Bessent dodges IRS immunity question as lawmakers press

Bessent refuses – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent returned to Capitol Hill to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on the Treasury Department’s priorities, a day after he refused to say whether President Donald Trump and his family would remain immune from IRS aud

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was back on Capitol Hill to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on the Treasury Department’s priorities, facing lawmakers who were still fixated on the one question he wouldn’t answer.

One day earlier. Bessent refused to say whether President Donald Trump and his family would continue to receive immunity from IRS audits after the administration abandoned plans for a $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have benefited the president’s allies. At the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday. Bessent told lawmakers. “There’s continuing litigation. and I’m unable to comment on ongoing litigation. ” according to what he said during that session.

Democratic lawmakers didn’t accept the explanation. After repeated attempts to get Bessent to address whether IRS audit immunity would remain in place, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. D-Nev. said. “It’s been very clear you’re dodging this and you’re trying to use it as an excuse. It’s just outrageous on behalf of the American public.”.

The pressure mounted because acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had appeared to indicate the portion of the settlement dealing with IRS audit immunity would still be in effect for the Republican president. Bessent’s refusal to confirm—or deny—that impression left the issue in limbo at a moment when taxpayers and lawmakers are watching every turn.

The hearing arrives as Congress moves on other high-stakes priorities tied to the Trump administration’s governing agenda. In the Senate, lawmakers began a long series of votes Thursday on legislation to fund U.S. immigration enforcement agencies—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol—after Democrats blocked the money for months in protest. The roughly $70 billion bill would end the blockade by Democrats who demanded policy changes following the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents in January. The funding runs for three years, through the end of Trump’s term.

But before the bill could pass. Republicans faced a gauntlet of amendments Democrats plan to offer. including efforts to permanently ban Trump’s $1.776 billion settlement fund. Democrats said their first amendment Thursday morning would eliminate the fund and send the immigration spending bill back to committee.

Other developments also kept the spotlight on the administration’s legal and political landscape. Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a Justice Department deal that could allow him to avoid prison time. with a rearraignment scheduled for June 26. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October charging Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or sharing diary-like notes with family members that officials said contained classified information while he was preparing a memoir. Under the agreement. Bolton would face a $2.25 million fine. and any prison sentence would be capped at five years. though the final outcome would be up to a judge; the Justice Department declined to comment.

Even as attention turned to Capitol Hill, the administration’s conflict posture abroad continued to shape domestic politics. The House approved a war powers resolution Wednesday to halt U.S. military action against Iran, rebuking Trump after a three-month-long conflict had reordered politics at home and abroad. House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent the vote. shutting down floor action two weeks ago when the resolution was nearing approval. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York. the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. said. “Enough is enough. ” adding. “It is time for the president to do the right thing. ” and arguing. “The people are tired of suffering because of his war of choice — suffering at the gas pump. suffering at the supermarkets.”.

Trump responded by slamming four House Republicans who voted with Democrats. calling their support “meaningless” to the war powers resolution and accusing the Democrats of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” in a post on his social media site. He also said the four Republicans were “GRANDSTANDERS!” and that they “should be ashamed of themselves.”.

All of it underscores the same pressure point lawmakers are circling in the hearings: when promises are tied to legal arrangements. the public wants clarity—especially about the tax enforcement that affects everyone else. As Bessent testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Treasury priorities. the question that followed him from one hearing to the next was still unresolved. still contested. and still powerful enough to pull the conversation back to IRS immunity and what it means for the people who don’t have lawyers shaping the terms of enforcement.

Scott Bessent IRS audits immunity Trump family House Ways and Means Committee Senate Finance Committee Catherine Cortez Masto $1.776 billion settlement fund Todd Blanche immigration enforcement funding bill ICE Border Patrol Bolton plea deal