Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Democrats for shutting down the government on Thursday morning, saying on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that “this is a choice that Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have made, and if they want to shut the government down, then there are ramifications.”
Asked whether President Trump and OMB Director Russ Vought are looking to use the shutdown as an opportunity to shrink the size of the federal government, Bessent said “what they want is what’s good for the American people and what’s good for the country,” pointing to the House-passed continuing resolution.
“The Democrats want to negotiate like terrorists,” Bessent said. “They want to say, ‘This is what we have to have, and if we don’t get it, we’re going to close down the government.'”
The treasury secretary said what the White House and GOP leaders want is for Democrats to “show a little leadership.”
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the president to use all the levers,” Bessent said.
Pressed on the question of layoffs and furloughs, and whether they would happen regardless of the government being shut down as Democrats have claimed, Bessent said “it’s a talking point.”
“Sen. Schumer, Rep. Jeffries, they’re weak, they’re discombobulated,” Bessent said. “They don’t represent the American people. And, you know, they’re making up excuses.”
Bessent added, “we’ll see,” saying “I think that this is an opportunity.”
“They’re using this opportunity,” he said. “President Trump in the first nine months now has been unstoppable. They’ve tried to stop him in the courts, they’ve tried to stop him in the press and now they’re trying to stop him with a shutdown.”
Bessent also warned that the U.S. GDP could be impacted by the shutdown: “We could see a hit to the GDP, a hit to growth and a hit to working Americans.”