Reps. Garcia, Tlaib intensify demand for details on Ambassador Bridge owner's meeting with Lutnick
Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia and Rashida Tlaib are putting pressure on Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun after Moroun reportedly met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
In a letter to Moroun on Wednesday, Garcia and Tlaib accuse the bridge owner of trying to "derail" the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which they say could reduce toll revenue at the Ambassador Bridge. Both bridges connect Detroit to Windsor.
The Gordie Howe Bridge has been under construction since 2018 and is expected to open this year.
"It is flatly unacceptable and undeniably corrupt for a wealthy donor to dictate our foreign and economic policy in order to protect their own personal business interests," the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
The lawmakers requested all documents and communications related to the meeting with Lutnick, as well as communications with anyone from the Moroun family or any White House official in connection with the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The lawmakers are also seeking any money transfers, payments or loans between Moroun and the Trump campaign, the Republican Party or any Trump-associated political action committee.
CBS News Detroit contacted the White House and representatives of the Ambassador Bridge for comment and is waiting to hear back.
The New York Times first reported that Moroun met with Lutnick hours before President Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge. In a Truth Social post last week, Mr. Trump said he would stop the bridge from opening "until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them."
In response, Garcia sent a letter to Lutnick last week, requesting that Lutnick provide documents on his meeting with Moroun, as well as documents and communications regarding the two bridges and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Garcia was also seeking all communications involving the Commerce Department with the Moroun family, the Canadian government or any White House official about the bridges.
"President Trump's wealthy donors should not be holding secret meetings with Administration officials to influence economic and foreign policies that have real impacts on the American people. Mr. Moroun and Secretary Lutnick must answer the Committee's questions about what was said and promised during their secret gathering," Garcia said in a statement on Wednesday.
Tlaib also released a statement, saying, "It's no surprise that Matthew Moroun, Trump's billionaire donor and owner of the dangerously obsolete Ambassador Bridge, met with the Trump Administration mere hours before President Trump absurdly threatened to block the safer, more efficient Gordie Howe International Bridge from opening.
"For decades, the Moroun family have used their money and influence to enrich themselves at the expense of our neighbors in working class communities in Detroit," Tlaib added. "I have dealt with the Morouns long before I even became a member of the United States Congress. As a member of the House Oversight Committee, we have a responsibility to investigate and root out this blatant corruption."
Note: The video above originally aired on Feb. 13, 2026.
