Lutnick confirmed as US Secretary of Commerce

The US Senate has approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of Wall Street billionaire Howard Lutnick as the country’s new Commerce Secretary.

The Senate approved Lutnick on Tuesday by a vote of 51 to 45.

A spokesman for Lutnick tells the AFP news agency that Lutnick has resigned as CEO of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald.

Lutnick is a close Trump ally who has defended the president’s use of tariffs on goods imported into the United States.

Famagusta Gazette