Treasury Secretary Bessent talks to CNBC as Trump administration faces affordability concerns

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently met with his Chinese counterpart, He Lifeng, ahead of a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump. The meeting comes as the Trump administration faces concerns about affordability.

Bessent has faced criticism from investors for his recent attempts to manage prices in the bond market. The Treasury announced a multi-billion-dollar buyback scheme on long-dated Treasuries, which reduced supply and pushed yields down, according to Fortune.

The US national debt recently hit $40 trillion, with interest payments expected to exceed $2 trillion in the fiscal year 2026. Bessent's actions in the bond market have raised questions among investors about his management of the market.

Brief written by urgent.news from CNBC, Fortune, Winnipeg Free Press — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.