Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Maxine Waters clashed during a hearing over the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to Treasury data.
Waters accused DOGE, led by Elon Musk, of having “unfettered” access to sensitive systems. Bessent denied this, saying DOGE had only read-only access and reminded Waters, “There’s no such thing as a DOGE employee.”
In a tense exchange, Waters interrupted Bessent and accused him of giving outsiders full access to Treasury data. She also appeared to forget a past meeting with Bessent in the Bahamas, which he gently reminded her of.
Bessent is currently the most popular Trump Cabinet member with a +14 net approval rating. Trump’s own approval has also risen, especially among young voters and Black voters, despite recent trade-related backlash.
