US shutdown fears perturb APEC summit
7 Oct 2013 10:55 PM GMT
The US government warned on Sunday that business in America was suffering from the federal shutdown as concern about Washington’s policy paralysis was voiced at an Asia-Pacific summit where President Barack Obama was a notable absentee.
The first government closure in 17 years has directly affected hundreds of thousands of federal employees, but commerce secretary Penny Pritzker said companies were also starting to hurt, not least from her department’s inability to collate vital economic data.
‘The shutdown is not good for business. It’s not good for the economy,’ Pritzker told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on the Indonesian island of Bali, which Obama has been forced to skip to deal with the political crisis gripping Washington.
‘And we need to move on with the business of doing business in the United States. So, I am hopeful this gets resolved soon. It’s obviously having an impact,’ Pritzker said.
The first government closure in 17 years has directly affected hundreds of thousands of federal employees, but commerce secretary Penny Pritzker said companies were also starting to hurt, not least from her department’s inability to collate vital economic data.
‘The shutdown is not good for business. It’s not good for the economy,’ Pritzker told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on the Indonesian island of Bali, which Obama has been forced to skip to deal with the political crisis gripping Washington.
‘And we need to move on with the business of doing business in the United States. So, I am hopeful this gets resolved soon. It’s obviously having an impact,’ Pritzker said.
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