Donald Trump administration Secretary of Commerce appointment, 2017

Executive Departments of the United States

Executive Departments Department of State • Department of the Treasury • Department of Defense • Department of Justice • Department of the Interior • Department of Agriculture • Department of Commerce • Department of Labor • Department of Health and Human Services • Department of Housing and Urban Development • Department of Transportation • Department of Energy • Department of Education • Department of Veterans Affairs • Department of Homeland Security

Department Secretaries Marco Rubio • Scott Bessent • Pete Hegseth • Pam Bondi • Doug Burgum • Brooke Rollins • Lori Chavez-DeRemer • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. • Scott Turner • Howard Lutnick • Sean Duffy • Chris Wright • Linda McMahon • Doug Collins • Kristi Noem

Following his election as the 45th President of the United States in 2016, Donald Trump and his transition team considered individuals to fill the position of Secretary of Commerce. The secretary of commerce oversees a department that is designed to promote trade and economic stability. Wilbur Ross was nominated for the position on November 30, 2016, and confirmed on February 27, 2017.

Nomination tracker
Candidate: Wilbur Ross
Position: Secretary of Commerce
Confirmation progress
a	Announced:	November 30, 2016
a	Hearing:	January 18, 2017
a	Committee:	Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
a	Reported:	January 24, 2017 (Voice vote)
a	Confirmed:	February 27, 2017
a	Vote:	72-27

To read more about the U.S. Department of Commerce and its current staff, click here.

Timeline

See also: Wilbur Ross

The following timeline highlights noteworthy events related to this appointment. It includes noteworthy events from before the appointment related to the 2016 presidential campaign.

• June 2016: Ross praised what he saw as Trump’s “more radical, new approach to government.”
• August 2016: Ross criticized current U.S. trade policies, a cornerstone of Trump’s candidacy: “Free trade is like free lunch, there is no free lunch. Somebody wins and somebody loses and unfortunately we’ve been losing with these stupid agreements that we’ve made.”
• September 2016: Ross co-authored an opinion piece outlining what he saw as the benefits of Trump’s economic plans: “It would cut taxes, reduce regulations, remove restrictions on energy development and eliminate our debilitating trade deficit. As growth rapidly accelerated, Trumpnomics would generate millions of additional jobs and trillions of dollars in additional income and tax revenue.”
• November 30, 2016: Trump nominated Wilbur Ross for the position.
• January 18, 2017: Ross appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for a confirmation hearing.
• February 27, 2017: The U.S. Senate voted 72-27 to confirm Ross.

Policy stances

At his confirmation hearing, Ross detailed the following policy stances:

• On Trade. In an opening statement, Ross offered an overview of his general philosophy on international trade. He said, “I also understand that at the end of the day, each of our trading partners want access to our market. The United States should provide that access to nations who agree to play by our standards of fair trade. We should not put up with malicious trading activities, state owned enterprises, or subsidized production. So I am not anti-trade. I am pro trade. But I am pro sensible trade, not trade that is detrimental to the American worker and to the domestic manufacturing base.”
• On NAFTA. Trump made renegotiating the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement a key part of his 2016 campaign. Ross noted that it will be a top priority of the incoming administration, saying, “As to Canada and Mexico, the president-elect has made no secret in his public remarks, nor have I, that NAFTA is logically the first thing for us to deal with. We ought to solidify relationships in the best way we can in our own territory before we go off into other jurisdictions.” Regarding the actual negotiations, Ross added, “All aspects of NAFTA will be put on the table.”
• On Tariffs. Asked about the potential role of tariffs in the Trump administration’s approach to international trade, Ross said, “I think the pro-growth thing is stimulating exports, much more than just curtailing imports. But ... countervailing duties and punishment to people for dumping is essential because there are inappropriate and illegal trade practices being performed, and if you don't really punish them, you're never going to modify their behavior.” Regarding Trump’s proposal to impose a 35 percent tariff on U.S. companies that relocate jobs to facilities in other countries, Ross responded, “The president has done a wonderful job preconditioning other countries with whom we will be negotiating that change is coming.”
• On NOAA and data gathering. Sen. Nelson asked Ross if he would place restrictions on how employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—which falls under the Department of Commerce’s jurisdiction—share and publicize data related to climate change. Ross said, “I support the dissemination of valid information to the public. I don’t think valid information should be concealed, and in general I have great respect for the scientific quality of NOAA. It’s my understanding that there are four Noble prize winners at NOAA, and that is certainly a measure of their expertise.”
• Ross commented more generally on the Commerce Department’s data gathering programs in his opening statement, saying, “like many other business people across the United States, I have been a consumer of the data and information the Department provides an a periodic basis. Data the Department gathers and makes public, such as the Census data, the data that the BEA puts out and NOAA’s reports, to name a few, are essential functions. I believe there is greater potential in the breadth and the depth of the data the Department provides to encourage new investment.”

Considered candidates for Secretary of Commerce

The table below highlights individuals who were either nominated to the position by Trump or were mentioned in the media as potential nominees.

Considered candidates for Secretary of Commerce
Name	Notable experience	Source
Chris Christie	Gov. of New Jersey	The New York Times
Dan DiMicco	Former CEO of Nucor, a steel company	The New York Times
Lewis Eisenberg	Former chairman of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey	The New York Times
Carl Paladino	Real estate developer in Buffalo, New York	ABC News
Anthony Scaramucci	Hedge fund manager	ABC News
Ray Washburne	Real estate developer in Texas	ABC News
Jack Welch	Former CEO of General Electric	ABC News
David Perdue	Senator from Georgia	Buzzfeed
Mike Huckabee	Former Gov. of Arkansas	Buzzfeed
Jim Talent	Former Senator from Missouri	Buzzfeed
Wilbur Ross	Investor	Politico
Rick Perry	Former Gov. of Texas	Politico

See also

Executive Branch portal U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Labor U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of the Treasury U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

External links

• Official Secretary of Commerce website