Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent instructed ABC’s “This Week” that the financial system is “getting worse and worse” as the federal government shutdown drags on. (Credit score: ABC “This Week”)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Sunday that the continued authorities shutdown is taking an escalating toll on the U.S. financial system, saying progress may very well be lower “by as a lot as half” this quarter if the deadlock drags on.
“We have seen an influence on the financial system from day one, nevertheless it’s getting worse and worse,” Bessent stated throughout an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENS CRUCIAL ECONOMIC DATA, LEAVING FED — AND FAMILIES — IN THE DARK
The federal authorities shutdown started on Oct. 1, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
“We had a unbelievable financial system beneath President Trump the previous two quarters and now there are estimates that the financial system and financial progress for this quarter may very well be lower by as a lot as half if the shutdown continues,” Bessent added.
The shutdown, which started on Oct. 1, has pressured a whole bunch of hundreds of federal staff to go with out pay and delayed key financial knowledge releases, making it more durable for policymakers and companies to gauge the well being of the financial system.
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As soon as uncommon, authorities shutdowns have turn into more and more frequent in latest a long time as political brinkmanship has changed into an indicator of funds negotiations.
Since 1976, the U.S. authorities has skilled 20 shutdowns. The final shutdown occurred when a dispute over funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall introduced authorities operations to a halt for 34 days, spanning from December 2018 into January 2019.
As the present shutdown extends past that file, its results are being felt nationwide, from delays in funding for the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) to mounting strain on the nation’s air journey system forward of the busy Thanksgiving vacation.
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The mounting stress on key sectors, Bessent warned, reveals how the shutdown is starting to have an effect on People of their each day lives.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Nov. 5 that flight reductions have been inevitable because the shutdown strained air site visitors management operations. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
“There’s, in fact, the human price,” Bessent stated. “We’re going to have the busiest journey day of the yr proper after Thanksgiving, and People ought to look to 5 Democratic senators to return throughout the aisle.”
He added that buyers might additionally face product shortages as cargo shipments sluggish due to the shutdown.