The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Bessent as the next secretary of the Treasury, becoming the chief economic spokesman for President Donald Trump and his sweeping agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and trade rebalancing.
The former hedge fund manager won confirmation by a vote of 68 to 29 Monday. Besides the support of all Republican senators, Bessent secured the backing of one independent and 15 Democrats, in a sign the minority party might be more willing to cooperate with the administration on certain economic matters than during Trump’s first term. Trump’s first Treasury chief, Steven Mnuchin, garnered a single Democratic vote in his 2017 confirmation.
Bessent becomes Trump’s fifth Cabinet pick to get confirmed, highlighting the importance lawmakers place on quickly having someone at the Treasury’s helm — and reflecting Bessent’s relatively drama-free confirmation hearing.
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