Treasury Secretary: Government shutdown could undermine economic growth, Democrats urged to quickly cross-party vote to resolve the issue.

The U.S. government has been shut down for 40 days. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in an interview this morning on 11/10 that the economy has been impacted since the first day of the shutdown, and if the deadlock continues, it could cause this quarter's economic growth to be halved. He emphasized several times that as long as 5 Democratic senators are willing to cross party lines, the government can immediately restart, and he criticized the Democratic Party for treating the American people as political pawns. From the latest live voting in the U.S. Senate, it appears that the two parties still have not reached a Consensus.

The US economic growth is likely to be cut in half, as holiday logistics signal a red light.

Bessent pointed out that the impact of the government shutdown on the U.S. economy started from day one, and the situation is becoming increasingly severe. He emphasized that the economic performance was quite impressive in the first two quarters after the Trump administration took office, but if the shutdown continues, the growth rate for this quarter could be halved.

He also reminded that not only will the economic data look bad, but it will also directly affect people's lives, especially with the Thanksgiving travel rush starting from 11/27 until the year-end logistics peak season, all of which are affected. Besant emphasized:

“We may see shipping delays, travelers stranded, and even stock shortages during the holiday period.”

Refuse to end obstruction of the proceedings, urging Democratic members to quickly cross party lines to vote.

In response to the host's question about whether the filibuster should be abolished to end the closure, Bessent resolutely rejected it, emphasizing that the solution is quite clear, which is:

“As long as five Democratic senators cross party lines to support, the government can immediately reopen.”

He revealed that the current Senate voting ratio is 52:53, just five votes short of passing the proposal to restart the government. Besant stated:

“House Speaker Mike Johnson swiftly passed the bill in the spring, but the Senate has stalled due to political calculations.”

( Note: House Speaker Mike Johnson is a Republican )

Accuse the Democratic Party of deliberately delaying and wanting to negotiate first by restarting the government.

Subsequently, Besant quoted Democratic Senator Chris Murphy's remarks, stating that the other party let it slip, admitting that shutting down the government is more beneficial for the Democrats, criticizing this as treating the American people as political pawns and playing power games for party interests.

In response to the host's question about whether the Trump administration would negotiate with the Democrats during the shutdown, Bassett replied firmly:

“No. The government must restart first, and then we can talk about policies.”

He emphasized that restarting government operations is a prerequisite; nothing will be discussed without opening the door.

The two parties are still negotiating in the Senate, and it remains unknown whether the government shutdown will continue for 40 days.

The U.S. government has been shut down for 40 days, and both parties in the Senate are still negotiating on budget proposals such as healthcare subsidies and restarting the government, but have yet to reach a consensus.

The Democratic Party hopes to continue the soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act ( ObamaCare ) subsidies, ensuring healthcare coverage for low-income households, while the Republican Party opposes these subsidies and has differing opinions on funding standards, the withdrawal of certain foreign aid, and social welfare cuts. Additionally, the Republican Party has also mentioned that the Democratic Party aims to provide healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants, which has become one of the core conflicts between the two parties.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy continue to oppose the Republican stance.

The two sides failed to reach an agreement due to these differences, preventing Congress from passing the necessary funding bill, leading to a government funding interruption, and ultimately resulting in a government shutdown, which became the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This caused federal agencies to remain closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees on unpaid leave.

According to the latest live voting from the U.S. Senate, both parties have not yet reached a consensus, and further developments remain to be observed.

( reports that a bipartisan agreement has been reached in the U.S. Senate, and the government is expected to restart ).

This article: Treasury Secretary warns that government shutdown could undermine economic growth, Democrats urged to quickly cross-party vote to resolve the crisis. First appeared in Chain News ABMedia.