Shutdown could push US into recession and Trump is to blame: Wash Post op-ed

Even after the government reopens its negative impact is expected to stay. The government shut down has lasted over three weeks, and is the longest showdown in history.

Political reporter Catherine Rampell for The Washington Post warned that the impact of the shutdown could lead to a recession in 2020. She also notes that the main person to blame is President Donald Trump.

Rampell explained that presidents cannot be praised or criticized for the state of the economy, however, said that with Trump things are different.

"Given how many serious policy mistakes Trump has made lately, I’m starting to rethink that response," she said.

She said the shutdown is "shaving a tenth of a percentage point off economic growth every week. That’s according to an estimate from the White House’s own Council of Economic Advisers."

She also noted that Trump's negative relationship with the Federal Reserve is dangerous.

"Trump’s attacks on Federal Reserve independence, continued turmoil in the White House and demonstrable incompetence among the most senior economic policy advisers are not exactly reassuring markets," she wrote.

It's also hard to keep track of the true state of the economy since data is not being released during the shutdown.

"Meanwhile, thanks to the shutdown, the government isn’t releasing many of the critical data points economists normally examine for signs of trouble," she said.

Read the full report here.