Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC’s “This Week” that the economy is “getting worse and worse” as the government shutdown continues. (Credit: ABC “This Week”)
Minister of Finance Scott Bessent warned on Sunday that the ongoing government shutdown is taking an escalating toll on the US economy, saying growth could be cut “by as much as half” this quarter if the impasse continues.
“We’ve seen an impact on the economy from day one, but it’s getting worse,” Bessent said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program.
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The federal government shutdown began on October 1, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“We had a fantastic economy over the last two quarters under President Trump and now there are estimates that the economy and economic growth for this quarter could be cut by as much as half if the shutdown continues,” Bessent added.
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers to lose wages and delayed the release of key economic data, making it harder for policymakers and businesses to gauge the health of the economy.
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Once rare, government shutdowns have become increasingly common in recent decades as political mismanagement has become a hallmark of budget negotiations.
Since 1976, the US government has experienced twenty shutdowns. The last shutdown occurred when a dispute arose over the president’s funding Donald Trump’s The border wall halted government operations for 34 days, from December 2018 to January 2019.
As the current shutdown exceeds that record, its effects are being felt nationwide, from delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding to increasing pressure on national air travel ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
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The increasing pressure on key sectors, Bessent warned, shows how the shutdown is starting to affect Americans in their daily lives.
Transport Minister Sean Duffy warned on November 5 that flight reductions were inevitable as the closure put pressure on air traffic control. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“There is of course the human cost,” Bessent said. “Right after Thanksgiving, we have the busiest travel day of the year, and Americans have to watch five Democratic senators cross the aisle.”
He added that consumers may also face product shortages as freight shipments slow due to the shutdown.
