On the 13th day of the US government shutdown, the Treasury Secretary: It has begun to affect the national economy

The U.S. federal government's "shutdown" entered its 13th day on Monday (October 13th). Treasury Secretary Bessent said that this round of "shutdown" has begun to affect the national economy.

Xinhua News Agency reported that Bessent said on a Fox Business Channel program on Monday that "the situation is getting worse and worse", and the government "shutdown" has begun to affect the real economy and people's lives. He said that to ensure the payment of military salaries, the federal government had to suspend the payment of wages to other federal employees and staff of service agencies, including museums affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo.

The Smithsonian Institution's website announced that all of its dozens of museums, research centers and national zoos have been closed since October 12 due to the government's "shutdown". The website of the National Zoo said that the animals in the zoo "will continue to be fed and cared for", but live broadcasts of the animals will stop.

The impact of the federal government shutdown continues to spread across the United States. Us media reported that the shortage of air traffic controllers has led to more flight delays. On the 12th, nearly 8,000 flights were delayed across the United States and over 270 flights were cancelled. The government shutdown also affected the distribution of subsidies to farmers and loans to small businesses. The delay in the release of federal government economic data has made it difficult for enterprises to formulate future plans.

The USA Today website reported that the government's "shutdown" has left the National flood insurance program, which millions of Americans rely on, "at risk of paralysis". Many people are unable to apply for a housing mortgage because they cannot obtain federal flood insurance. Many homeowners may face catastrophic weather that lasts for two months or even longer during the Atlantic hurricane season without flood insurance.

House Speaker Johnson, a Republican, continued on the 13th to attribute the fiscal deadlock that triggered the "shutdown" to the Democratic Party and warned that the United States "is rapidly heading towards the longest government shutdown in American history." House Democratic Leader Jeffries said on the 12th that the Democrats are willing to sit down and talk, but the Republicans still "go their own way".

Senate Majority Leader John Thurn, a Republican, said that the 13th is a public holiday in the United States and the Senate will resume on the 14th. It is expected that the eighth vote on the temporary appropriations bill will be held that night.

Us media pointed out that the "shutdown" is about to enter its third week, and the two parties still refuse to compromise on core differences such as healthcare-related welfare spending. The prospects of reaching a quick compromise are slim.