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Howard Lutnick is the 41st Secretary of Commerce. Prior to his appointment he served as the Co-Chair of the Trump-Vance Transition Team. Mr. Lutnick has had a 42-year successful career with Cantor Fitgerald, one of the world’s leading Wall Street investment banks.
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Secretary Lutnick was born on July 14, 1961 in Jericho, New York to Jewish parents, Dr. Solomon Lunick, a history professor at Queens College, and Jane Lutnick, a sculptor and painter. Sadly, he lost both of his parents to cancer, his mother to lymphoma when he was just 17 in 1978, and then his father died in 1979 when a nurse accidentally gave him 100 times his chemotherapy dose.
Mr. Lutnick was in his first week as a freshman at Haverford College in Pennsylvania when his father died. The president of Haverford then offered Lutnick a full four-year scholarship to stay enrolled, which did, graduating in 1983 with a bachelor’s in economics. He currently serves on the Board of Managers at Haverford College and is the college’s largest donor.
Mr. Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald, shortly after graduation as a fixed-income analyst. Eight years later he became CEO and president of Cantor. He was 29 years old. In 1996, he became Chairman.
Mr. Lutnick is married to his wife of 30 years, Allison, a lawyer, and they have four children, Brandon, Casey, Kyle and Ryan.
9/11 and Personal Tragedy
Secretary Lutnick was deeply and personally affected by the Al-Qaeda terrorist attack on New York’s Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. It was his son Kyle’s first day of kindergarten and Mr. Lutnick wanted to take Kyle to school. Because of this one decision, Lutnick was not in his office on the 105th floor of One World Trade Center when the planes hit.
Cantor Fitzgerald’s offices were on the 101st to 105th floors of the North Tower, above where the planes hit. When Mr. Lutnick heard what had happened, he raced to the scene and saw the Towers on fire, thick with black smoke. He managed to get to the door of the Tower and started looking for his employees but saw no one he knew.
It was then that he heard a loud sound. Tower Two was collapsing so he ran. He says, “I look over my shoulder and there’s this big, giant, black tornado of smoke chasing me. So I dive under a car.” He was outside and he was suffocating in this black cloud. He couldn’t even see the hand in front of his face.
He couldn’t imagine how anyone inside the building could survive. All 658 employees who were in the office perished that day, including Mr. Lutnick’s younger brother, Gary, who was a trader on the 103rd floor. He was only 36.
Mr. Lutnick talked to his older sister, Edith, that evening. She had gotten a call from Gary, who told her the smoke was pouring in and there was no way out. Gary said, “I’m going to die, and I just want to tell you I love you.” Then the phone went dead.
“You’ve Got to Live”
Mr. Lutnick was determined to rebuild the firm to honor those lost and support their families. So, on the night of September 11th, the survivors of Cantor Fitzgerald, those who like Mr. Lutnick had not arrived to work when the planes hit, were on a conference call. Mr. Lutnick spoke to them saying…
“We can shut the firm down and go to our friends’ funerals. Remember, that would be 20 funerals a day every day for 35 straight days. And I’ve got to tell you, I’m not really interested in going to work. All I want to do is climb under the covers and hug my family. But if we are going to go to work, we’re going to do it to take care of our friends’ families.
So what do you want to do? You guys want to shut it down? Or do you want to work harder than you’ve ever worked before in your life? And that was the moment when the company survived.”
His interview with Connie Chung on September 15th – just 4 days after the decimation of his company – is an iconic image of the pain, loss, and horror of that day, as well as the strength and determination of the surviving employees to carry on. “700 families. So many names. So many people I loved,” Mr. Lutnick cried.
For five years after the tragedy, Cantor Fitzgerald dedicated a quarter of its profits to the families of employees killed. The company also paid the families’ health insurance for ten years. To date, the company has raised and given $180 million to the victims’ families.
Mr. Lutnick said after 9/11, “You’ve got to live. But it’s so sad. If you didn’t have a greater purpose, you couldn’t go on. There would be no point.”
Mr. Lutnick also sits on the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
What Does a Commerce Secretary Do?
When announcing Mr. Lutnick’s nomination for Commerce Secretary, President Trump tasked him with leading “our Tariff and Trade Agenda.” Trump called him “a dynamic force on Wall Street”, and “the embodiment of resilience in the face of unspeakable tragedy.”
Secretary Lutnick was confirmed as Commerce Secretary on February 18, 2025. He is now in charge of the Commerce Department, the nation’s economic development agency, with nearly 50,000 employees. His primary responsibilities include overseeing trade agreements, enforcing trade laws, and promoting American businesses abroad.
But the Commerce Depart also governs patents, trademarks and intellectual property, fosters research on emerging technologies, overseas ocean and coastal navigation. releases economic data, and monitors the weather.
As its head, Secretary Lutnick will also maintain crucial connections to CEOs and America’s business community. He will also advise President Donald Trump on economic growth and job creation
Upon confirmation, Secretary Lutnik stepped down from his CEO position of Cantor Fitgerald, and turned over responsibilities to his two sons. Brandon, 27, is now CEO and Chairman, and Kyle, 28, is Executive Vice Chairman.
Secretary Lutnick’s View on Tariffs
As Commerce Secretary, Mr. Lutnick’s top priority is to revitalize American industries, especially in manufacturing, as well as foster fair global trade policies and practices that put America First.
For instance, Secretary Lutnick is a strong supporter of President Trump’s tariff policies. Like Trump, he sees tariffs as an economic tool that protects American workers and U.S. industries. Major trading partners like China, the European Union, and India have significantly higher tariffs on the U.S., then the U.S. has on them.
Lutnick believes that a successful tariff policy will be useful in raising money to finance the extension of the Trump tax cuts. Tariffs can also pressure foreign countries to lower their own trade barriers to American exports. Ludnick will work to remedy unfair trading practices directed at the U.S.
Tariffs can also help pressure other countries to help with illegal immigration and drug trafficking. For example, Trump’s threats to Mexico on new tariffs spurred Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to promise 10,000 Mexican troops to patrol the border to prevent illegal crossings, and tackle the Mexican drug cartels fentanyl trade into the U.S.
On Lowering Tax Rates
Secretary Lutnick is a strong supporter of lowering taxes and deregulating industries in order to spur business innovation, growth and competition. For instance, he proposed to the president during the campaign to end taxes on anyone making less than $150,000. He believes this major tax cut could be offset by tackling overseas tax fraud.
He also supports the President’s plans to abolish taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, as well as significantly reduce individual and corporate taxes.
On China’s Thieving Ways
Mr. Lutnick is concerned about China’s intellectual property theft, as well as China’s push for Artificial Intelligence (AI) world domination. He will work to ensure that trade policies will put America’s workers first and will not prioritize foreign interests.
During his confirmation hearing Lutnick said he aims to “prevent China from using American technology to compete with us.” It’s estimated that China steals $360 billion annually in intellectual property from American companies through hacking alone. Lutnick is open to further U.S. action to protect American AI companies from China’s intellectual theft.
On DOGE
Secretary Lutnick is a firm supporter of Elon Musk and DOGE’s task to as Lutnick says, “rip the waste out of our $6.5 Trillion budget.” As Co-Chair of Trump’s Transition Team, he was instrumental in working with Musk and Trump to set up the Department of Government Efficiency exploring how to cut $1 Trillion from the budget. Lutick has already announced he is looking to cut 20% of his department’s workforce.
Secretary Lutnick would love to see a balanced budget.
Mr. Lutnick is Jewish and a generous donor to Jewish and Israeli causes. His strong support for President Trump is not only because of Trump’s America First agenda and their shared vision on the economy, but also for Mr. Trump’s staunch support of Israel.
Let’s Pray for Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick
Lord God, we pray for guidance and great wisdom for Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, as he tackles the difficult economic issues facing our country and looks to create jobs for Americans and develops strong and fair trade policies that prioritizes the U.S.
Lord, we pray for our country’s economy to be restored to health and prosperity under the leadership of Secretary Lutnick. We pray Lord that he woud never tire or become discouraged in his work. We pray for every unemployed American to find a good-paying job and the government would end deficit spending.
Lord, we pray that you would give Secretary Lutnick wisdom, discernment, and patience when recommending trade, tariff, and tax policies with the president. May he be a faithful and wise economic advisor to President Trump. May Secretary Lutnick be as ‘wise as serpents and innocent as doves’ when dealing with foreign leaders, both friendly and unfriendly. Give him boldness and fearlessness to speak judiciously in all discussions and negotiations.
Lord, Secretary Lutnick will work closely with Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, and U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer. We pray that they will work together in unity to implement the economic policies that are good for America and in Your Divine Will.
Lord, Howard Lutnick has faced unspeakable tragedy in his life and yet he has not let events destroy his life. We thank you for his determination and grit to work hard. We ask Lord that you would bless him richly and make his time as Commerce Secretary prosperous for all Americans. May he be a dedicated and thoughtful leader to the Commerce Department employees as he was to his Cantor Fitzgerald employees.
Lord, Secretary Lutnick is Jewish, one of your chosen people, and a strong supporter and defender of Israel. We pray Psalm 17:8 over Mr. Lutncik that you would ”keep him as the apple of your eye, hide him under the shadow of your wings.” Lord, we pray that Mr. Lutnick would come to recognize the true Messiah, Yeshua, as his own Lord and Savior. May he and his family be redeemed, restored and fulfilled in You, the God of Israel.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Add your own prayers for Secretary Lutnick in the comments below.
Belinda Brewster analyzes cultural, political, and world events from a biblical worldview. Belinda’s passion is to equip, support, and encourage parents and grandparents who are courageously battling against the spiritual and cultural forces impacting children and grandchildren. Photo Credit: The White House.