Instant Alert: Trump says a government shutdown is a 'small price to pay' for a border wall, but it could cost the economy up to $2 billion per week

Posted On // Leave a Comment

Your Message Subject or Title

  MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE
 
 
 
 
 

Trump says a government shutdown is a 'small price to pay' for a border wall, but it could cost the economy up to $2 billion per week

by John Haltiwanger on Jul 31, 2018, 5:38 PM

Advertisement

  • President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a government shutdown would be a "small price to pay" to secure funding for the wall he wants to build along the US-Mexico border.
  • Economists say a shutdown could cause the economy to lose up to $2 billion per week.
  • Government shutdowns have far-reaching consequences that affect many aspects of the federal government and economy.
  • It's estimated that the 2013 government shutdown, which lasted 16 days, cost the economy somewhere between $2 and $6 billion.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a government shutdown would be a "small price to pay" to secure funding for the wall he wants to build along the US-Mexico border, but analysis from economists shows it could cost the US economy billions of dollars in a matter of days. 

Trump tweeted that he didn't care about the "political ramifications" of a shutdown, stating, "our immigration laws and border security have been a complete and total disaster for decades, and there is no way that the Democrats will allow it to be fixed without a Government Shutdown."

The president added, "Border Security is National Security, and National Security is the long-term viability of our Country. A Government Shutdown is a very small price to pay for a safe and Prosperous America!"

Though Trump says a government shutdown would be a "small price" to pay for a border wall, economists say it could cause the economy to lose up to $2 billion per week

Amid January's three-day government shutdown, Brookings Institution senior fellow David Wessel told NPR, "There are all sorts of services that people can’t get [during a shutdown]. The economists who add this up say it works out to about $2 billion a week in lost output to the economy every day the shutdown persists."

A separate analysis from S&P Global, released in December 2017, said a shutdown could cost the economy up to $6.5 billion per week

Government shutdowns have far-reaching consequences that impact many aspects of the federal government and economy.

It's estimated that the 2013 government shutdown, which lasted 16 days, resulted in $24 billion in lost economic output.

The shutdown also cost taxpayers roughly $2 billion in lost productivity after the government retroactively paid furloughed workers, according to a report from the Office of Management and Budget.

The National Park Service estimated that the 2013 shutdown resulted in more than $500 million in lost visitor spending nationwide as national parks were forced to close during the 16-day period.

The 2013 shutdown also disrupted private-sector lending to individuals and small businesses, while causing small business contracts with the Department of Defense to drop by roughly one-third compared to the same period in the year prior. 

To put all of this into perspective, it's estimated that the wall Trump wants to build along the US-Mexico border could cost between $21 billion to $70 billion.

If there's a government shutdown over the wall and Trump secures funding, it would likely mean a hit to the economy while also leading taxpayers to cover the cost of lost productivity on top of the wall.

SEE ALSO: Trump's idea for a $100 billion tax cut that would give 97% of its benefit to the wealthy is legally dubious


 
Share the latest business news with your network:

Facebook Share Twitter Share Email Share
  

Email sent to: nguyenvu1187.love5@blogger.com   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe

Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy

Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
Sailthru

0 comments:

Post a Comment