Capitol News

Congressman Tom Barrett, who represents Michigan's 7th congressional district, has publicly addressed the ongoing government shutdown and its economic impact on his state through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) dated October 8, 2025.

In a post published at 15:17 UTC, Barrett highlighted the financial consequences of the shutdown for Michigan. He stated, "Each week the shutdown continues, Michigan loses out on $361 million of economic activity. That’s just one reason why I voted for a clean, bipartisan plan to keep the government open more than two weeks ago. It’s time to stop the political games and end this shutdown."

Later that day at 17:50 UTC, Barrett criticized Senate Democrats for their actions regarding proposed legislation to reopen the government. He wrote, "Senate Democrats just filibustered our clean, bipartisan bill to open the government back up for the sixth time. This morning, I joined WILS 1320 to draw attention to their ongoing obstruction and misplaced priorities. It's time to put politics aside and get the government".

At 17:56 UTC, Barrett shared a link to his full interview with WILS 1320 in another post: "Listen to the full interview here: https://t.co/WSP3lY92cD".

The ongoing federal government shutdown has had significant economic repercussions across states. According to estimates from Moody's Analytics cited by The Detroit News, Michigan stands to lose hundreds of millions in economic activity each week that federal operations remain halted (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/29/michigan-government-shutdown-impacts-economy-paychecks-social-security-national-parks-air-travel/70973522007/). Congressman Barrett's district includes Lansing and other mid-Michigan communities affected by these disruptions.

Shutdowns have historically led to delays in federal services and payments, impacting both public sector employees and private businesses dependent on federal contracts or spending.