Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) lashed out at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — telling him at one point to “shut up” — after a tense exchange over inflation.
Waters suggested that President Trump’s tariffs were inflationary and immigration enforcement was tanking housing affordability during a House Financial Services Committee hearing about the state of the US economy.
“Will you be the voice of reason in the administration and urge Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers?” the California Democrat pleaded. “Yes or no?”
“You seem confused as to the definition of inflation,” Bessent began before Waters interrupted him to re-ask the question.
The cabinet official and House Democrat then began talking over each other, with Bessent noting that 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 butted in.
“Can you maintain some level of dignity?” Bessent replied.
Waters complained to the committee’s chairman, Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), that “the gentleman took up my time” with his responses.
