U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently forecasted substantial affordability relief for American families, including a major drop in inflation within the first six months of 2026. In a Fox Business interview on December 16, he highlighted falling rents due to stricter border enforcement reducing immigration pressures, lower energy prices from deregulation, and upcoming tax refunds of one thousand to two thousand dollars per household in the first quarter. Bessent credited President Trump's tax, energy, and immigration policies for reversing Biden-era inflation, predicting strong job growth, capital formation, and non-inflationary expansion if Democrats avoid a government shutdown. He warned that growth creates supply, not inflation, positioning 2026 as a bountiful year with benefits for Main Street and Wall Street alike.

On December 23, the Treasury Department under Bessent awarded ten billion dollars in New Markets Tax Credits to 142 organizations for 2024 and 2025, emphasizing rural and Native community investments. Tribal Business News reported two hundred thirty-six million dollars allocated for Native areas, with awards to groups like Native American Bank at seventy-five million dollars and Chickasaw Nation Community Development Endeavor at seventy-five million dollars. Bessent stated in a Treasury release that making the program permanent via the One Big Beautiful Bill ensures long-term certainty for job creation, not political trends. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced reforms to enforce anti-discrimination laws, boost compliance monitoring, and prioritize affordable housing, small businesses, manufacturing, and rural hospitals, with a twenty percent increase in rural funding per UCB Journal on December 29.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse challenged Bessent on climate change risks to mortgages, insurance, and the economy during a recent hearing, citing reports from the Senate Budget Committee, First Street, Federal Reserve Chair Powell, and Fitch on potential trillions in losses, as covered by MSNBC's The Beat on December 29. Bessent responded that his team interacts with state insurance regulators via the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Separately, seventeen senators led by Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns to Bessent over predicted record tax refunds in 2026 from Trump's tax cuts, according to Accounting Today on December 23.

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