Scott Bessent: Slowed Job Growth Is Due to 2 Million Deportations; Americans Are ‘Doing Quite Well’ Getting Jobs



by Olivia Rondeau 15 Oct 2025

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said U.S. job growth has slowed down in part due to two million illegals being deported, saying, “I think in terms of Americans having jobs, we’re doing quite well.”

Appearing Wednesday morning at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum in Washington, DC, Bessent was asked by host Sara Eisen to explain the reasons behind the recent “slowdown in job growth.”

Spencer Hakimian
@SpencerHakimian
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CNBC: What do you think is driving the slowdown in job growth?

BESSENT: deportations and voluntarily deportations.



https://twitter.com/i/status/1978458475660272020

9:50 AM · Oct 15, 2025

“Some people are wondering, is this a supply issue because immigration has slowed down, or is it a demand issue where businesses aren’t hiring as much?”

“Well, I think it’s a couple of things,” the secretary replied. “I think with the securing of the border, and then maybe between deportations and voluntary deportations, we’ve seen two million people leave the workforce. And, I think in terms of Americans having jobs, we’re doing quite well.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last month that two million illegal aliens had either been deported or self-deported from the country since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

Broken down more specifically, DHS officials estimated that 1.6 million illegal aliens have self-deported, while ICE agents have deported more than 400,000, and are on pace to deport almost 600,000 by the end of the year.

The agency stated that it had released zero illegal aliens into the United States interior from the southern border for four consecutive months — compared to the hundreds of thousands that were released each month under the Biden administration.

In addition to fewer illegal migrants, Bessent said job growth has slowed due to the reduction in “bloated” federal jobs.

“I think we are starting to see the rightsizing of the federal government. So I had always said that there would be a transition period,” he told Eisen. “Federal government got very bloated, and as government employment comes down, we’re going to see this CapEx boom. And on the other side, private employment will pick it up.”

“That’s happening?” Eisen asked.

Calling out the government shutdown, Bessent replied, “I think that we are right on the cusp of that, and government needs to get out of the way, reopen, and create the conditions for this boom.”

Earlier in the forum, he blamed the Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, which has entered day 15.

Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
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 BREAKING: This reporter just tried to 'gotcha' Scott Bessent and it failed MISERABLY

HOST: People are blaming the current government for the shutdown. I know YOU blame Democrats, but often, the blame goes to who's in power.

BESSENT: *Chuckles* How is that? Mike Johnson

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https://twitter.com/i/status/1978439221619638441

8:34 AM · Oct 15, 2025

“I know you’re blaming the Democrats, but often the blame goes to who’s in power,” Eisen said.

“How’s that? [House Speaker] Mike Johnson passed a clean CR [continuing resolution]. Three Democratic senators have come over,” Bessent shot back. “[Senate Majority Leader John] Thune has a vote every day, and they want to negotiate. We’re saying reopen the government. Negotiate.”

When asked if the shutdown is “hurting the economy,” Bessent said, “I’ve seen numbers that are starting to hurt the economy, maybe up to $15 billion a day.”

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/20...-getting-jobs/