Senate Confirms Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2025 – The Senate confirmed investment banker and crypto advocate Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce Tuesday in a 51-45 vote.

Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will now oversee key economic and trade policies, including broadband expansion, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor development within the U.S.

The confirmation followed a contentious 16-12 party-line vote to confirm Lutnick’s confirmation in the Senate Commerce Committee on Feb. 5. At the time, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., raised concerns over Lutnick’s commitment to federal tech and telecom investments. “Mr. Lutnick, in various answers to the committee, did not give full commitment to making sure money continues to go out the door. I was looking for a stronger commitment,” she said.

However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., a vocal critic of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program overseen by the Commerce Department, welcomed Lutnick’s nomination and called on him to take immediate action on broadband, spectrum and AI.

“I'm glad that President Trump has chosen an outcome-driven leader like Lutnick,” Thune said, speaking on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. “Broadband expansion will require action. The $42 billion BEAD program was created more than three years ago, yet it has still not connected a single household to the internet.” Thune affirmed: “Mr. Lutnick has pledged to finally get this program off the ground and spend that money only on actual broadband infrastructure.”

During his nomination hearing on Jan. 31, Lutnick suggested he would review and potentially alter broadband policies approved within BEAD under the Biden administration. Asked by Thune whether he would “work to ensure that this BEAD funding is only used for actual broadband infrastructure builds,” Lutnick said, “Absolutely.”

His remarks raised concerns for state broadband offices, at least 13 of which had planned to allocate BEAD funds toward ‘nondeployment’ initiatives, like workforce reskilling and education programs, in addition to deploying broadband service to all currently unserved and underserved locations. 

Asked if he would follow instructions to cut BEAD money already appropriated by Congress and obligated by NTIA, Lutnick said “I work for the president… If the president has other objectives, I will sit down and talk with him about it.”

Lutnick was also receptive to taking a more technology neutral approach with the program, saying at the time: “Let’s use satellites, let’s use fixed wireless, let’s use fiber, let’s do it the cheapest, most efficient way we can.”

Beyond broadband, Lutnick was expected to play a role in shaping the Trump administration’s approach to spectrum policy.

During his confirmation hearing, Lutnick signaled that he would prioritize commercial interests in spectrum allocation. “If I’m going to be your Secretary of Commerce, I kind of lean toward commerce,” Lutnick said. “I’d like to help us drive some of that spectrum toward our businesses.”

Thune emphasized the need for a renewed focus on spectrum policy, arguing that the Biden administration had stalled progress. 

“In his first term, President Trump took spectrum seriously and opened up more megahertz for commercial use. But the Biden administration did nothing. They called for a number of studies but committed to freeing up zero megahertz of spectrum. I'm glad that spectrum will get the attention it deserves under Lutnick,” Thune said.