President Donald Trump often touts the growth the American economy has seen since he began his tenure as President despite the trend being a continuation of Obama's economic policies.
However - if he keeps the government shut down until he's granted funding for an ineffective wall at the southern border - he may have to answer for a shrinking economy.
The White House originally stated that a 0.1% loss of growth would be incurred every two weeks that the government remained shut down. Those figures have now been updated by the White House and the number has doubled, with Americans feeling a 0.1% growth loss every week during the shutdown.
The White House's original estimate of a biweekly 0.1% loss only factored the 800,000 federal employees working without regular pay, however these latest figures also factor in private contractors previously working for the federal government.
Americans are livid that the shutdown continues to drag on despite the harm it does to workers and the economy.
For many Americans, the blame originates with one person.
President Donald Trump famously said to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that he would be "proud" to shut down the government over what he referred to as border security. He insisted that Americans could blame him for it.
Naturally, he changed his tune as soon as the government shut down, but Americans are still holding him to his word.
With the cost of the shutdown increasing, suddenly many aren't surprised that Trump is willing to hurt the economy he brags about by dragging the shutdown along.
It's unclear if this will finally get the President to waver in his position.
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u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit