Treasury’s Bessent defends Trump economic record in contentious hearing
A contentious hearing is underway as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears before the House Financial Services Committee for his annual testimony. Bessent on Tuesday struggled to get a word in as protesters and a leading House Democrat repeatedly talked over him. “The strength of our economy has allowed the United States to wage the greatest economic isolation campaign in the history of the world against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its enablers,” Bessent said in his opening statement. Bessent touted the success of the Iran war and rising wages for the lowest-income Americans. Protesters objecting to U.S. sanctions against Iran and Cuba broke in repeatedly. Bessent is fielding questions about issues including inflation and energy prices and will likely be probed on interest rates and the federal debt. Bessent’s testimony is formally part of Congress’ oversight of the International Monetary Fund, a Washington-based international organization that was established in 1944 to help ensure global financial stability. Bessent has criticized the organization as subject to mission creep, and his former chief of staff, Dan Katz, …









