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.
