The White House warned on the 9th (local time) that if the federal government shutdown (temporary work stoppage) continues through the end of this month, fourth-quarter economic growth could turn negative.
Chairperson Kevin Hassett of the White House National Economic Council (NEC) said in an interview with CBS that day, "Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) is one of the most economically active periods, with things like Black Friday (the nation's biggest sale season that begins on the 28th)," adding, "If people do not travel then, we could really see negative growth in the fourth quarter."
Referring to Goldman Sachs's estimate that the shutdown caused a 1.5% loss in gross domestic product (GDP), he explained, "This figure will probably go lower if (the shutdown) lasts a few more weeks, because there will be large-scale airline operation disruptions around the holidays."
The shutdown that began on the 1st of last month has continued for the 40th day as of that day, the longest on record, and as employees who are not being paid skip work, delays and cancellations of flights are occurring across U.S. airports.
U.S. Transportation Minister Sean Duffy said in an interview with Fox News that day, "As the Thanksgiving travel season approaches, when everyone wants to travel to see family, we will see flight operations drop to an extreme," and "Only a very small number of controllers are expected to report to work."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a phased 10% reduction in flights operated at 40 major airports through the 14th, and Minister Duffy said that if staffing shortages worsen further, the FAA plans to cut flights by up to 20%.