Senate Approves Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary

Billionaire Wilbur Ross was overwhelmingly confirmed on Monday by the U.S. Senate to be secretary of commerce.

The 79-year-old tycoon will lead the Trump administration’s renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, something that traditionally would have been handled by the government’s trade office.

Ross helped form President Trump’s general opposition to multinational trade pacts. In his confirmation hearing, Ross described China as the world’s most protectionist major economy. He vowed to help protect U.S. companies from Chinese imports while opening the Chinese market to American-based businesses.

Until 2014, Ross was chairman of Southfield, Mich.-based IAC, the global automotive supplier he created by combing the North American interiors businesses of Lear Corp. with the European operations of Collins & Aikman Corp.