Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Howard Lutnick as U.S. Commerce Secretary, yet another longtime ally of Big Oil and corporate special interests serving in President Trump’s cabinet.
In response, Unlocking America’s Future Spokesperson Kyle Herrig said the following:
“It’s ironic that Lutnik claimed climate change was only a concern of the ‘elitist’ and the rich when his record shows he’ll be yet another lackey for billionaires, Big Oil, and monied special interests. With Lutnik as Commerce Secretary, the future of responsible investing and the clean energy economy is at risk—and American businesses, workers, and consumers are going to pay the price.”
Additional Background:
- At his confirmation hearing, Lutnick defended a 2023 Linkedin post, in which he wrote that wildfires were just “hype.”
- In a September 2024 interview with Fox Business, he suggested that climate change is a concern only of the “elitist” and the rich, including those who attend Ivy League schools, live on the East Coast and are “pro-Palestinian.”
- Lutnick is an investor in anti-ESG Strive Asset Management, which was founded by Vivek Ramaswamy with financial backing from Peter Thiel and JD Vance.
