Scott Bessent defended tariffs and argued for tax-cut extensions during his confirmation hearing as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary in the Senate Finance Committee.No Democrats committed to support him on Thursday,

Scott Bessent, a South Carolina billionaire hedge fund manager, wasted no time getting to the crux of his confirmation hearing: the expiring Trump tax cuts. “This is the single most important economic issue of the day,” Bessent told the committee.

Hedge fund executive Scott Bessent will face a Senate confirmation hearing for Treasury secretary on Thursday, which could make him the first openly gay Cabinet member of a Republican administration.