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Commerce Committee to Hold Vote on Nominee Lutnick

Executive session will include vote on Capito USF bill.

Commerce Committee to Hold Vote on Nominee Lutnick
Screenshot of Howard Lutnick at Wednesday's Secretary of Commerce nomination hearing

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2025 – A date has been set for the Senate Commerce Committee to vote on President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Wednesday evening that he will convene a full committee Executive Session on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. EST, where there will be a committee vote on the nomination of Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary.

This announcement came just hours after Lutnick’s confirmation hearing Wednesday, where he was asked about the $42.45 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, honoring existing spending plans, and reviewing Biden administration policies.

The Executive Session will take place in the Committee Hearing room, Russell 253, and will be live streamed on the committee’s website.

Along with the confirmation of Lutnick, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., will be discussing the Rural Broadband Protection Act in this session. 

This bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to more thoroughly vet applicants aiming to get money from the Universal Service Fund’s High-Cost program. Capito wants to ensure funding goes to companies who have proven success deploying affordable broadband in underserved communities.

Capito’s bill, which she introduced in Feb. 2023, passed the Senate but not the House in the last Congress.

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