Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Maxine Waters clashed during a hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to his agency’s information, with the Trump Cabinet member at one point reminding the California Democrat there’s “no such thing as a DOGE employee.”
Waters began her line of questioning by claiming that DOGE chief Elon Musk and those working under him have been granted “unfettered” access to the country’s financial systems.
“Do you know the level, type, or nature of the clearances and security training required for individuals to access the information held in the computers of Treasury, IRS, or [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]?” Waters asked.
“Yes, I do, and I think we would have a disagreement over the definition of the word ‘unfettered,’” Bessent responded.
Unsatisfied with his answer, Waters pressed on, asking whether DOGE was allowed to run amok at Treasury. “Again, they were granted read-only at Treasury. There were two…” Bessent began before Waters interrupted.
“Please! You can’t filibuster here. This is not the filibuster playground,” she said with a glare. “What you did was, you let these strangers into our Treasury with access to all of the data, all of the personnel information, and you just opened the door! Why’d you do that?”
Bessent responded by telling Waters, “There’s no such thing” as a DOGE employee and that everyone she referenced was under his direct supervision.
Waters moved on at that point, but first sneered: “I tend to disagree with you based on the information I have.”
Waters also appeared to forget that she met Bessent on a New Year’s Eve trip to the Bahamas some years ago.
“This is the first time we’ve met, is that correct?” Waters asked Bessent during the House Financial Services Committee hearing.
“No, ma’am. We actually met one New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas,” Bessent said.
“Why don’t I remember that?” the 86-year-old Waters asked.
“You were much better at the electric slide than I was,” Bessent testified. “And I was with the prime minister of the Bahamas yesterday, Prime Minister Davis, who sends his regards.”
“Well, were you with my husband when he was the ambassador to the Bahamas, appointed by Clinton?” Waters asked Bessent, who chuckled awkwardly.
Last month, Bessent emerged in a recent poll as the most popular member of the president’s Cabinet with a +14 net approval rating. That puts him well ahead of the next most popular members: Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is at +8 and the person tied with him, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, per a poll by J.L. Partners found.
But Bessent has not been the only beneficiary of fantastic poll news in recent days. President Donald Trump’s approval rating had also risen to near-record levels in April, despite several days of outrage from Democrats, establishment Republicans, and mainstream media outlets over the president’s ambitious trade changes.
According to a separate poll conducted by J.L. Partners in collaboration with the Daily Mail, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters from March 31 to April 3, Trump’s support rating increased even after sweeping tariffs were imposed on dozens of countries.
Breaking down the numbers further, Trump’s favorability rating among voters aged 18 to 29 has improved by an amazing 13 points since March 7. The study implies Trump is building on the tremendous support he earned from the group in the November presidential election, when voters aged 18 to 29 switched 10 points in Trump’s favor after heavily supporting Joe Biden in 2020.
The president’s support rating increased by six percentage points among registered Democrats and independents, according to the study. The president’s favorability among black voters has increased by 17 points since last week’s survey.
