White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters within the James Brady Press Briefing Room on the White House, on November 12, 2025 | Photo Credit: AP
“The harm brought on by the Democrats with this reckless authorities shutdown can’t be forgotten. It is solely the fault of the Democrat Party,” Ms. Leavitt instructed reporters from the rostrum of the White House Briefing Room.
The press secretary mentioned President Donald Trump was “very hopeful” the standoff would finish inside hours as lawmakers voted on a clear persevering with decision (CR) to reopen the federal government.
‘The Longest Shutdown in U.S. History’
Ms. Leavitt laid out a grim tally of the shutdown’s results — lots of of hundreds of unpaid federal staff, thousands and thousands of delayed meals help funds, and airports crippled by employees shortages.
“Nearly 20,000 flights at airports throughout the nation have been delayed because of staffing shortages, inflicting Americans to overlook household occasions, holidays and work obligations,” she mentioned. “According to Airlines for America, an estimated 5.2 million travellers have had their flights disrupted over the course of the Democrat shutdown.”
Citing Congressional Budget Office knowledge, she warned the closure may shave two share factors off fourth-quarter GDP progress, whereas “crushing the journey and hospitality industries” and hurting shopper sentiment.
“It’s exhausting to recap all of this with out asking a easy query — why?” she mentioned. “Why have the Democrats put the American individuals by this ache for 43 days in a row?”
A ‘Reckless Demand’ on Healthcare
Ms. Leavitt mentioned the shutdown started with what she known as a “ridiculous demand” from Democrats to fund well being care advantages for undocumented immigrants — a proposal Republicans flatly rejected.
“They began this shutdown to pressure taxpayer-funded well being care advantages for unlawful aliens who broke into our nation,” she mentioned. “Even after it was clear President Trump and Republicans would by no means pressure American taxpayers to pay totally free well being take care of illegals, the Democrats saved dragging this reckless shutdown on for weeks.”
She claimed the Democratic technique was motivated by election-year politics, arguing that the occasion was “completely captured by its far-left wing base.”
Economic and Political Fallout
The White House asserted that the shutdown delayed vital financial knowledge from the Bureau of Labour Statistics and different businesses, complicating the Federal Reserve’s choices on rates of interest.
“The Democrats might have completely broken the federal statistical system with October CPI and jobs studies probably by no means being launched,” Ms. Leavitt mentioned. “That leaves our policymakers on the Fed flying blind at a vital interval.”
She contrasted the stalemate with Mr. Trump’s “clear CR,” which she mentioned the administration had supported “from day one.”
“Our troops, air site visitors controllers and federal staff might be again to receiving their common paychecks,” Ms. Leavitt mentioned. “Families in want will get again to receiving their meals help, and the individuals’s authorities will quickly be again open for enterprise.”
The press secretary’s sharp rhetoric underscored how the shutdown had change into a marketing campaign flashpoint for Trump’s White House, which sought to show public frustration right into a political benefit.
“The Democrat shutdown was nothing greater than a political stunt,” Ms. Leavitt mentioned. “President Trump is ending it so Americans can get again to work and our economic system can preserve thriving.”
As she spoke, House Republicans moved to go a stopgap funding invoice that might permit Trump to signal laws reopening the federal government the identical evening.
This article is printed in an association with 5WH.
Published – November 13, 2025 09:13 am IST
