Chairman Cruz announces executive session to markup Lutnick nomination on February 5th

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, shared his perspective on key challenges facing the Department of Commerce and pledged to work with Senators on many issues and priorities. During the hearing, Mr. Lutnick outlined his commitment to reducing regulatory burdens to support American innovation and manufacturing, particularly in sectors like spectrum, broadband deployment, semiconductor construction, and critical mineral extraction.

Chairman Cruz has announced a full committee markup to consider this nomination on Wednesday February 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM in the Commerce Committee hearing room, SR-253.

On his motivation to serve as Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Lutnick said:

“I think America is in a place to teach the world and to show the world what leadership is like, what a great economy is like, what taking care of its Americans is like, and to be part of that administration, be part of this historic Trump administration is one of the great honors of my life. So, I’m just looking forward to being a part of this administration, to playing my part in helping drive our economy’s growth and driving the support and dedication to our American people.”

Expanding Commercial Access to Spectrum

In response to a question from Chairman Cruz on the importance of unleashing commercial spectrum access, Mr. Lutnick said:

“There’s enormous amounts of spectrum held by the Department of Defense, right? And for our country to really reach the scale that it can be for it to be successful, we need to be the leader in the world of 5G and 6G. So, we’ve got to work closely with the Department of Defense[...] I’m going to be your secretary of commerce, I kind of lean towards commerce. So, I’d like to try to help us drive some of that spectrum towards our businesses to free us to try to be the leader in spectrum in the world.”

Unleashing American Innovation

In response to questions about the U.S. government’s role when it comes to building up industries trying to be competitive, Mr. Lutnick said:

“I think you gave the Department of Commerce the tools to bring domestic semiconductor manufacturing home[...] You’re going to see this Department of Commerce bring domestic manufacturing semiconductors, and then we’re going to drive after that supply chain to the United States of America. Drive it here.”

In response to Sen. Budd’s question on Congress and federal agencies regulating AI at the expense of China taking the lead, Mr. Lutnick said:

“We were successful on the internet. We created the greatest technology companies in the world because we had an American touch of it, right? We did the internet the American way, and that’s why the tech companies of the world are ours, right? We need to do the same thing with AI. We need to make sure we set standards that the world meets, so they’re American standards that the world meets. And I think that’s the way we’ll keep our lead. Do it the American way, which we know is the winning way, our allies know is the winning way. And we need to set those standards.”

Reforming Federal Broadband Subsidies

In response to a question from Leader Thune on the importance of reforming the BEAD program, Mr. Lutnick said:

“I’m going to work to make sure that Congress gets the benefit of the bargain. You want to get, right, broadband into the hands of low income people. Let’s go do it, but let’s do it efficiently and let’s do it swiftly, let’s use satellites, let’s use wireless, and let’s use fiber, and let’s do it the cheapest, most efficiently we can. And I commit to working with you to make sure the states execute and deliver on the promise that Congress has made.”

Protecting Commercial Fishing

In response to Sen. Fischer’s question on how Mr. Lutnick plans to protect agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing industries against retaliatory tariffs and expand export markets, Mr. Lutnick said:

“I think our farmers, our ranchers, and our fishermen are treated with disrespect[...]They are treated with disrespect around the world. They are. Our farmers, our ranchers, and our fishermen are treated with disrespect. The countries take advantage of American kindness, American gratitude, that we used to rebuild the world after the World Wars and after the Korean War and after Vietnam War. We need that disrespect to end. And I think tariffs are a way to create reciprocity, to be treated fairly, to be treated appropriately. And I think it will help our farmers, our ranchers, and our fishermen, to flourish. And that’s what I expect this administration is going to drive and that’s why I’m honored to serve President Trump in his pursuit of that reciprocity and that fairness and the end of the disrespect. These countries have the reliance on the American economy, and they need to start to respect us and respect us now.”

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