What to watch as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before Congress

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference to outline further sanctions against Iran, at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., Aug. 24, 2026. Evelyn Hockstein | ReutersTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent will appear before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday for his annual testimony, where he will tout the success of the Iran war and rising wages for the lowest-income Americans. He will likely face questions about issues including inflation, energy prices, interest rates and the federal debt."The strength of our economy has allowed the United States to wage the greatest economic isolation campaign in the history of the world against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its enablers," Bessent is expected to tell the committee, according to an advance copy of the Treasury secretary's testimony obtained by CNBC.Bessent's testimony is formally part of Congress' oversight of the International Monetary Fund, a Washington-based international organization that was established in 1944 to help ensure global financial stability. Bessent has criticized the organization as subject to mission creep, and his former chief of staff, Dan Katz, became i...