Treasury secretary looks to soothe Republican lawmakers on tariff drama

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will huddle with House Republicans multiple times this week as the administration looks to soothe GOP concerns about the sweeping tariffs that President Trump announced last week.

Bessent is set to brief a large group of members in the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House, The Hill confirmed, though specific topics were not set.

The secretary will also be on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon for a roundtable hosted by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) aimed at boosting support for the budget resolution to tee up President Trump’s legislative agenda, which will include extension of tax cuts. Also at that roundtable will be National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons, and manufacturers from across the country.

In trying to rally skeptical fiscal hawks to vote for a framework to advance Trump’s “big beautiful” legislative agenda, House GOP leaders argue that quickly passing the budget resolution could lead to a positive market reaction — helping to offset any skepticism from Trump’s sweeping tariffs. 

“We're excited, by the way, to host Treasury Secretary Bessent later today for a roundtable to address the importance and urgency of getting this done,” Emmer said.

Bessent’s meetings on Capitol Hill come as some House Republicans have been asking GOP leaders to bring in administration officials to brief them about the tariff strategy.

One of those members, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), expressed approval at signals from Bessent and the Trump administration that they would be open to negotiating tariff rates with other countries.

“I think it sent a good sign to the market that there is a pathway for most countries to get to zero-zero,” Issa said Tuesday morning. “We look forward to a further briefing. But again, there are two camps at the White House, and that's been made pretty clear.”

Bessent said on CNBC earlier on Tuesday that Trump’s apparent willingness to engage in tariff negotiations is a result of a “massive inflow” of calls from countries, not the downturn in global markets.