Phrase used in congressional hearings when
politicians are allotted a specific amount of time to speak and/or question those called to testify at such hearings. If during their allotted time they deem a person who is testifying to be lying, misleading, or drawing out the time by not answering the questions directly, the congressperson may reclaim their time. This is allowed within the
United States House of Representatives rules and procedures. Most often attributed to Congresswoman Rep. Maxine Waters (Democrat, California) from a hearing in 2017 when she was
questioning Secretary of Finance Steven Mnuchin.