Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, American International Group CEO Robert Benmosche, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Saches CEO Lloyd Blankfein are among 14 CEOs who visited US President Barack Obama at the White House. The US government has been in a shutdown for three days after Democrats and Republicans couldn't agree on a new budget for the coming year. The Republicans are refusing to increase the US debt ceiling until President Obama scraps his new healthcare plan. According to the Takvim newspaper, Lloyd Blankfein gave Obama until 17 October to abandon the Obamacare health plan and raise interest rates. The Republican parliamentarian John Boehner, head of the House of Minority Representatives Nancy Pelosi, head of the senate of the Democrat majority Harry Reid and head of the senate of the Republican minority Mitch McConnell were also present in the meeting with the CEOs, as they all tried to corner Obama to back down from the health plan.
Obama later expressed in anger on CNBC saying "I am exasperated with the idea that unless I say that 20 million people, 'you can't have health insurance, they will not reopen the government.' That is irresponsible."
Approximately one million government and military staff have been put on unpaid indefinite leave since the government negotiations broke down this week.