Bessent Says ‘Remains to Be Seen’ Whether Tax Bill Adds to Debt

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent refrained from arguing that the tax legislation Republicans are working to finalize in Congress will avoid adding to the debt burden.

“It remains to be seen,” Bessent said Wednesday when asked during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing whether the bill would add to federal borrowing.

Republicans have consistently argued that President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” would pay for itself thanks to faster growth prompted by tax cuts. The House passed a version of the bill last month, and GOP senators are now working on changes.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has ...