adminTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent didn’t mince words this weekend when he blasted Maya MacGuineas and her Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget for scaremongering about tariff refunds, saying she “should be ashamed” for irresponsible claims that ignore the full picture. Bessent framed the attack as a defense of common-sense fiscal policy and patriotic economic leverage, calling out budget alarmists who cheer on panic instead of backing American negotiating power. This was no polite disagreement — it was a public dressing-down aimed squarely at a well-funded Washington group that prefers headlines to results.
The sharp comments came in the wake of a seismic Supreme Court decision on February 20, 2026, which narrowly held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act could not be used to raise tariff revenue, a ruling that upended months of legal uncertainty. The Court’s move has spawned urgent questions about billions in potential refunds and the proper limits of executive authority, and it underscored the need for debate to be rooted in constitutional realism, not hand-wringing. Conservatives should welcome a ruling that reasserts statutory boundaries, even as we press to keep the tools that protect American workers.
Bessent was quick to reassure Americans that the Treasury has the capacity to manage any refund process and that the administration already has ready alternatives to secure tariff revenue without abandoning its negotiating leverage. He told audiences that critics like MacGuineas were twisting worst-case scenarios into clickbait, while Treasury plans to use lawful authorities to maintain revenue and pressure foreign unfairness. For hard-working families worried about markets or budget hysteria, his message was plain: Washington won’t cave to fear-driven forecasts.
President Trump and his team moved immediately to reassert economic pressure, announcing a 10 percent global surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a lawful, temporary tool to keep bargaining power intact while the legal dust settles. That pivot shows the administration’s seriousness about defending American industry and supply chains, and it exposes the true intention of the budget hawks who wring their hands only when patriotic policy produces results. If the left wants to cry over process, conservatives will keep winning the argument that strength and clarity produce better outcomes for workers and manufacturers.
Worse news arrived on the security front: an armed intruder was shot and killed after breaching the north gate at Mar-a-Lago, a grim reminder that policy fights are happening against a backdrop of real danger. The episode demanded sober attention, not virtue-signaling; Americans deserve secure presidential properties and fearless law enforcement that act decisively to protect people and property. As headlines swirl about courts and budgets, the administration — and Congress — must also deliver the resources and clear protocols that keep our leaders and communities safe.
At a moment when Washington is full of pundits and perfectionists, Bessent’s blunt, take-no-prisoners defense of policy and national security was refreshing and necessary. Hardworking Americans want outcomes: more jobs, firmer borders, a stronger supply chain, and a government that backs its negotiating claims with the tools to enforce them. Let the naysayers clutch their pearls and run the numbers into the ground — patriots will keep fighting for policies that put American families and industries first.
