: America’s top diplomat warned on Thursday that the United States could suffer more lasting damage to its influence abroad if the next round of budget talks in a few months lead to another breakdown.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the recent 16-day shutdown had raised questions among key allies about whether Washington can be counted on to lead — whether it is in talks with Iran, Middle East peace negotiations or completing an Asia-Pacific trade deal. , “What we do in Washington matters deeply to them, and that is why a self-inflicted wound like the shutdown that we just endured can never happen again,” Kerry told the Center of American Progress policy think tank.
“The simple fact is that the shutdown created temporary but real consequences in our ability to work with our partners and pursue our interests abroad,” Kerry added.
Kerry’s warning about future U.S. credibility was more forceful at home than abroad.
In Asia recently where he stood in for President Barack Obama at summits in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, Kerry dismissed the protracted budget negotiation in Washington as a “moment in politics” and assured countries it would not hurt U.S. commitments to the region, The Times of India informs.
