White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has indicated that the 20-day U.S. federal government shutdown is likely to conclude this week.
In an interview, Hassett attributed the expected resolution to what he termed the “Schumer shutdown,” a reference to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. He expressed optimism, stating that “there’s a shot that this week things will come together.”
Hassett noted that during recent “No Kings” rallies across the United States, his “friends in the Senate” felt it would be “bad optics for Democrats to open the government before the ‘No Kings’ rallies.” These nationwide protests saw people of all ages denounce perceived authoritarian tendencies and corruption within the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Now that the protests have concluded, Hassett warned that if the government shutdown does not end as anticipated, the White House would need to consider additional cost-cutting measures. He emphasized that the administration, in collaboration with White House budget director Russ Vought, would have to “look very closely… at stronger measures that we could take to bring it to the table” if the current situation does not resolve.