Business leaders to Congress: End the shutdown

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report – "Business leaders to Congress: End the shutdown"

Date: October 31, 2025
Host: David Brancaccio
Contributors: Nancy Marshall Genzer, Megan Lawton (BBC), Nicole Gable, Various Guests

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on growing economic concerns as the U.S. government shutdown approaches a full month. Major business leaders are now publicly urging Congress to resolve the impasse, citing significant losses and disruptions across multiple industries. The show also touches on extended job searches, the impact of AI on employment, and even a fact-checking moment for NASA after a viral conspiracy theory.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Business Leaders Press Congress to Reopen Government

• [01:02] Host David Brancaccio introduces the main issue: a month-long government shutdown with business leaders demanding action.
• [01:25] Reporter Nancy Marshall Genzer details a joint statement from prominent organizations (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and others), emphasizing:
  • Economic loss estimates: $10 to $15 billion in lost output per week.
  • Compounded effects: Backlogs in infrastructure permitting.

“They cite estimates that the shutdown is causing $10 to $15 billion per week in lost output and economic activity. And they also say the funding lapse is increasing the permitting backlog for some major infrastructure.”
— Nancy Marshall Genzer [01:25]

• [01:56] Housing sector impacts:
  • The National Association of Home Builders highlights stalled flood insurance and rural housing loans due to the shutdown, delaying new home sales.

“The National Flood Insurance Program can't provide new flood insurance contracts during the shutdown. That can delay new home sales. Plus, the Agriculture Department can't issue new rural housing loans, grants, or loan guarantees.”
— Nancy Marshall Genzer [02:06]

2. Senate Tactics & Political Maneuvering

• [02:24] President Trump proposes eliminating the filibuster to expedite a funding bill.
• [02:32] Genzer explains:
  • The filibuster requires 60 votes; without it, only a simple majority is needed.
  • Abolishing it is a permanent rule change, giving future Senates more power regardless of party.

“If they got rid of the filibuster, they would just need a simple majority to pass bills, and they could approve a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government on their own. This would be a permanent change, though.”
— Nancy Marshall Genzer [02:32]

• [03:01] Brancaccio on Republican unease:
  “That strikes fear into the hearts of some Republicans who know that a shoe can be on the other foot.” [03:01]

3. Farm Relief Linked to Shutdown & Trade War

• [03:01] Brancaccio notes that whenever the shutdown ends, the Department of Agriculture plans to pay $12 billion to farmers affected by tariffs. The recent trade truce between the U.S. and China may also alleviate stress on agriculture.

“The Department of Agriculture has plans to pay $12 billion to farmers and ranchers hurt by the administration's import taxes.”
— David Brancaccio [03:01]

4. Global Job Market: Longer, Costlier Searches

• [04:47] The average job search now takes six months, with many unemployed for longer and incurring higher job-hunting costs.

• [05:06] The BBC’s Megan Lawton shares global experiences:

  • Job seekers in the U.S. and UK report spending on premium services (LinkedIn, resume tools).
  • Nicole Gable (Chicago): $6,000 spent over three years searching for jobs, highlights the shift towards recruiting platforms and self-marketing.

• [06:36] Impact of AI on hiring:

  • Rapid technological change is altering employer needs and candidates’ strategies.
  • AI skills are now “a requirement so that behooves all candidates to try to upskill and learn how to use these tools today.” — Nicole Gable [07:09]

• [07:22] Caution on paid job platforms:

  • Nancy d’Onofrio (Randstad): Warns of potential exploitation as job searches lengthen, emphasizing diligence and self-investment.

“So just be careful as if you want to invest in yourself, you really have to take it upon yourself to be thorough in your research. But investing in yourself is always a good thing.”
— Nancy d’Onofrio [07:31]

5. NASA vs. Moon Landing Conspiracy Theory

• [07:59] Brancaccio delivers a lighter moment: NASA administrator Sean Duffy refutes Kim Kardashian’s viral claim that the moon landing was fake due to “no gravity on the moon.”

“Kim there is gravity on the moon, 1/6 what you're used to. ... We've been to the moon six times. My quote friends don't flunk Internet.”
— NASA chief (via Brancaccio) [07:59]

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Notable Quotes

• “They cite estimates that the shutdown is causing $10 to $15 billion per week in lost output and economic activity.”
  — Nancy Marshall Genzer [01:25]
• “The National Flood Insurance Program can't provide new flood insurance contracts during the shutdown. That can delay new home sales.”
  — Nancy Marshall Genzer [02:06]
• “The job search is taking much longer, there's higher level of challenges and securing opportunities. … Be thorough in your research. But investing in yourself is always a good thing.”
  — Nancy d’Onofrio [07:31]
• “Kim there is gravity on the moon … We've been to the moon six times.”
  — NASA chief Sean Duffy (quoted) [07:59]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:02] – Government shutdown business fallout
• [01:56] – Shutdown effects on housing
• [02:24] – Political tactics: Filibuster debate
• [03:01] – Farmer relief and trade truce update
• [04:47] – Lengthening, costlier global job searches
• [06:36] – AI upskilling and impact on hiring
• [07:31] – Expert advice for job seekers investing in themselves
• [07:59] – NASA chief debunks moon-landing conspiracy

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Tone & Style

The hosts maintain the signature Marketplace tone: clear, concise, slightly wry, and pragmatic. The episode flows briskly between pressing economic concerns and lighter moments, always insightful and steeped in real-world relevance.

Transcript

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[David Brancaccio]

Businesses band together to call for the government to reopen. I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. The government shutdown has now lasted just coming up on a full month. A key issue is keeping Affordable Care act premiums from skyrocketing. But now some business leaders have issued a statement urging Congress to reopen the government now. Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer joins us with details.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

Well, the statement is from some of the big, biggest names in the business world, David, the US Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, also trade groups like the national association of Manufacturers, American Bankers Association, Airlines for America, and they cite estimates that the shutdown is causing 10 to $15 billion per week in lost output and economic activity. And they also say the funding lapse is increasing the permitting backlog for some major infrastructure.

[David Brancaccio]

And I see home builders are also affected by the shutdown. And the national association of Home Builders signed that get it open now statement you're talking about.

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

They did, and they issued their own release. They point out the National Flood Insurance Program can't provide new flood insurance contracts during the shutdown. That can delay new home sales. Plus, the Agriculture Department can't issue new rural housing loans, grants or loan guarantees.

[David Brancaccio]

President Trump is suggesting a tactic. In a social media post last night, he called on Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster. How'd that work?

[Nancy Marshall Genzer]

Well, under the filibuster rule, you need 60 votes to pass most legislation in the Senate. The Republicans don't have that many votes themselves, so they need help from Democrats to get most bills through. If they got rid of the filibuster. They would just need a simple majority to pass bills, and they could approve a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government on their own. This would be a permanent change, though, David, giving Democrats more power the next time they control the Senate, a prospect.

[David Brancaccio]

That strikes fear into the hearts of some Republicans who know that a shoe can be on the other foot. Nancy, thank you. Someday, when the government shutdown ends, farmers may see some relief from tariff losses. The Department of Agriculture has plans to pay $12 billion to farmers and ranchers hurt by the administration's import taxes. The one year trade truce declared this week between the US And China could also ease strains on, for instance, sources sorghum farmers and cattle producers.

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It's Cyber Security Awareness Month and Lifelock is here with tips to help protect your identity. Use strong passwords, set up multi factor authentication and report phishing scams. And for comprehensive identity protection, LifeLock is your best choice. LifeLock alerts you to suspicious uses of your personal information and also fixes identity theft, guaranteed or your money back. Stay smart, stay safe and stay protected with a 30 day free [e-mail] Specialoffer terms apply.

[David Brancaccio]

Let's do the number 6 months the average time it takes to find a new job. About a quarter of all job seekers have been out of work for half a year or more. This mirrors what we're seeing in Britain and Canada, with more people chasing facing fewer openings. One Response People spending more money to try to get the new job. The BBC's Megan Lawton reports.

[Megan Lawton]

Giovanna Ventola, who lives in North Carolina, says she lost three jobs in three.

[Nicole Gable]

Years and at the third time I thought there was something wrong with me, which is what really prompted me to start sharing on social media.

[Megan Lawton]

Others, like Kasia Duncan, who lives in Southeast England, was struggling to find work too.

[Kasia Duncan]

Honestly, it feels disheartening because I feel like I have good credentials and I do have previous work experience. I think that really highlights that it is a tough market that so many people are struggling.

[Megan Lawton]

Both tell me their experiences in the job market led them to paying for recruitment services, with Katia saying she spends around US$35 each month.

[Kasia Duncan]

For me, it involves definitely LinkedIn Premium. It allows you to then talk directly to HR managers, hiring managers and then personal money. I've got my Canva subscription which can allow me to make more high quality CVS or portfolio work.

[Nicole Gable]

I was doing more than just submitting the application.

[Megan Lawton]

Giovanna estimates she has spent US$6,000 over the past three years.

[Nicole Gable]

So yes, there were services that I paid for. I paid for job boards.

[Megan Lawton]

Career platform LinkedIn told us their premium subscriber membership has increased nearly 50% over the past two years.

[Nicole Gable]

Roles are changing as companies visions are changing, and it does have a lot to do with the rapid explosion really of technology.

[Megan Lawton]

Nicole Gable is the US Country President for LHH Recruitment Solutions and based in Chicago. She says the rise of AI is having an impact on hiring, particularly in sectors like tech employers.

[Nicole Gable]

Today, very few of them can identify the skills they think they will need in five years and the company's vision is changing depending on what they can do with technology and what their customer base can do with technology.

[Megan Lawton]

The impact, Gable says, is job seekers attempting to reinvent their careers, with many paying to do so.

[Nicole Gable]

AI skills even outside of tech roles are no longer, you know, optional. This is a requirement so that behooves all candidates to try to upskill and learn how to use these tools today.

[Megan Lawton]

But if you do want to invest in your career, Toronto based Nancy d', Onofrio, a director at major recruitment firm Randstad, has this caution.

[Make Me Smart Podcast Host (Kimberly Adams or Guest)]

You know the job search is taking much longer, there's higher level of challenges and securing opportunities. So there's always going to be individuals who are going to take advantage of that. So just be careful as if you want to invest in yourself, you really have to take it upon yourself to be thorough in your research. But investing in yourself is always a good thing.

[Megan Lawton]

For many job seekers, that means the journey back into work is taking longer and costing more than ever before. I'm the BBC's Megan Lawton for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

And NASA chief Sean Duffy is working to set straight celebrity influencer Kim Kardashian after she pushed the antique conspiracy theory that we never put astronauts on the moon. Quoting Kardashian, there's no gravity on the moon. Why is the flag blowing? Go to TikTok and you'll see. She urged correction Kim there is gravity on the moon, 1/6 what you're used to. Secondly, in later Apollo missions they put in a little poll to keep the slightly wrinkled flag unfurled. The NASA chief posted, we've been to the moon six times. My quote friends don't flunk Internet. David Brancaccio, Marketplace Morning Report from APM American Public Media.

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[Make Me Smart Podcast Host (Kimberly Adams or Guest)]

Apparently.