From Airlines to brewers, businesses feel the bite of US shutdown

The shutdown entered its 14th day on Friday with little sign that President Donald Trump and Congress will resolve the standoff over the border wall

Airlines can’t get permission to add new planes to their fleets. Mortgage lenders aren’t able to verify the income of borrowers. And brewers can’t sell new beers while label approvals are on hold.

In ways both small and large, businesses are beginning to feel the bite of the government funding impasse that has shuttered nine major departments, slowing federal reviews of everything from pipelines to mergers.

“The impact will multiply as the days and weeks continue,” said Stan Collender, a longtime congressional budget aide who now edits @thebudgetguy blog in Washington. “It’s only going to expand.”

The shutdown entered its 14th day on Friday with little sign that President Donald Trump and Congress will resolve the standoff over a border wall that has halted operations across roughly a quarter of the federal government. Trump and top lawmakers from both parties are to meet at the White House late on Friday morning, yet each side was digging in its heels as a new Democratic majority took over the House. The effects are beginning to ripple through the economy. Here’s a look at how commerce is being caught up in the dispute:

Disruptions for airlines

Some airlines are beginning to have trouble adding new aircraft to their fleets and starting new pilot training programs, the Washington trade group Airlines for America said in a statement Thursday.

Commercial carriers can’t do those tasks or dozens of other routine actions without Federal Aviation Administration inspectors signing off, said Mike Gonzales, a vice president at the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union. And now the vast majority of the FAA’s 5,000 such employees are not working, Gonzales said.

Southwest Airlines , for example, believes the shutdown “likely” will delay its plans to begin service to Hawaii, Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said in a message to employees on Monday. And while Delta Air Lines  is hoping to begin flying a new airliner, the Airbus SE A220, by January 31, it can’t get approval without the FAA’s now-furloughed safety inspectors.