Senate confirms Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary

The Senate voted 68-29 to confirm Scott Bessent as the new Treasury secretary on Monday. Bessent’s confirmation followed the weekend confirmations of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Who is Bessent? When he nominated Bessent for the post of Treasury secretary, President Donald Trump praised him as one of the world’s foremost international investors and economic strategists. Bessent would help grow the U.S. economy, eliminate trade imbalances, and increase American competitiveness, Trump said.

Bessent is openly gay. In 2011, he legally married John Freeman. The pair have two children via surrogacy, according to a 2015 interview with Yale Alumni Magazine. Bessent thanked Freeman and the children in his opening remarks to the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Bessent’s confirmation hearing earlier this month.