U.S. Senate confirms Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary

Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump and Wilbur Ross (L) meet with representatives of Harley-Davidson at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate easily confirmed billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as U.S. commerce secretary on Monday with strong support from Democrats, installing President Donald Trump's top official on trade matters. The Senate voted 72-27 to confirm Ross, who has been highly critical of China's trade practices and who has had a strong influence on Trump's opposition to multilateral trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump has designated Ross to lead a renegotiation of the 23-year-old U.S.-Canada-Mexico North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)