Overview
- Small Business Administration leaders say loan‑guarantee programs are paused, affecting roughly 320 borrowers per day and about 6,000 loans that would unlock more than $4 billion.
- Owners near the Capitol and nationwide report steep revenue drops, including a Washington, D.C., cafe that says lunchtime business is down about 50% after weeks without federal customers.
- Contractors face stop‑work orders and uncertainty over payment, and small‑business advocates warn some firms are shelving expansions or considering layoffs.
- House Republicans and Senate Democrats remain deadlocked over whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of reopening the government.
- Officials cite mounting economic damage, including CEA estimates of roughly $15 billion in weekly costs and a potential 43,000 jobs lost in a month, while 1.4 million federal workers recently missed a paycheck.