Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated Tuesday that President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement measures are contributing to the return of jobs for American workers. He indicated that the administration anticipates a resumption of real wage gains as deportations continue and private-sector hiring strengthens.
Bessent told Fox News that "mass unfettered immigration has stopped," citing approximately 1.82 million voluntary and mandatory deportations. He suggested that this reduction in immigration is helping to redirect employment opportunities to U.S. workers.
"So prior to April, we saw real wage gains for working Americans every month during President Trump's term. I think we'll be back to that next month," Bessent said, referencing data that he believes shows wage growth for American workers.
He emphasized the importance of private-sector jobs as the primary driver of sustained wage growth. "What's more important is these are private sector jobs," Bessent stated. "Government jobs can be — we have some great government servants — but real wage growth does not come from government jobs. It's the private sector."
The Treasury secretary also commented on efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, describing the current administration's approach as "right-sizing" the workforce after its expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. "There was this incredible blowout and government bloat, and it's like the president says, 'I could create 1 million, 2 million jobs if I wanted to blow up the government,' but then the deficit goes up, productivity goes down," he explained.
Bessent expressed optimism about the economy, stating, "And I think we're in the middle — or on the cusp — of a big productivity boom just like we had in the '90s."