Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Representative Maxine Waters engaged in a confrontation during a hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to Treasury data.

Waters charged that DOGE, under the leadership of Elon Musk, possessed “unfettered” access to sensitive systems. Bessent refuted this claim, asserting that DOGE only had read-only access and reminded Waters, “There’s no such thing as a DOGE employee.”

In a heated exchange, Waters interrupted Bessent, accusing him of granting outsiders complete access to Treasury data. She also seemed to overlook a previous meeting with Bessent in the Bahamas, which he tactfully reminded her of.

Bessent currently holds the title of the most favored member of Trump’s Cabinet, boasting a +14 net approval rating. Trump’s approval ratings have also seen an increase, particularly among younger voters and Black voters, despite recent backlash related to trade.