The two-week-old federal government shutdown is costing the US economy about US$15 billion a day in lost output, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, putting an estimate on its economic toll and urging Democrats to “be heroes” and side with Republicans to end it. Bessent told a news conference that the shutdown was starting to “cut into muscle” of the US economy. “We believe that the shutdown may start costing the US economy up to US$15 billion a day,” he said. The wave of...