The White House budget office on Thursday catalogued the economic damage from the 16-day government shutdown, saying the closure wasted billions of government dollars and hurt individuals and businesses that depend on government functions. Broadly speaking, the shutdown shaved an estimated 0.2 to 0.6 of a percentage point off U.S. gross domestic product in the last three months of the year. Budget Director Sylvia Matthews Burwell said the report was prepared at the request of Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski and because the White House wanted to document the impact of the shutdown.
