Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday accused Democrats of engineering the record U.S. government shutdown to damage President Donald Trump politically, arguing the fight was "never about healthcare" and predicting the economy will roar back once Washington reopens for business.

A day after US President Donald Trump defended the H-1B visa programme, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the "vision" is to bring in skilled overseas workers who train Americans and then go back home.

Trump’s new H-1B visa plan focuses on bringing foreign experts to train American workers and rebuild key industries, aiming to restore manufacturing strength and reduce dependence on imports.

Scott Bessent clarifies that Donald Trump’s H 1B policy aims to bring skilled foreign workers to the United States for short periods so they can train Americans in critical industries before returning home,

Weeks after Trump publicly smeared George Stephanopoulos, MAGA devotee Scott Bessent was out for a fight with the ABC host.

After defending the H-1B visa programme, President Donald Trump’s administration sent mixed signals — with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying foreign workers should train Americans and “then go home.

Bessent added that the plan uses temporary visa programmes like H-1B to bring in experts only long enough for Americans to gain essential skills, after which the foreign workers would return home.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Trump’s visa strategy as key to reviving US manufacturing, saying it will rebuild skills in industries like shipbuilding and semiconductors after decades of outsourcing.