US fourth-quarter GDP could be negative if shutdown drags on, White House economic adviser says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. economic ​growth in the fourth quarter ‌could be negative if a federal shutdown ‌drags on, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview that aired on Sunday.

Hassett,⁠ speaking ‌to the CBS show “Face the Nation”,‍ noted that a shortage of air traffic controllers was causing major ​travel delays in the run-‌up to the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Thanksgiving time is one of the hottest times of the year for the economy… ⁠and if people aren’​t traveling at ​that moment, then we really could be looking at ‍a ⁠negative quarter for the fourth quarter,” he said.

(⁠Reporting by Nathan Layne; writing ‌by David Ljunggren; Editing ‌by Bill Berkrot)