Trump's Treasury pick Bessent says heavier Russia sanctions coming, no reason for digital currency

Bessent told senators he was open to eliminating the debt ceiling.

The ceiling is a legal limit on the issuance of new debt by the government, and it has become an area of political brinkmanship in recent years. Trump said in December that the debt ceiling should be abolished, a position shared by some liberal lawmakers.

"Once President Trump takes office, and if I'm confirmed, if he wants to eliminate the debt limit I will work with him and you on that," Bessent told Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts.

Eliminating the debt ceiling would not authorize any new spending by the federal government.

— Jesse Pound

Bessent indicated that he did not think the Treasury should continue to examine the potential creation of a central bank digital currency.

"I see no reason for the U.S. to have a central bank digital currency. In my mind, a central bank digital currency is for countries who have no other investment alternatives," Bessent said.

A digital currency makes more sense for countries that tend to hold other foreign currencies, such as the Chinese yuan, he said.

"If you hold U.S. dollars, you can hold a variety of very secure U.S. assets," Bessent said.

A 2022 executive order from President Joe Biden called for the government to research a digital dollar.

— Jesse Pound

In an exchange with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, Bessent repeatedly declined to say that he would be willing to raise taxes on America's highest earners. He reiterated his support for extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from Trump's first term.

"There's no income level that I don't think we should continue with the TCJA as it was," Bessent said.

— Jesse Pound

Bessent said he believes that the Federal Reserve should be able to make decisions on interest rates independently from the White House.

"On monetary policy decisions, the FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee] should be independent," Bessent said.

— Yun Li

Bessent said he expects inflation to be "much closer" to the Federal Reserve's 2% target under Trump, while acknowledging that decisions by Congress and the central bank could play a role in the direction of inflation.

When asked by Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, of New Hampshire, if he thought any of Trump's proposed policies would increase inflation, Bessent responded, "Nothing I can immediately think of."

The proposed tariffs and government spending from the Trump campaign led to concern among some economists and lawmakers that a Republican win could put upward pressure on inflation.

— Jesse Pound

Russia, and particularly oil companies, can look forward to tougher sanctions under the Trump administration.

"If any officials in the Russian Federation are watching this confirmation hearing, they should know that if I'm confirmed, and if President Trump requests as part of his strategy to end the Ukraine war, that I will be 100% on board from taking sanctions up, especially on the Russian oil majors to levels that would bring the Russian Federation to the table," Bessent said.

—Jeff Cox

The U.S. has a pressing spending problem that's spiraling out of control, Bessent said at his confirmation hearing.

"We do not have a revenue problem in the United States of America. We have a spending problem," Bessent said. "This is one of the things that got me out from behind my desk and my quiet life in this campaign, was the thought that this spending is out of control."

Rising financing costs along with continued spending growth and declining tax receipts have combined to send deficits spiraling and have pushed the national debt past the $36 trillion mark.

The three-month fiscal year 2025 deficit rose to $710.9 billion, some $200 billion more than the comparable period in the prior year, or 39.4%.

"We have never seen this before when it is not a recession or not a war," Bessent said. "Treasury, along with full government and Congress, has used its borrowing capacity to save the Union, to save the world and to save the American people and what we currently have now, we would be hard pressed to do same."

— Yun Li

Bessent used a question about Social Security as an opportunity to say that there are no plans to lower the payouts from the program under the Trump administration.

"I want to emphasize that President Trump has said Social Security and Medicare will not be touched," Bessent said.

Potential cuts to Social Security next decade, based on current funding projections, is one of the issues looming over the discussion of the deficit in Washington. Bessent did say that the government needs to get its "short-term house in order" before looking at other ideas, such as a supplemental fund, to help support the entitlement spending.

— Jesse Pound

Extending the so-called Trump tax cuts will be a top economic priority for the new administration, Bessent said in response to early questions at his confirmation hearing.

"This is the single most important economic issue of the day," he said in response to a question about renewing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. "This is pass-fail. If we do not fix these tax cuts, if we do not renew and extend, then we will be facing an economic calamity, and as always, with financial instability that falls on the middle and working class."

"We will see a gigantic middle class tax increase. We will see the child tax credit halved," he added. "We will see the deductions halved. ... It has the potential for a sudden stop."

— Jeff Cox

Bessent has completed his opening statement and is now taking questions from senators.

The nominee's opening statement was light on policy specifics but did generally align with Trump's campaign points.

"As President Trump has said, we will unleash the American economy by implement pro-growth regulatory policies, reducing taxes and unleashing American energy production. The breadth and depth of our capital markets along with predictable, pro-growth tax policy and smart updated regulation will continue to make America the most popular destination a world for starting, growing and taking public a business," Bessent said.

— Jesse Pound

As Bessent prepares to testify in the Senate, he has already gotten a vote of confidence from investors.

The stock market rose in the immediate aftermath of Trump announcing Bessent as his pick in late November, part of an extended rally for the market following the election.

The bond market also rallied, with the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) climbing 2.6% on Nov. 25, the first trading day after Trump's announcement. Bond prices move opposite to yields.

Bessent's experience in the hedge fund world and familiarity with Wall Street may have helped calm investor worries about Trump's policies being disruptive to markets.

— Jesse Pound

Bessent was one of the advisors working on a plan for Trump to impose tariffs more gradually, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week.

The plan could involve a schedule of graduated tariffs increasing by about 2% to 5% a month on trading partners, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The proposal is not finalized yet and has not been presented to Trump, the people told Bloomberg.

Kevin Hassett, set to be director of the National Economic Council, and Stephen Miran, nominated to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, were also involved in the discussions, Bloomberg reported.

— Yun Li

While not mentioning tariffs, Bessent is pushing for a muscular policy when it comes to defending U.S. interests overseas.

"We must secure supply chains that are vulnerable to strategic competitors, and we must carefully deploy sanctions as part of a whole-of-government approach to address our national security requirements. And critically, we must ensure that the U.S. dollar remains the world's reserve currency," Bessent said in remarks prepared for his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee.

Trump has promised across-the-board levies against U.S. global trading partners, though it's possible he could tailor the tariffs against certain goods and services.

— Jeff Cox