U.S. Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) took the time to remind Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that she is not like her other colleagues and will not be interrupted during a House committee hearing.
The tense exchange took place June 11 as Bessent was being grilled about a number of things concerning America’s economic status. When Plaskett noted how the stock market has dropped since President Donald Trump took over the Oval Office, the treasury secretary interrupted with claims that her reporting was “incorrect” — but he learned not to do it again. “Let me get something straight with you first here. I’ve seen you interrupt everyone,” Plaskett said.
“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.”
As Bessent seemed to be taking her stance as a joke, cleaning his glasses as she scolded him, Plaskett gave him some advice on what he could do in the meantime. “I’m going to give you time to respond. You may want to jot down some notes about things that you don’t agree with me on so you can respond to them at that time,” she continued.
“But while I am speaking as the person holding this time, you will refrain from speaking, sir, until I am done, and then I will give you time to speak, okay?”
Bessent responded, saying, “I look forward to the facts.”
According to NJ.com, the Treasury leader claims the stock market has been up since the first day of 2025, with reference to the S&P 500 index. When Trump took office on Jan. 20, the S&P 500 closed at $6,049.24 just one day later. As of June 11, it closed at $6,038.81. He blamed a staffer who may have presented incorrect information, resulting in the exchange. “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,” he said.
“Secondly, the S&P, if the congresswoman would care to check Bloomberg, the stock market as judged by the S&P, which is the most widely held index by Americans’ 401(k)s, is up on the year.”
As the video went viral on social media, Plaskett was met with misogynistic comments, claiming her “PMS cycle” may have been synced. However, like the exchange, she took the time to respond, saying the cabinet member was out of control.
Bessent responded to the clip on X stating, “This is the People’s House. And the people deserve to hear the facts.” And the facts are, according to a report released by the Labor Department, that prices for consumers went up by 2.4% in May 2025 in comparison to May 2024.
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