Scott Bessent, the current US Secretary of the Treasury under President Donald Trump, has been at the center of major economic policy announcements over the past week. In a high-profile interview with Fox Business, he outlined the Trump administration’s effort to battle inflation and support working Americans. Bessent described a so-called perfect storm hitting food prices, specifically warning that beef could hit ten dollars a pound next year, citing factors such as long-term pricing cycles, cattle disease risks linked to immigration, and border restrictions on Mexican beef. He emphasized that the administration inherited high inflation but argued current policies are successfully flattening price increases. Bessent said energy and interest rates are both down and that the administration is aiming for meaningful purchasing power gains through overall economic growth according to Fox Business.

Amid rising cost-of-living pressures, Bessent discussed a new proposal: issuing two thousand dollar direct payments to working families. These checks, he explained, would be funded through rising tariff revenue, a signature initiative of the Trump administration. He reiterated that the payments would only go to low- and middle-income households, with the income limit still being negotiated. According to CBS News, legislation would be required before the Treasury could issue any such rebates, echoing the process for past federal stimulus checks.

These proposed checks come at a time when the nation has recorded record tariff collections, outpacing two hundred billion dollars for the last fiscal year, as detailed by Treasury Department figures quoted in CBS News and NBC. Despite these revenues, some economists and policy experts have questioned whether tariff proceeds alone are sufficient to fund payments at the scale outlined by the administration, with estimates indicating a shortfall between collected tariffs and the potential rebate obligations.

Beyond the payments, President Trump has signed new trade deals that reduce tariffs on consumer staples like coffee, bananas, and cocoa. Bessent expects these moves to lower costs further for families. He also addressed ongoing litigation over the legality of some tariffs at the Supreme Court level, but maintained that the administration is focused on delivering results for everyday Americans.

Bessent stressed that the Treasury will not downplay people’s economic struggles and vowed continued daily action to bring prices down and deliver relief. According to ABC News, when asked about utility prices, he clarified that electricity costs remain largely a state-level issue but pledged that federal policy would support stability wherever possible.

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