On Monday evening, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent made a visit to Nassau County, engaging with Long Island’s small-business community. During the event, local stakeholders praised their ability to navigate the current economic landscape under President Trump’s administration.
Addressing an audience that included realtors, restaurant owners, school board members, local politicians, and community members, Bessent remarked, “Wall Street always thrives… now it’s time for Main Street to enjoy the same success.” He emphasized the government’s efforts to foster a business-friendly environment through deregulation policies.
Bessent highlighted the importance of the administration’s approach, which encourages individuals to “work harder, keep more of your money.” This message resonated with many attendees who believe these fiscal strategies are providing a crucial lift to everyday workers.
In his speech, Bessent detailed several initiatives, including Trump’s savings accounts for children, referring to them as “the ultimate real-time experiment.” He also discussed the Big Beautiful Bill, which aims to create broader opportunities for economic prosperity.
Additionally, Bessent touched on a new policy that offers financial incentives for whistleblowers who expose significant multimillion-dollar frauds. Under this policy, whistleblowers could receive up to 30% of the penalties collected from cases akin to the Somali daycare scandal in Minnesota.
He also addressed a new policy on financial incentives for whistleblowing on major, multimillion-dollar frauds — up to 30% on penalties for those caught — for cases similar to the Somali daycare scandal in Minnesota.
The secretary likened speaking up to the MTA slogan, “if you see something, say something.”
Meanwhile, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman boasted about the county’s strong fiscal standing.
“[We have] one of the lowest poverty rates of any county in the United States. Yet our demographics are a mirror image of the state of New York,” Trump ally Blakeman told The Post.
“We have every race, every religion, every ethnic group, but we stress economic development — we keep taxes down, and we welcome business. I think that’s the kind of environment that you want to create for your communities,” said the Republican gubernatorial candidate.
He added that two upcoming priorities for the county are lowering taxes and creating more energy opportunities to drill down on utility costs.
Wantagh realtor Al Iaquinta, a former MMA star in attendance, backed Blakeman, adding that the housing market — and its extremely steep local costs — doesn’t lie about Nassau’s prosperity.
“People are buying — we’ve got lines down the block,” said the UFC brawler.
Small-business owner Gus Tsiorvas, who operates Embassy Diner in Bethpage, also spoke to the secretary and praised the difference he is already seeing from Trump’s no-tax-on-tips stance, saying “my diner was given a chance not only to survive, but to thrive.”
One of Tsiorvas’ workers appeared on a December cover of The Post, griping that New York was putting a big dent into her hard-earned gratuities.
After outrage, Gov. Kathy Hochul walked back her stance on taxing tips in January.
“I cannot tell you how huge this is for [my staff],” Tsiorvas said, adding that one waiter, John, is finally planning to take his three kids to Disney World.
“Another example is my waitress, Cindy, who is a single mom raising her daughter alone. She told me a few days ago that because of the no tax on tips, she is finally able to throw her daughter a huge birthday party.”
Bessent ate it up. He laughed that no tax on tips has made him the “most popular cabinet member” — especially among the service industry.
The treasury boss added that Trump was inspired to pursue the policy after stopping at a diner in Nevada.
“Thank God we have a president who cares,” Tsiorvas said.
