Bessent demands Senate Democrats finish their ‘tantrum’ amid escalating shutdown feud
Treasury Secretary Bessent, Senators Warren and Klobuchar Clash Over Argentina Policy and Government Shutdown
The ongoing feud between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) has intensified amid a heated standoff over the government shutdown and the Trump administration’s controversial economic policy toward Argentina.
The dispute erupted after Warren, Klobuchar, and 19 other Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the Treasury Department accusing the administration of prioritizing Argentina’s interests “over the needs of American farmers and rural communities.” The letter criticized a proposed $20 billion currency swap deal with Buenos Aires, arguing that it would benefit U.S. competitors while worsening challenges for domestic farmers.
“Instead of prioritizing U.S. farmers and rural communities, the administration has doubled down on aiding Argentina when family farmers are running out of time,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to immediately reconsider further aid to Argentina and focus on restoring and expanding long-term export market access for American farmers.”
Bessent Fires Back on Social Media
In response, Bessent took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, lashing out at Klobuchar and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), blaming them for prolonging the government shutdown.
“The shutdown will end when you and Senator Schumer finish your tantrum and vote for the clean, non-partisan funding bill,” Bessent wrote. “It’s time for you to be a hero, join your sane, moderate colleagues, and allow millions of American families to sit side-by-side around the Thanksgiving table.”
Just days earlier, Bessent had labeled both Warren and Klobuchar as “failures”, telling their staffers to “stop writing incoherent letters” and instead help reopen the government.
“Failures” and “Peronists” — Bessent Escalates the Feud
In a fiery statement referencing President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia and Argentina’s economic recovery, Bessent accused the senators of undermining free-market reforms and harming U.S. farmers.
“@SenWarren and @SenAmyKlobuchar: you are failures,” Bessent posted. “You failed to derail the electoral success of one of our great allies in Latin America, President @JMilei. He won in a landslide with the poorest members of society voting for economic freedom—a notion anathema in particular to the Senate’s resident American Peronist, Senator Warren.”
Bessent further claimed the senators’ actions had delayed government relief for farmers, including plans to activate the Farm Credit Agency for next year’s crops.
Klobuchar Responds with Humor and Criticism
Senator Klobuchar responded with a mix of humor and sharp critique, saying she initially thought Bessent’s remarks came from a parody account.
“We have had no public or private personal ‘BEEFS’ (Argentinian or otherwise),” she quipped, referencing the administration’s controversial proposal to import Argentine beef, a move that has drawn bipartisan criticism from farm-state lawmakers.
Klobuchar defended the Democrats’ letter as “super serious and fact-based,” insisting it merely sought a review of the administration’s tariff policies and foreign bailouts.
“While your announcement today reversing part of your own administration’s bad policies is helpful,” she said, “there’s still so much left to undo before these across-the-board tariffs upend the economy in rural America. Let me know when you’re ready to discuss tariffs over some 40% more expensive coffee.”
The escalating exchange underscores growing tension between the Treasury Department and Democratic lawmakers over the administration’s trade and bailout strategies, which critics say could undermine American agriculture and increase costs for consumers nationwide.
