Top fiery moments as Democrats clash with Treasury Secretary Bessent in chaotic Hill hearings

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was grilled by Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill in back-to-back hearings this week that repeatedly erupted into shouting. Bessent was on the Hill to discuss the nation’s economic health but faced sharp questioning that at times derailed the proceedings.

The confrontations reflected broader Democratic frustrations over President Donald Trump’s trade agenda and renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve, sharpening concerns about inflation, borrowing costs and the administration’s economic direction.

Against that backdrop, cost-of-living pressures dominated the hearings, with Democratic lawmakers demanding clearer answers as Bessent defended the administration’s policies.

Here are the top contentious moments from Bessent’s hearings.

‘Can you shut him up?’

On Wednesday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was among the first to clash with Bessent over Trump’s economic agenda, with the irate congresswoman asking at one point if someone could “shut him up.”

The exchange took place during Bessent’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Waters, the panel’s ranking member, pressed Bessent on the potential inflationary effects of Trump’s tariffs on U.S. consumers, repeatedly calling for a yes-or-no answer.

Waters: So I ask you, Secretary Bessent, will you be the voice of reason in this administration and urge President Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers, harming housing affordability, and putting the economy at risk? Yes or no. You don’t have to explain.

Bessent: Representative —

Waters: Will you be the voice of reason? Will you be the voice of reason?

Bessent: A study from Wharton University has shown —

Waters: Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Mr. Chair, will you let him know when I ask to reclaim my time —

Rep. French Hill, R-Ariz., House Financial Services Committee chairman: The time does belong to the gentlewoman from California.

Bessent: Ten to 20 million immigrants —

Waters: Can you shut him up?

Bessent: What about the housing stock for working Americans? And can you maintain some level of dignity?

Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired.

Waters: No, my time has not expired.

Hill: Your time has expired. The gentleman —

Waters: The gentleman took up my time. I think you should recognize that, Mr. Chair.

Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired.

‘Stop covering for the president’

Following the contentious exchange with Waters, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) asked Bessent to commit to pausing and fully scrutinizing any Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) licensing tied to World Liberty Financial, a Trump-linked crypto firm.

He cited concerns about conflicts of interest and foreign influence that he said should be reviewed and shared with Congress. Bessent cited the OCC’s independence and declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer.

Meeks : All I need to know is will you halt it and do a complete investigation and scrutiny of this licensing application? Yes or no? 

Bessent: No, congressman. The OCC is an independent entity and I would note congressman —

Meeks: All you have to say is yes or no.

Bessent: In 2006, you traveled to Venezuela —

Meeks: I take that as a no.

Bessent: On behalf of your donors —

Meeks: I take that as a no. You do not want to answer that question.

Bessent: 110 years —

Meeks: I take that as a no.

CAN YOU SHUT HIM UP?: WATERS AND TREASURY’S BESSENT CLASH OVER TRUMP’S ECONOMIC AGENDA

Bessent: For 7 billion —

Meeks: I’m asking you to do your responsibility as Secretary of the Treasury.

Hill: Mr. Meeks. Your time has expired.

Meeks: He went past your time, Mr. Chairman. He did not answer my question, and he went past the time.

Hill: He had six seconds left to try to answer your question.

Meeks: And it was a yes or no.

Hill: Gentleman, the chair recognizes the gentleman —

Meeks: Stop covering for the president. Stop being his flunky.

Hill: Gentlemen, gentlemen —

Meeks: Stop covering for the president, work for the American people.

Bessent: To make a trip to Venezuela —

Meeks: Don’t be a cover-up for a mob.

Hill: Mr. Meeks. Mr. Bessent please —

‘You’re plundering US tax dollars’

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., sparred with Bessent during a contentious Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, pressing him on President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the alleged leak of his tax records. 

When Bessent said any payout would come from the U.S. Treasury, Gallego pushed back, arguing the cost would ultimately be borne by U.S. taxpayers.

Bessent tried to interject, but Gallego continued, “I’m controlling the time here. You’re not obeying the law. You’re plundering U.S. taxpayer dollars.”

‘This one should be an easy one, Mr. Secretary’

In the same hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pressed Bessent to explain a joke Trump made about Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh.

Warren, the panel’s ranking member, asked Bessent about comments Trump made over the weekend, when he joked — or appeared to joke — about suing Warsh if he failed to lower the national interest rate. The question triggered a shouting match between the two.

WARREN AND BESSENT ERUPT INTO SHOUTING MATCH OVER TRUMP’S WARSH JOKE

Warren: This one should be an easy one. Mr. Secretary, can you commit right here and now that Trump’s Fed nominee, Kevin Warsh, will not be sued, will not be investigated by the Department of Justice, if he doesn’t cut interest rates exactly the way Donald Trump wants?

Bessent: That’s up to the president. Can you commit that you will — 

Warren: I’m sorry? You can’t say that he won’t be sued if he doesn’t drop interest rates?

Bessent: Can you commit that you will not hold up — 

Warren: And he won’t be criminally investigated? 

Bessent: The president also made a joke about you — one I won’t repeat.

Warren: That was supposed to be a softball. That was the easy one. If this was a joke, why not just say so?

Bessent: It was a joke, and he made a joke about you, too, Senator Warren. It got a lot of laughs, it got a lot of laughs. I don’t know if you want to respond to that. 

Warren: I do want to respond, I think the American people are laughing, they are the ones that are struggling.

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Last week, Trump nominated Warsh to lead the world’s most powerful central bank. If confirmed by the Senate, Warsh would assume one of the most powerful positions in U.S. economic policymaking, with direct influence over interest rate decisions and the central bank’s battle against inflation. 

Kiera McDonald and Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.