U.S. shutdown costs pegged at $3 billion as government reopens

By David Morgan and Richard Cowan

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he announces a deal to end the partial government shutdown as while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy was expected to lose $3 billion (2.28 billion pounds)from the partial federal government shutdown over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding, congressional researchers said on Monday as 800,000 federal employees returned to work after 35 days without pay.

 

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the cost of the shutdown would make the U.S. economy 0.02 percent smaller than expected in 2019. More significant effects will be felt by individual businesses and workers, particularly those who scrambled to make ends after not being paid.

 

Overall, the U.S. economy lost about $11 billion during the five-week period, the CBO said. It expects $8 billion to be recovered, however, as the government reopens and employees receive back pay.

 

The longest shutdown in U.S. history ended on Friday when Trump and Congress agreed to temporary government funding - without money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall - as the effects of the shutdown intensified across the country.

 

The Republican president had demanded that legislation to fund the government contain $5.7 billion for his long-promised wall.

 

He says it is necessary to stop illegal immigration, human trafficking and drug smuggling, while Democrats call it costly and inefficient.

 

A committee of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have scheduled an initial meeting on Wednesday, which will be open to the public, as they try to negotiate a compromise on border security before the Feb. 15 deadline.

 

That session is likely to see little more than opening statements by lawmakers. Subsequent meetings could be conducted in private, where the hard bargaining would take place, several congressional aides said.

 

Owing to rules governing legislation in the House of Representatives requiring a 72-hour period for lawmakers to review legislation before having to vote on it, the committee might have to wrap up its work by around Feb. 10 in order to meet a Feb. 15 deadline for congressional approval.

 

Trump said he would be willing to shut down the government again if lawmakers do not reach a deal he finds acceptable on border security. On Sunday, he expressed scepticism such an deal could be made.

 

Trump has also said he might declare a national emergency to get money for the border wall. Democrats would likely challenge that in court.

 

WELCOMED BACK TO WORK

Democratic lawmakers said the CBO report served as a stark warning to Trump against another shutdown.

 

"Families across the nation are still trying to recover from a month of missing paychecks and overdue bills, but the president is already threatening a second shutdown if he doesn’t get his way," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top U.S. Democrat.

 

Most employees should be paid by Thursday for back wages, which one study estimated at $6 billion for all those who worked without pay or were furloughed. Contractors and businesses that relied on federal workers' business face huge losses, although some lawmakers are pushing legislation to pay contractors back as well.

 

Federal workers poured out of Washington's public transportation system on Monday. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai greeted employees in the lobby, while the Securities and Exchange Commission offered doughnuts, fruit and coffee.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday it had been unable to send investigators to 22 accidents during the shutdown, including 15 aviation accidents resulting in 21 deaths. "These 22 accidents now require investigative action," the safety agency said, but added that evidence "may have been lost."

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was reviewing five weeks of auto safety recalls that had been submitted by automakers, but has not yet begun posting them publicly.

 

(Reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by David Shepardson, Mana Rabiee and Susan Heavey; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-29

The hot mess is going to reup the shutdown for sure. 

I’m sure Donnie’s boosters will be along shortly to claim that you have to spend money to make money and that is mere mortals can’t see that this is part of his superb 3-D chess master plan to make mexico pay for the wall. 

Naa if he doesent get his way he will wine pout have a tantrum then declare a national emergency because he wets himself when Ann Coulter yells at him lol

That’s a very expensive temper tantrum thrown there by trump. 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Bluespunk

A post containing inflammatory name for Trump supporters has been removed.   Continued name calling will result in a suspension.  

Add it to the Mexican's bill...

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

That’s a very expensive temper tantrum thrown there by trump. 

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Baerboxer

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

That’s a very expensive temper tantrum thrown there by trump. 

Problem is if he not going to get his way he will shut down government again in 18 days, it's going to cost more than the $5.7 Billion... 

21 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

There have been other shutdowns, for various reasons, but this one is entirely on trump.

 

Border security matters and the senate/congress are aware of this, but a wall will not do the job.

 

Besides this, trump has no mandate for a tax payer funded wall.

 

This was done purely as a result of his narcissism and ego. 

 

Oh and the fact an election is less than two years away probably prompted him to do something to please the maga herd.

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Bluespunk

15 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Problem is if he not going to get his way he will shut down government again in 18 days, it's going to cost more than the $5.7 Billion... 

Unfortunately you are right, the orange ones ego will compel him to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

32 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

Oh, absolutely! But that's what politics is, and let's not pretend that this was anything other than a completely political show and showdown. And let's also not pretend that Trump got anything other than his butt whooped.

Seems Trump has a bit of an Achilles Heel for tough blonde gals, Pelosi and Coulter seem to have played him for a fool.

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

Given that there is apparently an immediate and grave crisis on the southern border, maybe the walls that Obama, Clinton and Bush Jnr built didn't work?

 

Build another one?

 

 

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by JAG

  Build or not build is all the media seem to talk about.

  What they should be doing is investigating just who is organising these caravans, they didn't just happen overnight, a lot of money has been spent to persuade 1,000's of people to leave home and head towards the USA border creating a chaotic humanitarian crisis.

  Who will gain most from it, certainly not the exhausted immigrants.

What Trump is really saying, is that nobody will agree to my ridiculous demands for my wall. So therefore, no deal will get done. Trump needs to let the wall go. It is NOT a crisis. It is a manufactored issue, designed as a talking point. He barely discussed immigration, at the beginning of the campaign. Then his close buddy, the recently arrested probable felon, Roger Stone, designed the slogan build the wall. He told his team Trump would be able to relate to the word build. Hence, build the wall nonsense was born. 

 

I knew Trump would fold. He could not handle the huge drop in approval numbers, and he was totally taken off guard, that most of America blamed him, and only him for the "Trump wall shutdown". It was his fault on every level. He fabricated a crisis, then got caught with his pants down, when he declared war on the new congress, and the American people. Now, he looks weak, and dumb, all accurate presumptions. 

 

Going up against Pelosi was a real mistake. Pelosi made Trump look naive and stupid. Which he is. He is a terrible negotiator. She is masterful. He is of modest intelligence. She is very sharp. 

But aside from insults, he doesn’t really know how to deal with assertive older women, because for his entire life they have existed outside of both his immediate view and his broader imagination. When he talks about “women”, it’s obvious that only a small subsection of them fit into his definition; some might have qualified, but by virtue of challenging him can be written off as bimbos; a few others are witch-like hags who have surrendered their claim to womanhood; and the rest are simply invisible. The women of Trumpworld have a single role, and that is to say “yes”. Trump has long bought and paid for that acquiescence. Now, Pelosi is telling him no, and she has real power and can’t be ignored, replaced or waved away. They aren’t in direct competition (as he was with Clinton and Fiorina), so he is less able to leverage more generalized public sexism to win his battle against her. He’s used to women helping him feel like a big man. Now, here’s a woman who makes him look small and impotent.

 

Which is why Trump will respond the only way he knows how: with feeble insults and exclamation-point-laden letters. Pelosi played it cool. She knows how the rules work and how the system operates, and she’s no stranger to condescending men who insult her before they vastly underestimate her. Trump, on the other hand, has never had to work directly with a woman like Pelosi, and seems completely perplexed by her behavior, which is so different from that of all the other women in his world. She knows what she’s up against. He can’t seem to tell what species she is. And it usually ends poorly for the man who can’t tell a kitten from a lion.

Taxpayer money, well spent!

So!

Much!

Winning!

5 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

It was a pretty clear promise, Mexico is paying for the wall. Why is congress on the hook for it?

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by samran

7 hours ago, JCauto said:

Oh, absolutely! But that's what politics is, and let's not pretend that this was anything other than a completely political show and showdown. And let's also not pretend that Trump got anything other than his butt whooped.

Seems Trump has a bit of an Achilles Heel for tough blonde gals, Pelosi and Coulter seem to have played him for a fool.

You don't know what goes on behind closed doors.............I see The Donald as the winner in this................he is very adept at playing the long game.

22 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Come on now, the Dems aren't exactly being honest about this. Just playing politics to suit their own agenda.

 

Didn't Obama build some wall down there? And Bush jr and Clinton too?

 

 

And didn't Obama also shut down the government when he didn't get his way concerning something he felt strongly about? In case you're wondering, the answering to that would be a "no".

14 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

You don't know what goes on behind closed doors.............I see The Donald as the winner in this................he is very adept at playing the long game.

So the reason you think Trump is the winner is because what went on behind closed doors is unknown? That's going to have to be a pretty potent unknown to undermine what is plain to see. 

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

So the reason you think Trump is the winner is because what went on behind closed doors is unknown? That's going to have to be a pretty potent unknown to undermine what is plain to see. 

Trump behind closed doors ... scary!

The scariest are the private meetings with Putin.

Alone. Without intelligence officials.

And today we learn about yet another one.

Why these secret meetings?

Why all the lying?

Why are there still doubters?

Why is the troll factory still active?

Why is the wall issue consuming so much airspace?