Waters has heated exchange with Bessent on AI

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Today's Top Stories - September 15, 2026

Today's Top Stories - September 15, 2026

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) went after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday for the Trump administration’s policy on artificial intelligence (AI), as warnings about the technology percolate.

During Bessent’s appearance before the House Financial Services Committee, Waters said President Trump is “blindly” pushing for the development of AI models and data centers “with absolutely no safeguards.”

The California Democrat, the panel’s ranking member, then asked Bessent whether he saw the concerns about AI from industry leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

“They could stop anytime they want to,” Bessent replied, before Waters cut him off.

The 18-term lawmaker........

© The Hill