Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, lashed out at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a tense House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday.
"Ma'am, that's incorrect," Bessent said in a response to a chart displayed by Plaskett, which was referencing the cost of living, but the chart only went until February of this year.
"Excuse me. Let me get something straight with you first here. I've seen you interrupt everyone. When you come to someone's house, you respect their rules. And in this house, we don't interrupt individuals. And you're not going to interrupt my time," Plaskett said.
"I'm going to give you time to respond. You may want to jot down some notes about things you don't agree with me on so you can respond to them at that time. But while I'm speaking, as the person holding this time, you will refrain from speaking, sir, until I'm done, until I'm done, then I will give you time to speak, OK?" she continued.
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"I look forward to facts," Bessent replied.
"Thank you. I'll look forward to your response whether they're factual or incorrect either," Plaskett replied.
Later on, Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, asked Bessent, "Where did [Plaskett] go wrong in her statement?"
"Well, first of all, I would fire the staffer who did that chart, because it stopped in February 2025 and prices are down substantially since then. But that's an inconvenient truth. Secondly, the S&P, if the congresswoman would care to check Bloomberg. The stock market is judged by the S&P, which is the most widely held index by American 401ks is up on the air, up," Bessent said.
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When Plaskett attempts to interject, Moran says, "Excuse me, ma'am, it's my time."
"And we don't interrupt, excuse me, we don't interrupt is what I learned," Bessent clapped back. "Since Jan. 1, it is my business for 40 years to know what the stock market does, and it is up in the air."
After the hearing, Plaskett received a range of criticism, including a remark from an X user saying, "Do all these twats have their PMS cycle synced? Someone needs to ship a case of Midol to the Capitol this afternoon."
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Plaskett replied to the user's response with an explicit comment.
"Excuse you!! This twat, [c--t], pum pum whatever you want to call it represents an organ that gives LIFE and is resilienr [sic] so thanks for the compliment. I can take one interruption but Bessent was out of control. And…. I know I look good for my age but baby I'm post menopausal and it still works," she replied, with emojis of cherries and a drop of water.
The primary focus of the committee hearing was on trade and tax policies, both of which have sparked serious debate as Congress works through the reconciliation bill, and as the administration negotiates trade deals with other nations. As for Bessent, he'll be on Capitol Hill again on Thursday testifying before the Senate Finance Committee.
