Scott Bessent: The US Government shutdown is starting to effect the US economy

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the ongoing government shutdown is beginning to have a tangible impact on the U.S. economy.

Speaking on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria, Bessent criticized what he called a lack of media attention to the severity of the situation, now in its 13th day.

“I think the dirty secret here, and the reason this has dragged on so long, is that our Democratic friends in the mainstream media have been downplaying the shutdown — and this is getting serious,” Bessent told host Maria Bartiromo.
“It’s starting to affect the real economy. It’s starting to affect people’s lives.”

The shutdown began at the start of the month after Democrats refused to support a GOP funding bill that excluded a resolution on the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are due to expire at year’s end — a move expected to raise insurance premiums for millions of Americans.

Bartiromo, a veteran business journalist and close ally of President Trump, suggested that Democrats may be delaying a deal to reopen the government because they “want to be there for next weekend’s ‘No Kings’ march in Washington.”

Asked about that theory, Bessent replied:

“If, in fact, they’re waiting for this ‘No Kings’ protest — well, ‘no kings’ means no paychecks. No paychecks and no government.”

Since the shutdown began, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed. In a court filing on Friday, the Trump administration said more than 4,000 federal employees would soon be terminated as a result of the prolonged standoff.