What has been the impact of the government shutdown?

After more than 40 days of the federal government shutdown, which has been the longest in US history, there are visible impacts on the economy: more than one million federal employees have not received their salaries, thousands of flights have been canceled, and many food aid recipients have not received their assistance.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and a pioneering Latina economist in leadership and inclusive development, explains how this shutdown is affecting the economy and families.

She acknowledges that the biggest problem is uncertainty and rising prices.

The economist says that statistics have also been shut down, which affects projections.

Alejandra Y. Castillo explains what it means for one of the world’s largest economies not to have important measurements and indicates that there is an impact on the economy, many sectors have been affected, and investment has been halted.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and a pioneering Latina economist in leadership and inclusive development, says that small Latino entrepreneurs have been affected.

Finally, she recommends that citizens call their legislators to make their voices heard.