The cost of the shutdown (so far): A statistician’s estimate, by Liberty Vittert.

There have been estimates ranging from $52 million per day to $360 million per day – that’s a big range. …

Standard & Poor’s has estimated that this shutdown will cost the American economy $6.5 billion per week – a figure they based on data from previous shutdowns. This estimate includes the reduction in spending by furloughed federal workers (though not their actual pay), as well as other trickle-down effects: lost business and revenue to private contractors, fewer vacations and school trips due to park closures, etc. That puts us at about $32 billion just for basic economic disruption. …

Altogether, I estimate that the 35-day shutdown cost the American public somewhere around $40 billion. And that economic damage doesn’t include the unquantifiable damage being done to the 800,000 people who are going without a paycheck.

There is no doubt that the cost of this shutdown has already exceeded the amount that President Trump requested for the border wall. And if my estimate is correct, it could have paid for the entire wall to be built and maintained for 40 years.

The shutdown cost about seven times more than the money for the wall that Trump initially wanted. Priceless.