Bessent argues US was 'asleep' on economic security, Trump policies waking it up

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump’s economic agenda aims to fix decades of over‑reliance on rivals (notably China) by treating “economic security” as national security.
The administration is pushing to rebuild U.S. supply chains and industries — from shipbuilding to critical minerals and pharmaceuticals — favoring resilience over pure efficiency.
Bessent stresses this isn’t isolationism: the U.S. will still engage globally but wants to shift from dangerous overdependence to healthier, fairer interdependence.