Kevin Hassett, the top economic advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, says that the government shutdown is “likely to end sometime this week.”
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However, Hassett also warned that if the current shutdown does not end soon, the Trump administration may impose “stronger measures” to force Democrats to cooperate. It is not clear what those stronger measures would involve.
Hassett’s comments, delivered in a televised media interview, come in the third week of a federal government shutdown in Washington, D.C. that is estimated to be costing the American economy $15 billion in lost productivity a day.
Ongoing Fight
The U.S. government is shut down due to partisan fighting in the Senate between Republicans and Democrats over federal funding priorities. Republicans want to pass a short-term resolution to resume funding at current levels. Democrats demand that any bill include additional spending on healthcare, including an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are due to expire at year’s end.
A recent poll commissioned by CNBC found that American voters overwhelmingly blame the ruling Republican Party for the government shutdown and that President Trump’s poll numbers on his handling of the economy are at their lowest level during his two terms in office. Hassett’s comments also come days after a massive nationwide protest in the U.S. against President Trump and his policies.
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