Mnuchin to Testify on Shutdown Before House Ways and Means

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has been asked to testify before a House committee on the effect the ongoing partial government shutdown is having on the economy, The Hill reports.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., sent a letter to Mnuchin on Wednesday night asking him to testify before the panel in a public meeting next Thursday, Jan. 24. 

"As you have been advised, the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a public hearing on the shutdown's impact on the Department of Treasury and American Taxpayers," reads the letter. "This letter is to formally invite you to appear before the Committee"  on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, and asks Mnuchin to provide "150 copies of your written statement" at least 48 hours before the meeting, and to "limit your oral testimony to five minutes."

The White House on Tuesday doubled the amount of economic growth that has been lost because of the shutdown, estimating quarterly economic growth falls by .13 percentage points every week the shutdown continues, according to The New York Times.

This means the economy has lost almost half of one percentage point since the shutdown began almost four weeks ago, compared to the 2.2 percent economic growth the U.S. had during the first quarter last year.

Neal previously asked Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to inform Congress how the shutdown will affect tax filings.

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