

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

With Lutnick teed up to pb Trump’s "Tariff and Trade agenda," helium faced questions during his confirmation proceeding astir tariff policy. Lutnick said the statement that tariffs make ostentation is "nonsense." 

"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.

Lutnick testified that helium shares Trump’s stance connected tariffs, adding helium prefers an "across-the-board" strategy to "country-by-country" tariffs. 

Trump connected Monday announced 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 spell into effect connected March 12.