Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Republicans as the ongoing government shutdown under President Donald Trump entered its third week.
Republicans Are ‘Holding The Country Hostage’
On Tuesday, in a post on X, Clinton said that as the “Trump shutdown” dragged into its third week, it was becoming increasingly clear that “Republicans are so committed to raising people’s health care costs,” adding that they’re willing to “hold the country hostage” to do it.
See Also: Dollar Doubts And Shutdown Stress Boost Demand For Real Asset ETFs, Expert Says
Clinton’s comments reflect growing concerns that this shutdown could last long enough to break prior records, with it already being ahead of the historic average of just six days.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said early this week that “Democrats are not giving up” because of the Republicans’ health care plan, which she said would result in “millions of American families” seeing their healthcare premiums skyrocket.
“The Republicans would rather shut down [the] government than make sure that your health care costs don't go through the roof. That's what this fight is all about,” she said.
Shutdown Already Affecting The Economy, Says Scott Bessent
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the government shutdown is “starting to affect the real economy. It’s starting to affect people’s lives,” while accusing the Democrats and the mainstream media of “downplaying” it, during his recent appearance on Fox Business Network's “Mornings with Maria.”
According to the prediction platform Kalshi, the current odds project that the shutdown will last 34.5 days, which is just under the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019, the longest in U.S. history, during Trump’s first term in office.
Analyst Dennis DeBusschere of 22V Research has warned that “The longer the government shutdown lasts, the more it will add to volatility.”
He adds that investors will be unwilling to commit to riskier assets without access to timely economic data, which is why he believes that lawmakers will fold after federal workers miss their first paycheck.
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