Bessent believes the current U.S. shutdown will cost the economy as much as $15 billion per week

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Wednesday that the current U.S. government shutdown will cost the economy approximately $15 billion per week.

He had previously mentioned $15 billion a day, but a Treasury official confirmed that Bessent had been referring to a report from the Council of Economic Advisers.

The report reveals that the government shuts down when Congress fails to pass appropriation bills or continuing resolutions to fund government operations by the fiscal year deadline on October 1. CEA also said a government shutdown occurs when current funding expires by the fiscal year deadline.

Government shutdown reduces the U.S.’s quarterly GDP by 0.2% points each week

Goldman Sachs estimated that government shutdowns reduce the U.S. economy’s quarterly growth rate by around 0.2 percentage points for each week the shutdown continues. The Federal Reserve also arrived at similar GDP projections amid the shutdown. 

The bank’s economic loss estimate amounts to roughly $15 billion per week if applied to current GDP levels. The figure is calculated by multiplying Goldman Sachs’ 0.2 percent estimate by the current GDP of $30.4 trillion, then dividing by 4. 

“We call on the moderate Democrats in the Senate to be heroes. Be heroes, break away from the hive of radicalism, and do something for the American people, because we are starting to cut into muscle here. We believe that the shutdown may start costing the U.S. economy up to $15 billion a week.”

–Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary of the U.S.

The Trump administration is preparing for a lengthy government shutdown, as Republicans are gearing up to make moves to alleviate political pain that might come back on them while trying to make things hard for Democrats. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated on Monday that the government shutdown was poised to become one of the longest in history.

Johnson also believes that the shutdown may be shorter in duration if Democrats accept the House-passed, GOP-written continuing resolution to fund the government. As the government shutdown passes two weeks, Johnson argues that Democrats should drop their partisan demands and pass a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers.

Congressional leaders have engaged in a back-and-forth on government funding as Democrats pressure Republicans to make concessions on healthcare. Democrats are calling for the Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire in late 2025.

Government plans to keep funding the military amid shutdown

Goldman Sachs also estimates that a month-long shutdown would result in 43,000 additional unemployed individuals. The Trump administration is making efforts to redistribute funds to ensure the military gets paychecks during the shutdown. The initiative fulfills the GOP and Trump’s plans, but it also deprives Democrats of a vote to fund the military. 

Johnson dared Democrats on Tuesday to push back on Trump’s maneuverings, saying they can go to court and challenge troops being paid. The speaker defended the Trump administration and stated that it had the right to reallocate funds that had been appropriated by Congress to the Department of Defense. He also stated that the government could move funds from research and development accounts that had not been spent and that could be used for military pay.

CEA revealed that the government plans to keep funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the Trump Administration will use funds from Section 32 tariff revenue to cover the nutrition program, which serves around 6 million participants per month.

Senator Shelly Moore Capito believes that the shutdown will last for the long haul into November, potentially challenging the longest shutdown on record, a 35-day halt in funding from late 2018 to 2019. She called the continued shutdown disappointing and reiterated the GOP’s call for Democrats to reopen the government and engage in negotiations.

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