Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., erupted at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a heated House Financial Services Committee hearing Wednesday, telling him to “shut up” as the two sparred over inflation and the broader economy.
Waters accused the Trump administration of driving up prices through tariffs and crippling housing affordability with immigration enforcement, pressing Bessent to publicly break with the White House.
“Will you be the voice of reason in the administration and urge Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers?” Waters asked. “Yes or no?”
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Bessent began to respond by challenging her premise.
“You seem confused as to the definition of inflation,” he said, before Waters cut him off and repeated the question.
The exchange quickly devolved into cross-talk, with Scott Bessent arguing that housing pressures were worsened after the Biden administration “let in between 10 and 20 million immigrants” who “took up the housing stock of working Americans.”
“Can you shut up?” Waters snapped.
Bessent fired back, “Can you maintain some level of dignity?”
Maxine Waters then appealed to committee Chairman Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., claiming that “the gentleman took up my time” with his answers.
The clash underscored the increasingly combative tone on Capitol Hill as Democrats target Trump’s economic agenda and administration officials push back by tying inflation and housing strain to years of Democratic immigration and spending policies
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