Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spent the past two days testifying before lawmakers on Capitol Hill.Bessent appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. It was the first time he addressed the panels since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law in July 2025.
During the hearings, Bessent faced sharp questions about rising inflation and cost-of-living concerns, the immunity deal reached between President Donald Trump and the IRS, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte’s elevation to acting director of national intelligence. Republicans also took a victory lap on the tax cuts legislation passed last year.
The hearings come as legislators begin positioning for the midterm elections. Democrats are vying to wrest back control of the House and the Senate.
There were heated moments during the back-to-back hearings. During one particularly testy exchange, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) declared the Treasury under Bessent the “most corrupt Treasury Department in history.”
“The congresswoman is slanderous,” Bessent shot back. “She has nothing but unsubstantiated opinions, and I will not stand for that. There is nothing corrupt.”
