Howard Lutnick

New Capabilities

Overseeing CHIPS Act renegotiation and MEP program dismantlement; facing bipartisan Senate criticism

In early 2026, America's AI manufacturing strategy is being pulled apart from within at the same moment China is accelerating. The Trump White House released a National AI Legislative Framework on March 20, 2026, formally asking Congress to preempt all state AI laws—but California, Colorado, and New York have pledged to keep enforcing their own rules and are preparing court challenges. The administration's most visible AI champion, David Sacks, stepped down as White House AI and Crypto Czar on March 26, 2026, moving to co-chair the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Separately, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been quietly dismantling the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership—the nationwide network of 600 centers serving small manufacturers—by freezing then sunsetting their federal funding, drawing bipartisan Senate criticism and casting a shadow over the March 2026 confirmation hearing for NIST director nominee Arvind Raman, a Purdue University engineering dean who advanced on a 16-12 party-line vote.

Updated 5 days ago

Force in Play

Tasked with determining which countries face Cuba-related tariffs

The United States has imposed economic pressure on Cuba for 64 years. Now, for the first time, Washington is threatening to punish any country that sells oil to the island. President Trump's January 29 executive order creates a tariff mechanism targeting third countries that supply Cuban fuel—a significant escalation that goes beyond traditional bilateral sanctions to coerce allies and trading partners into joining an energy blockade. The strategy has proven devastatingly effective: Cuba's national power grid collapsed entirely on March 17, 2026, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity and triggering ten consecutive days of street protests—the most visible civil unrest in years. Partial restoration occurred on March 18 after 29 hours, but the blackout deepened shortages of food, medicine, and water, and included the vandalization of a Cuban Communist Party provincial office in Morón, signaling fractures in state control. On March 21, Cuba blocked a US Embassy request to import diesel for generators, escalating diplomatic tensions amid ongoing rolling blackouts.

Updated Mar 21

Money Moves

Leading US trade and semiconductor policy

The United States produced 37% of the world's semiconductors in 1990, but by 2024 that share had fallen below 10%, with Taiwan manufacturing over 90% of the most advanced chips. A $500 billion US-Taiwan trade framework, initiated with a January 16, 2026 memorandum and formally signed February 12, commits Taiwanese firms to $250 billion in direct US investments plus $250 billion in credit guarantees for semiconductors, AI, and energy in exchange for 15% tariffs (down from 20%).

Updated Feb 13

Rule Changes

Facing pressure to justify and operationalize the H200 licensing framework

The Trump administration just did the thing Washington has spent years swearing it wouldn’t do: let China buy a near-top-tier Nvidia AI chip again. Now a key China hawk in Congress is demanding the Commerce Department explain, in detail, why this isn’t a strategic own-goal.

Updated Dec 13, 2025

Rule Changes

Overseeing Gold Card rollout and selling it as a revenue and talent magnet.

Donald Trump is now literally selling a fast track to America. His new Trump Gold Card program lets wealthy foreigners buy expedited U.S. residency for a $1 million “gift” to the government, on top of a $15,000 processing fee, with a corporate option costing $2 million per sponsored worker.

Updated Dec 11, 2025