The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance’s ranking member, Ron Wyden, released a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seeking confirmation and details after nominee Sriprakash Kothari, a senior advisor to the Secretary and nominee for Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, told committee staff he was unaware of Treasury work to plan for the economic fallout of the war with Iran before hostilities began. According to the letter, Kothari said he conducted no analysis on energy markets or other economic issues in the run-up to the conflict, was not aware of anyone at Treasury doing such work, and was unaware of any coordination with other agencies on Iran-related economic policy. The letter also states that Kothari’s post-conflict work on “oil prices” and “GDP numbers” was undertaken on his own initiative, was not requested by anyone at Treasury, and was not coordinated with other departments or agencies, and that he assessed the economic outlook as worsening the longer the conflict lasts. Wyden requested written answers by April 16, 2026, including what Treasury did to assess economic consequences prior to February 28, 2026, what analysis was performed on global energy-market impacts, which offices were involved and whether there was interagency coordination, how Treasury handles senior officials’ independent work product, and Treasury’s current assessment of oil prices and their impact on U.S. GDP.
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance 2026-04-09
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance seeks Treasury explanation for alleged lack of economic planning ahead of Iran war
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s ranking member, Ron Wyden, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seeking clarification on Treasury’s economic planning related to the war with Iran, following nominee Sriprakash Kothari’s statements that he was unaware of any pre-conflict work. Wyden noted that Kothari conducted limited post-conflict analysis on oil prices and GDP independently and without interagency coordination, and requested detailed written information on Treasury’s assessments, interagency coordination, treatment of senior officials’ independent work, and current views on oil prices and U.S. GDP impacts.