Not that it was ever a big mystery, but it looks like Bessent just confirmed it.
Bessent: Federal layoffs will help fill factory jobs created by Trump tariffs
“On one side, the president is reordering trade,” Bessent said. “On the other side, we are shedding excess labor in the federal government, and bringing down federal borrowings.”
“That will give us the labor that we need for the new manufacturing,” Bessent continued, arguing artificial intelligence and automation would limit how many workers needed to fill new jobs.
Bessent said the combination of tariffs and federal layoffs would help shift U.S. economic power away from the government and back toward the private sector. The secretary claimed without evidence that the U.S. private sector was in recession under the Biden administration despite a historic level of private job creation under Trump’s latest predecessor.
“It’s almost like when a bodybuilder is taking steroids,” Bessent explained. “Outside, it looks great. You’re muscular. Inside, you’re killing your vital organs. That’s what was going on here.”