Message regarding the government shutdown on the White House website.
“Due to Congress’s failure to pass legislation to fund the government, the information on this web site may not be up to date. Some submissions may not be processed, and we may not be able to respond to your inquiries. Information about government operating status and resumption of normal operations is available at USA.GOV.”
This is the message you find if you visit the White House website on Monday October 7, 2013 – it basically says it all, I guess.
It exemplifies how the government shutdown is adversely affecting critical White House operations.
Of course, it is also effecting the White House in other ways as well.
For example, President Obama recently canceled his trip to Asia for an important trade summit with world leaders, including the Chinese Prime Minister. A move that was ill advised and costly.
“Due to the government shutdown, President Obama’s travel to Indonesia and Brunei has been cancelled,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday.
Obama on Wednesday already cancelled two planned visits to the Philippines and Malaysia, the other two stops in his planned trip to Asia.
How this will effect the economic summit no one knows for sure – but it is safe to assume it cost us “big time”, especially in terms of job creation and growth of the American economy .
Needless to say there was a lot riding on this deal.
Obama apparently made the decision in order to continue pressing his case that Republicans should immediately allow a vote to reopen the government.
We called the White House to inquire about this matter and the press office basically refused to comment on specifics, other than to say that “the president is still at work for the American people and working diligently to end the government shutdown.”