Overview
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on ABC that quarterly growth could be cut by as much as half if the shutdown continues.
- Bessent cautioned that slowed cargo shipments could lead to consumer product shortages and highlighted a growing human cost.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned flight reductions are inevitable as air traffic control staffing strains worsen ahead of the holiday rush.
- The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and paused or disrupted key services.
- Delayed federal data releases are complicating policy decisions, and Bessent urged bipartisan votes in the Senate to reopen the government.