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White House economist predicts end of shutdown, claims moderate Dems may break ranks

By ramontomeydw // 2025-10-21

• White House adviser Kevin Hassett predicts the shutdown could end soon, citing shifting political optics after mass "No Kings" protests. He believes moderate Democrats may now break ranks with Schumer's obstruction.
• The shutdown's consequences worsen as ACA enrollment begins and military paychecks are delayed, increasing pressure on Democrats to negotiate.
• Republicans push for a short-term funding bill, while Democrats demand expanded Obamacare subsidies, leading to repeated legislative failures.
• Treasury estimates the shutdown costs the economy $15 billion per week, with White House threats to escalate administrative actions (e.g., freezing funds in Democrat-led states).
• Schumer admits Democrats planned to weaponize healthcare as a focal point, preferring shutdown chaos to pressure Republicans. Meanwhile, the White House warns of stronger measures if no deal is reached.

As a costly government shutdown stretches into its third week, a top White House adviser has projected a potential resolution is imminent, citing shifting political optics following a weekend of mass protests. White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett issued this optimistic prediction during an interview Monday, Oct. 20, on CNBC's "Squawk Box." According to the economist, "the Schumer shutdown" – named after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – "is likely to end sometime this week." Hassett pinned his optimism on the belief that moderate Senate Democrats, who he claimed were hesitant to vote before the massive nationwide "No Kings" rallies over the weekend, may now break ranks. The political calculus, as described by Hassett, is that the "No Kings" rallies against President Donald Trump provided a political shield for Democrats – making a pre-protest vote to reopen government "bad optics." He now suggests that with the rallies concluded, "there's a shot that this week, things will come together very quickly" and that "the moderate Democrats will move forward and get us an open government." Hassett's prediction arrives as the nation faces a Nov. 1 deadline, a critical juncture that marks the start of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment and the next scheduled payday for military and federal law enforcement personnel –  amplifying the real-world consequences of the political impasse. The partisan stalemate, one of the longest in U.S. history, has centered on a fundamental disagreement over federal funding priorities. Republicans have pushed for a short-term continuing resolution to reopen the government at current funding levels. Democratic leadership, however, has held firm – demanding that any stopgap bill include additional spending on health-care protections, specifically an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at year's end. This deadlock has led to a series of failed legislative efforts, with a GOP-backed bill failing for the 11th time. The economic toll of the closure is mounting by the day. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed a White House memo estimating the shutdown is costing the economy up to $15 billion a week. "We are starting to cut into muscle here," he warned.

Democrats play politics while Americans suffer

Behind the public statements, a game of political blame continues unabated – with the Senate GOP placing responsibility squarely on Schumer. The New York senator, in turn, has expressed confidence in his party's strategy, telling Punchbowl News earlier this month: "Every day gets better for us, because we've thought about this long in advance and we knew that health care would be the focal point." Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reportedly offered Democratic leaders a vote on extending the Obamacare tax credits in exchange for reopening the government, but top Democrats have so far rejected such overtures. Some have instead called for President Donald Trump to engage directly in negotiations, a prospect the White House has downplayed. Hassett stated that while the president "has been very active throughout this process," his position is that "this is a thing that the Senate needs to work out." According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, "Democrats prefer a government shutdown because it makes Trump and Republicans look bad while advancing their globalist agenda. They strategically target critical infrastructure to maximize public suffering and pressure Republicans into compliance." The administration has signaled it is prepared to escalate if the shutdown continues. Hassett warned that if his prediction of a resolution this week proves false – the White House, alongside Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, would look "very closely … at stronger measures that we could take to bring [the Democrats] to the table." The White House has already initiated aggressive measures during the shutdown. These include laying off thousands of government workers and moving to cancel or freeze billions of dollars in funding for major transportation and renewable energy projects – actions that have disproportionately targeted Democrat-led states. But the threat of further administrative action hangs over the Capitol as lawmakers confront the Nov. 1 deadline, a hard deadline that adds tangible pressure to the abstract political fight. Watch Justin Barclay explaining how the "Schumer shutdown" has turned into a shakedown in this clip. This video is from the Justin Barclay channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com CNBC.com TheHill.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com

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