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3h ago

Maxine Waters Tells Treasury’s Scott Bessent to ‘Shut Up’ During Heated House Hearing

The exchange highlighted competing narratives about inflation’s drivers.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) as he testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing about the annual report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
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Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. The hearing is titled "The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System."
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Overview

  • The clash unfolded Feb. 4 in a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the economy, with Rep. Maxine Waters questioning Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on tariffs and affordability.
  • Waters pressed Bessent to urge President Trump to reverse tariffs she called a "war on American consumers."
  • Bessent rejected her premise, saying tariffs are not inflationary and referencing San Francisco Fed research.
  • He also claimed the Biden administration allowed 10 to 20 million immigrants who, he argued, absorbed housing supply meant for working Americans.
  • The exchange escalated to Waters saying "shut up" and Bessent replying that she should "maintain some level of dignity," as Chairman Rep. French Hill repeatedly ruled her time expired.