Thune: Howard Lutnick Will Bring a “Get It Done” Approach to the Department of Commerce
“I’m glad that President Trump has chosen an outcome-driven leader like Howard Lutnick for such an important post.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, later today the Senate will vote on the nomination of Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of commerce.
“The secretary of commerce has an important job.
“He or she is charged with promoting American industry at home and abroad, and keeping our economy competitive both now and into the future.
“And I’m glad that President Trump has chosen an outcome-driven leader like Howard Lutnick for such an important post.
“Mr. Lutnick is a successful businessman who has spent four decades building up Cantor Fitzgerald – the firm that hired him after college.
“He’s an inventor whose name appears on over 800 patents and patent applications around the world.
“And he’s someone who’s not only passionate about business, but who cares deeply about people.
“But, Mr. President, Howard Lutnick’s greatest business achievement is not building his own success or building up a company.
“It’s rebuilding Cantor Fitzgerald over the last 24 years.
“Because Cantor Fitzgerald occupied the 101st through 105th floors of the World Trade Center North Tower.
“On September 11th, 2001, every single employee who was in the office died – 658 people, including Howard’s brother.
“It was unclear whether the firm could go on after losing two-thirds of its New York staff.
“So Howard Lutnick offered the surviving employees a choice.
“They could either go to 20 funerals a day for the next month, or they could work harder than ever to rebuild the company to take care of the families of those who had died.
“They agreed to donate a quarter of their salaries to the 658 families of their colleagues, with no limit and no expectation they would ever be paid back.
“And over the next five years, the firm and its employees gave those families $180 million.
“In 2008, Howard Lutnick made sure each employee got back double… what they had given.
“And to this day, each September 11 is Charity Day at Cantor Fitzgerald – meaning every dollar of revenue the firm makes that day is donated in memory of those that they lost on September 11, 2001.
“Mr. President, Howard Lutnick’s story is inspiring.
“It’s a lesson in resilience, in determination, in the American spirit.
“And it demonstrates the type of person Howard Lutnick is, and the type of public servant that he’ll be.
“I know Mr. Lutnick is looking forward to taking on the challenges and seizing the opportunities the next few years will bring.
“As he said in his hearing, he believes, and I quote, ‘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… Americans is like.’
“Mr. President, I think we can all agree that we have the capacity to do these things.
“We can continue to lead the world in innovation.
“We can continue to unlock new economic possibilities and new opportunities.
“And we can make life better for the American people.
“And I’m pleased that Mr. Lutnick will be bringing a ‘get it done’ approach to the Department of Commerce.
“As a member of the Commerce Committee who has worked on technology issues for many years, I’m particularly pleased that Mr. Lutnick intends to leverage America’s leadership in the technologies that are shaping the future.
“He’s pledged to get his department moving on spectrum again, which is critical for next-generation technologies and competing with adversaries like China.
“In his first term, President Trump took spectrum seriously and opened up more megahertz for commercial use.
“But the Biden administration did little to nothing on spectrum.
“It merely released a National Spectrum Strategy that 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 in the Trump administration.
“Broadband expansion is another priority that 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.
“Why? Because the Biden administration overloaded it with conditions that made it unworkable for a lot of telecoms.
“Things like climate conditions for subcontractors, rate regulation, and union labor requirements – none of which, none of which, I might add – were in the law.
“Mr. Lutnick has pledged to finally get this program off the ground and spend that money only on actual broadband infrastructure.
“And as we compete to be the leader in artificial intelligence, Mr. Lutnick agrees that we should use the tried-and-true light-touch approach that has enabled the United States to lead in the digital era.
“Just last week, Vice President Vance spoke in Paris about the great potential of AI and the importance of American leadership in this new technology.
“I’m glad that the Trump administration is committed to American leadership in AI, and the Commerce Department will have a critical role to play in balancing accountability with AI’s great possibilities.
“Mr. President, the job of the commerce secretary touches just about every industry in this country.
“And behind all those industries are Americans working hard to provide for their families, live their American Dream, and make their contribution to America’s future.
“Howard Lutnick understands this.
“And I am confident that he will work every day to help American commerce thrive so that the American people can thrive.
“Mr. President, America has tremendous potential.
“I look forward to working with President Trump and with Howard Lutnick to continue to unlock it.”
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