'Can you shut him up?' House Democrats clash with Bessent in fiery hearing [View all]

Source: ABC News

February 4, 2026, 6:45 PM


House Democrats clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday during a fiery hearing on Capitol Hill that devolved into shouting matches and throwing sharp elbows.

"Can you shut him up?" Rep. Maxine Waters of California, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, at one point asked Chairman Rep. French Hill of Arkansas as Bessent repeatedly spoke over her question and ignored her repeated "reclaiming my time" declarations.

"Can you maintain some level of dignity," Bessent hit back. Waters and Bessent were going back and forth over President Donald Trump's tariffs, particularly on home building goods. Throughout the hearing, which was to be focused on the annual report from the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which monitors the stability of the U.S. financial systems, Democrats made the same "reclaiming my time" declaration as Waters.

Another tense exchange came during Massachusetts' Rep. Stephen Lynch's questioning of Bessent on a slowdown in investigations into corporations, asking if that concerned the secretary. As Bessent began to blame the Biden administration, Lynch interjected: "Please be responsive to my question."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/shut-house-democrats-clash-bessent-fiery-hearing/story?id=129859858