1/ The government shutdown is causing more economic damage than previously estimated and could push the U.S. economy into a contraction. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett called “the damage� to the economy “a little bit worse� than anticipated, because they miscalculated the rate of damage by failing to account for government contractors. Meanwhile, the White House revised estimates from the Council of Economic Advisers, which shows that the shutdown – now in its 26th day – reduces quarterly economic growth by 0.13 percentage points for every week that it lasts. By comparison, last year’s economic growth for the first quarter totaled 2.2% (New York Times / CNN / NPR)

2/ The Trump administration continues to force thousands of federal workers back to work without pay by designating their jobs as essential or exempting them from the furlough. The IRS, for example, will officially be recalling 36,000 workers – more than half the IRS workforce – to process tax returns and refunds despite the shutdown. (CNN)

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said that flying is “less safe today than it was a month ago� due to the partial government shutdown. The FAA is trying to recall thousands of workers who had been furloughed that they deem essential to deal with safety concerns. (The Hill)

Federal workers lose more than $200 million in combined unpaid wages for every workday the the government remains shutdown. A typical federal worker has missed $5,000 in wages since the shutdown began. (New York Times)

3/ Nancy Pelosi told Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address – or just submit it in writing – while the government remains partially closed. Pelosi cited “security concerns� related to the shutdown’s effect on the Secret Service. White House officials, meanwhile, are urging Republican senators to not sign a bipartisan letter calling for an end of the government shutdown. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address on Jan. 29th, which is an opportunity for him to make his case for border wall funding in a prime-time televised address. (Politico / ABC News / Washington Post /