Bessent Says 1.82 Million Deportations Are Returning Jobs, Reviving Real Wage Gains
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 15
Bessent Says 1.82 Million Deportations Are Returning Jobs, Reviving Real Wage Gains
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 15
Summary
1.82 million voluntary and mandatory deportations have helped shift jobs back to American workers, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, arguing Trump's immigration crackdown is now feeding through to hiring and pay.
Bessent said real wage gains had appeared every month of Trump's term before April and predicted they would resume next month as private-sector hiring strengthens.
Private-sector jobs, not government payrolls, are the main source of lasting wage growth, he said, tying the administration's labor-market case to stronger business hiring.
Bessent also defended White House efforts to shrink the federal workforce after what he called COVID-era government bloat, saying the administration is aiming for higher productivity rather than deficit-funded job creation.
He cast that mix of deportations, private hiring and a smaller government as the basis for a broader productivity boom similar to the 1990s.