On the recordJanuary 27, 2025
Madam President, I rise today in opposition to Scott Bessent to be the next Secretary of the Treasury and in support of tens of millions of working families who need a government on their side. The Treasury Secretary is one of the President's top economic advisers. He has the power to lower costs for hard-working people or to give billionaires another break. Now, Mr. Bessent has a long history as an investment manager, helping rich clients get even richer. In fact, helping rich people get richer has been a very profitable business for him. Mr. Bessent is now a billionaire himself. He owns not one but two multimillion-dollar mansions, including one in the Bahamas, and he has hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. Now, he spent a lot of money, but he saved money in one area: He hasn't paid the taxes he owes. According to an analysis from congressional tax experts, Mr. Bessent has refused to pay $2 million in taxes that he owed on his hedge fund earnings, just in the past 3 years. And Mr. Bessent has no demonstrated track record of fighting to make life better or more affordable for working people. So, let's start with some of Trump's economic plans that Mr. Bessent would be in charge of advancing. Right now, Republicans in the White House and in Congress are working through their plans to extend tax breaks for billionaires and giant corporations, paid for in part with major cuts to healthcare.…





