Treasury Secretary Warns Shutdown Could Cost US $15 Billion Per Day

‘I am calling for the moderate Democrats to be heroes and reopen the government,’ Bessent said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a ceremony for U.S. National Day at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on July 19, 2025. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Oct. 15 that the now two-week government shutdown will cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars per day and called on moderate Democrats to negotiate.

The White House’s Office and Management and Budget said Oct. 14 it is preparing for a protracted battle as President Donald Trump warned at a White House event that programs favored by Democrats may be terminated and that “they’re never going to come back, in many cases.”