Microsoft President Calls for End to Government Shutdown, Citing International Concerns
*By Amanda Weston*
Microsoft President Brad Smith called for an end to the government shutdown during an appearance on Cheddar Thursday, saying that the political stalemate in the U.S. is contributing to broader international instability resulting from the ongoing Brexit chaos and weakness in the Chinese economy.
"This is not good for this economy, especially at the same time that the U.K. is dealing with another round of Brexit issues, at a time when Chinese economic indicators were not as positive in December," Smith said. "We need our political leaders to come together, get this government reopened, pay the people who are keeping our airports safe, and get this economy firing on all of its cylinders."
Smith's comments come as the partial government shutdown, officially the longest in U.S. history, was in its 27th day, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees still on unpaid leave. President Donald Trump and Democrats remain at odds over funding for border security, including Trump's signature campaign promise of a wall.
Smith said companies are feeling the impact of the stalemate.
"You can debate how much harm it's doing to the economy," the Microsoft ($MSFT) president said. "One thing is indisputable: it's not helping to have the government closed."
"There are companies that are not going public. There are companies that are not bringing products to the market."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/we-can-only-be-successful-if-the-community-is-successful-microsoft-president-says).
Mark Spoonauer, Global Editor-In-Chief at Tom's Guide, discusses the craze behind the latest Nintendo Switch 2 and why it already flying off shelves. Watch!
Bob Lang, Chief Options Strategist at Explosive Options, joins J.D. Durkin on the floor of the NYSE for a look at how traders are approaching the markets.
Seth Schachner, Managing Director at Strat Americas, talks Disney's taking control of Hulu, Warner Bros. and Discovery's split and how if affects the viewers.
The Tony Awards on Sunday lured 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years. CBS says Monday that Nielsen data shows the telecast — hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo — scored a 38% increase over last year’s 3.53 million viewers. That’s the largest audience for the Tonys since 2019, when the telecast that year nabbed 5.4 million viewers and “Hadestown” was crowned best new musical. The latest version also had to compete with the second game of the NBA Finals, between the Thunder and Pacers,
