Bessent Says DOGE Push Isn’t About ‘Government Elimination’
Live Mint-- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent continued to dismiss angst over the efforts by DOGE to shrink the federal workforce and curb public spending, saying its name doesn’t stand for the “Department of Government Elimination.” It’s important to get back to a place where Americans believe that government agencies are “worthwhile, do a good job and are benefitting them,” Bessent said at an event at the Australian embassy in Washington Tuesday. At the same time, he said that “government jobs do not generate real long-term wage growth,” and the Trump administration is focusing on reducing the public sector’s role in the economy. “The private sector has been in recession.” Bessent described President Donald Trump’s economic agenda as composed of deregulation, fiscal prudence, fair trade and energy dominance. The Treasury chief said he’s committed to securing the health and resilience of the government debt market, and reiterated that the current issuance plan for Treasuries leaves the department well positioned for “the next several quarters.” He reiterated that he wants to get the budget deficit down from above 6% of GDP now to a figure with “a 3 in front” by 2028.
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