Asked about reporting that China is urging its companies to avoid the Nvidia H20 processors now allowed for its market, Bessent said "sure, we can discuss that" with the Chinese
The US government's gross national debt has surpassed USD37 trillion, a record number that highlights the accelerating debt on America's balance sheet and increased cost pressures on taxpayers. The USD37 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report issued Tuesday which logs the nation's daily finances. The national debt eclipsed USD37 trillion years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing USD37 trillion after fiscal year 2030. But the debt grew faster than expected because of a multi-year COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020 that shut down much of the U.S. economy, where the federal government borrowed heavily under then-President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden to stabilise the national economy and support a recovery. And now, more government spending has been approved after Trump signed into law Republicans' tax cut and spending legislation earlier this year. Th
President Donald Trump has removed former US Rep Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his confirmation, a White House official said Friday. The official, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not give a reason for the dismissal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner, the official said. The Senate confirmed Long on a 53-44 vote despite Democrats' concerns about the Republican's past work for a firm that pitched a fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after Trump nominated him. While in Congress, where he served from 2011 to 2023, Long sponsored legislation to get rid of the IRS. A former auctioneer, Long has no background in tax administration.
President Trump is creating this leverage by saying: if you don't want to negotiate with me, I've sent you a letter with a high rate. Have at the high rate or come and negotiate in better fashion
A Treasury spokesperson said the $300 billion target corresponds to the December 31 end of calendar 2025, not the end of the government's fiscal year on September 30
Jaishankar says he's hopeful but can't guarantee pact
Trump says a trade deal with China has been finalised, with key agreements on rare earth supplies, tariffs, and student visas, pending final approval from both leaders after talks in London
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a major Palestinian legal group for prisoners and detainees along with five other charitable entities across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, accusing them of supporting militant groups, including Hamas' military wing, under the pretense of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Those sanctioned include Addameer, a nongovernmental organisation that was founded in 1991 and is based in the city of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian group provides free legal services to Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli custody and monitors the conditions of their confinement. The federal government claims that Addameer has long supported and is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular, left-wing movement with a political party and an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis. Israel and the United States have labelled the PFLP a terrorist ...
It may not stay that way given the gathering risks, notably credible estimates that deficits will continue to run well higher than 3 per cent of GDP
The US dollar weakened broadly, hitting a more than one-week low against the safe-haven yen, Swiss franc and euro. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar was down 0.38 per cent at 145.06
"I don't put much credence in the Moody's" downgrade, Bessent told CNN's "State of the Union" program
Bessent told reporters that details would be announced on Monday and that U.S. President Donald Trump was fully aware of the results of the "productive talks.''
The US Treasury Secretary and America's top trade negotiator began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland Saturday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world's two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The Xinhua News Agency says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks wasn't made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim. But there is hope that the two countries will scale back the massive taxes tariffs they've slapped on each other's goods, a move that would relieve world financial markets and companies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean that depend on US-China trade. US President Donald Trump last month raised US tariffs on China to a combined 145%, and .
Speaking to reporters after two early morning television interviews, Besssent said the first such trade agreement might come this week or next
The yield on the 10-year Treasury declined on Wednesday after President Donald Trump reversed his comments about firing US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against six other major currencies, was up 0.6 per cent at 98.937, after sinking as low as 97.923 in the previous session
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent emphasised that such a move focuses on countries like China, which have been contributing to imbalances in the global economy
US stocks were in positive territory early, with investors weighing whether recent sharp selling may have been overdone, although trading remained choppy as it has been all week
Bessent said Treasury's stronger involvement in crafting bank regulation would be achieved through the Financial Stability Oversight Council
One early test comes Tuesday, when the US government is set to sell $58 billion of three-year securities, followed by 10- and 30-year maturities later this week