In one of their first major opportunities to publicly push back against members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, House Democrats didn’t land many big punches.
While the minority party is typically eager to use oversight hearings to create splashy, on-camera moments, House Democrats managed few as the faces of some of Trump’s biggest policy moves — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — defended the president on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
“This is our first substantive hearing dealing with the devastating actions the Trump administration has taken in the first three months of 2025. Actions planned and predicted by Project 2025,” Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, who long held a top leadership post in the caucus, said at the beginning of Bessent’s hearing.