Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy on Thursday reacted to Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen‘s comments about President Joe Biden‘s willingness to work with congress by blurting out, “that’s a lie,” prompting a scolding from Democrat and Finance Committee chair Sen. Ron Wyden.
Yellen was before the committee to discuss Biden’s budget, but did in her opening remarks address the economy at large and banking in particular.
When Cassidy questioned Yellen, he focused on Social Security funding and solvency, which has been a major issue already in this session and in the president’s public comments about the economy and budget.
Cassidy began by asking if Biden knows anyone “personally” who relies on Social Security benefits to such a degree that “if their benefits are cut by 24%” they would “slide into poverty.”
Yellen replied that the president “knows many people on Social Security.”
Cassidy asked why the president doesn’t care, and Yellen replied that he does, and Cassidy said well if he does then where is his plan, and Yellen started to say that Biden “stands ready to work with Congress.”
Cassidy cut that sentence off and said, “that’s a lie.”
After explaining that Biden has failed to respond to repeated bipartisan requests to discuss Social Security, he amended his accusation to say that he understands Yellen can’t comment on that, but that it was “a fact.”
“And if you’ve been told to say he stands ready to meet, I will tell you there’s absolutely no evidence because we have not gotten our meeting,” he said.
Cassidy and Yellen continued the discussion, and as they were wrapping up, they repeated the dispute about Biden’s willingness to work with the Senators.
Yellen said that the president “stand ready to work with Congress,” and Cassidy again said, “empirically that is not true.”
At that point, Wyden admonished Cassidy with a comment directed at the room.
“I would just caution colleagues, we’ve got plenty of differences around here, but accusing witnesses of lying is over the line.”
“I accept that, and I did not mean that for the Madam Secretary, who was merely saying that which she’s been told,” Cassidy responded. “I’m saying it, for a, an empiric observation, when the president says he’s ready to meet, then he’s turned down multiple times –”
Wyden cut him off and said, “the time of the gentleman’s expired. Accusing witnesses of lying is over the line.”
“But I did not accuse her,” Cassidy managed to get in before they moved on to Sen. Tom Carper, a Democrat from Wisconsin, who began with a quip.
“Welcome to the finance committee, Secretary Yellen,” he said to some scattered laughs. “We’re normally a pretty jovial group.”
SEN. CASSIDY: Does the president know personally, anybody who is dependent upon Social Security. And if their benefits are cut by 24%, they will slide into poverty? It’s hard for you to know. So I’ll give you a pass on that–
SEC. YELLEN: The president knows many people on Social Security.
SEN. CASSIDY: Why doesn’t the president care?
SEC. YELLEN: He cares very deeply —
SEN. CASSIDY: Then where is his plan?
SEC. YELLEN: He stands ready to work with congress to address —
SEN. CASSIDY: That’s a lie. Because when a bipartisan group of senators has repeatedly requested to meet with him about Social, so that somebody who is a current beneficiary will not see her benefits cut by 24%, we have not heard anything on our request. And we’ve made multiple requests to meet with the president. Now, you can’t comment on that, I realize that, but that is a fact. And if you’ve been told to say he stands ready to meet, I will tell you there’s absolutely no evidence because we have not gotten our meeting.
SEC. YELLEN: Well, I believe the president does stand ready to work with Congress to address this issue.
SEN. CASSIDY: Again empirically that is not true.
SEC. YELLEN: What I know is that the president is committed to Social Security. He stands ready to work with Congress and he’s put on the table —
SEN. CASSIDY: I’m out of time. I don’t mean to be rude, but since I’ve had multiple requests on a bipartisan basis to meet with them and he’s turned everyone down, that rings hollow.
SEN. WYDEN: My colleagues, out of time. And I would just caution colleagues, we’ve got plenty of differences around here, but accusing witnesses of lying is over the line.
SEN. CASSIDY: I accept that, and I did not mean that for the Madam Secretary, who was merely saying that which she’s been told. I’m saying it for a – an empiric observation, When the president says he’s ready to meet, then he’s turned down multiple times.
SEN. WYDEN: The time of the gentleman’s expired. Accusing witnesses of lying is over the line.
SEN. CASSIDY: But I did not accuse her.
SEN. WYDEN: Next, we have Senator Carper.
SEN. CARPER: Welcome to the Finance Committee. Secretary Yellen.
SEC. YELLEN: Thank you very much.
SEN. CARPER: We’re normally a pretty jovial group, but we’ll get back on track here in a sec.
Watch the clip above, via C-SPAN.
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