Howard Lutnick
Secretary of Commerce
Cabinet
Score
62/100 · Moderate
Net worth
$2B+
Tenure
Secretary of Commerce 2025-present
About
Howard Lutnick is the billionaire chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm that lost 658 employees, two-thirds of its New York workforce, in the September 11 attacks. He rebuilt the firm and became a prominent Trump fundraiser and transition co-chair. Confirmed 51-45 on party lines as Commerce Secretary, he received zero Democratic votes. He must oversee trade policy, the Census Bureau, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among other agencies. He pledged to divest from Cantor Fitzgerald but retained complex financial ties through family members.
Donations & financial influence
| Category | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total raised (career) | N/A (appointed) | |
| Corporate total | N/A | |
| AIPAC / pro-Israel | N/A | |
| Oil & gas / fossil | N/A | |
| Pharma / healthcare | N/A | |
| Defense | N/A | |
| Wall Street / finance | N/A | |
| Big Tech | N/A |
Controversies & conflicts of interest
- Controversially continued paying Cantor Fitzgerald bonuses from dead employees' estates after 9/11, survivors sued
- Accused of taking over employee benefits aggressively after 9/11 losses
- $2B+ net worth creates conflicts managing trade and commerce policy
- Co-chaired Trump transition, direct pipeline from politics to cabinet role
- Cantor Fitzgerald had significant positions in government securities, Commerce oversight conflict