Treasury Secretary to Address Measures Against Terror Financing
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to present the U.S. Treasury’s approach to tackling the financial aspects of “transnational political terrorism” during a speech to senior officials at the U.S. State Department on Thursday, as reported by Breitbart News.
A Treasury official has indicated that Bessent will highlight the various strategies available to the president for disrupting terrorist financing globally.
“Secretary Bessent will stress that addressing transnational political terrorist financing is a fundamental national security priority for the Treasury,” a spokesperson for the Treasury Department shared with Breitbart News the night before his address. “The Secretary plans to underline the department’s commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the illicit financial networks that support terrorist organizations. His remarks will also cover efforts to prevent misuse of these networks as funding means. Additionally, he will reaffirm collaboration with international partners to safeguard national security against threats to the integrity of the global financial system and deny terrorists essential resources for their violent acts.”
Bessent’s speech takes place during a summit aimed at countering far-left extremist terrorism, convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with representatives from over 70 countries.
According to a report from ABC News, Secretary Rubio is poised to lead discussions among international delegations regarding what the Trump administration calls a “resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism.” Internal communications suggest that this issue has often been overlooked within the global counterterrorism landscape, despite the serious risks it poses.
A memo shared with foreign governments stated, “For too long, this threat has remained a blind spot in the international community’s counterterrorism focus, underappreciated and under-resourced despite the danger it constitutes.”
Bessent’s address comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s anticipated prime-time Oval Office speech later Thursday night, which will cover broader topics. While the specifics of Trump’s address remain unclear, there is speculation it may touch on election integrity or the ongoing conflict with Iran, which has seen renewed tensions recently, following the apparent collapse of the initial agreement aimed at ending the war that escalated earlier this year.
