US hotel operators said they are losing millions of dollars because of the government shutdown ahead of their busiest season of the year.
In a Wednesday press release, the American Hotel and Lodging Association said that the shutdown has cost the hotel industry about $650 million to date and has had a “devastating impact” on the travel and hospitality sectors. Business Insider could not independently verify this figure.
“Economic uncertainty and waning consumer confidence are translating into booking cancellations and discouraging future planning, especially as we head into the heart of the holiday travel season,” the association’s president and CEO, Rosanna Maietta, said in the press release.
“These essential industries fuel our economy, and we need our leaders in Washington to come together now and vote to reopen the government as soon as possible,” she added.
The association sent an email to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging them to end the government shutdown.
The letter was signed by 30 hospitality associations country-wide, including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the Latino Hotel Association, and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers. The associations covered properties in at least 28 states and Puerto Rico.
The letter comes more than three weeks into the government shutdown, which started on October 1 after Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to agree on the government budget.
The shutdown, which has become the second-longest in US history, has had wide-reaching consequences. It’s affected everything from National Parks and the US Postal Service to airport operations. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed, while some staff have had to work without pay.
Schumer and Jeffries released a joint statement on October 1 commenting on the shutdown, saying President Donald Trump and the Republican Party had shut down the government because they do not wish to protect the healthcare of the American people.
The senators said in the statement that Democrats remain ready to work to find a bipartisan path forward, but they “need a credible partner.”
Airlines for America, a trade group representing United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, also urged government leaders to end the shutdown in a press release on October 1.
The group said in the release that furloughing federal employees who manage air traffic would strain the aviation industry.
Representatives for AHLA, Johnson, Jeffries, Schumer, and Thune did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Read the full article here
