BUDGET DEFICIT

Treasury official worried about mounting debt

A senior US Treasury official said he wants to see a multiyear effort to narrow the federal budget deficit, as he warned the nation’s mounting debt is “troubling.’’ “I am troubled by the deficit and troubled by the national debt, and I think we need a three-year program to deal with it,’’ David Malpass, the Treasury’s undersecretary for international affairs, said Wednesday during an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network. “It’s a very challenging environment.’’ Malpass said President Trump’s administration doesn’t anticipate another government shutdown next month when the current short-term spending measure expires. He said there are government programs that “simply aren’t needed’’ and cited a “challenging’’ budget process on Capitol Hill. He was speaking ahead of the release of the 700-page Economic Report of the President, which he said will lay out White House priorities for the coming year on growing the US economy. He declined to “get ahead of the president’’ by laying out its specifics. “What we will see, I think, is spending that sprawls too widely,’’ he said. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

TECHNOLOGY

Talk to the Nest security camera

Google’s voice-activated assistant is branching out to Nest’s deluxe security camera in an expansion that may amplify the privacy concerns surrounding Internet-connected microphones. The virtual assistant is being offered to owners of the Nest Cam IQ in a free update rolling out Wednesday. Google’s assistant already can be used to control Nest’s cameras and Internet-connected thermostat through its Internet-connected speaker, Home, and smartphones running on its Android software. This will be the first time that people will be able to interact with the digital concierge through a security camera. The assistant is supposed to be activated only with keywords such as ‘‘OK, Google,’’ although there have been instances when the Home speaker has been caught listening when it was supposed to be turned off. Even if Google’s assistant doesn’t eavesdrop, its presence on an indoor security camera is likely to focus more attention on the handling and protection of the data collected through internet-connected devices. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

DRUG INDUSTRY

FDA panel favors approval of new hepatitis B vaccine

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Wednesday recommended a new vaccine against hepatitis B. The vaccine, called Heplisav-B, was licensed for use in the United States in November and is the first new hepatitis B vaccine in 25 years. Hepatitis B vaccines have been in childhood shots for decades. The new vaccine made by Dynavax Technologies Corp. is for adults and is given in two shots over a month. It uses an additive that boosts the body’s immune response. The hepatitis B virus can damage the liver and is spread through contact with blood or other bodily fluids. Cases have been rising, a trend linked to the heroin and opioid epidemic. Meanwhile, researchers found older vaccines falter in diabetics and older adults. The panel endorsed the vaccine during a meeting in Atlanta. The government usually adopts its recommendations. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

TECHNOLOGY

TripAdvisor turns to Toast to generate restaurant ad revenue

Needham-based travel website TripAdvisor is partnering with Boston startup Toast to help its fledgling TripAdvisor Ads business. Under an agreement announced Wednesday, restaurants that have Toast’s technology platform — which integrates online payments, loyalty programs, and point-of-sale services — also will be able to purchase advertising on TripAdvisor. The partnership will allow restaurants that use Toast to drive customer traffic directly to their TripAdvisor listing via TripAdvisor Ads, which promotes sponsored content on search results pages. The deal also gives TripAdvisor another way to generate revenue. In addition, registered business owners on TripAdvisor who aren’t yet Toast customers can receive a $500 credit for TripAdvisor Ads, or six free months of the company’s TripAdvisor Premium service. “Partnering with Toast will allow us to bring their customers new products to help them better showcase their business to prospective diners,’’ said Evan Becker, TripAdvisor’s head of restaurant commerce, in a press release. —MARGEAUX SIPPELL

FINANCIAL

ATM mistakenly spit out $100 bills

A Wichita bank is trying to get money back from a woman accused of making more than 50 withdrawals from an ATM that was spitting out $100 bills in place of $5 bills. The Central National Bank sued Christina Ochoa to get her to return about $11,600 plus interest, the Wichita Eagle reported. The bank alleged Ochoa quickly realized the ATM wasn’t working properly and with her daughter made repeated withdrawals late at night. The Ochoas have denied any wrongdoing. Christy Ochoa said her daughter made that many transactions to craft a “money cake’’ of $5 bills for an acquaintance who just had a baby. The bank kept the money that was in Christina Ochoa’s checking account and now wants to confiscate two cars the Ochoas bought during the time. Christy Ochoa alleged the vehicles were paid for with student loan proceeds and settlement money from a car wreck. —ASSOCIATED PRESS

FINANCIAL

High court narrows whistleblower protections

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that whistleblower protections passed by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis apply only to people who report problems to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, not more broadly. The justices said that a part of the Dodd-Frank Act that protects whistleblowers from being fired, demoted, or harassed applies only to people who report legal violations to the SEC. They said employees who report problems to their company’s management but not the commission don’t qualify. People who report issues to their company’s management, to another federal agency, or to Congress are still protected against retaliation but under an older law, the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. But the two laws differ in a number of ways, including how long people have to bring a lawsuit and how much money they can get in compensation. A person who wins a lawsuit under the Dodd-Frank Act’s whistleblower protection provision can get more money than someone who wins under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s provision. The justices were unanimous in agreeing that the whistleblower protection in the Dodd-Frank Act covers only people who report to the SEC. The SEC had interpreted the whistleblower protection in the Dodd-Frank Act more broadly, an interpretation the Supreme Court rejected. The court’s ruling comes at a time when the Trump administration has already laid out changes it wants to make to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which the administration believes went too far and has hurt economic growth. President Trump has repeatedly attacked the law as a ‘‘disaster’’ and has promised to do ‘‘a big number’’ on it. The Trump administration had nonetheless argued that the law did provide broad protection. Businesses had opposed that reading of the law. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRAVEL

New name for online travel sites

Priceline is changing its name to Booking Holdings Inc., citing its expansion into numerous international brands over the last 20 years. The change at the former Priceline Group Inc. is effective immediately. The company will begin trading under the ticker symbol ‘‘BKNG’’ on Feb. 27. The travel website company operates in more than 220 countries. It said Booking.com, its largest brand, has more than 1.5 million properties and averages a million bookings per day. The company’s websites include Booking.com, priceline.com, KAYAK, agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable. The company will still be based in Norwalk, Conn. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

ECONOMY

Companies remain bullish

American business confidence in the world economy has surged, adding to an uptick in overall optimism as US tax cuts and looser regulation improve the outlook for domestic growth, according to a new study. Some 69 percent of leaders from mid-size companies across the United States said they were optimistic about the global economy this year, more than double the 30 percent in 2017, according to the JPMorgan Chase & Co. survey released Wednesday. The latest results marked the highest share of confidence in the eight-year history of the report, which indicated small businesses are similarly upbeat. Some 76 percent of leaders from mid-size firms, up from 71 percent, said they plan to raise compensation, and 64 percent indicated they will take on more full-time help. Companies say they’re more concerned about a shortage of skilled workers as baby boomers retire. That will keep the skills gap wide as businesses compete for more experienced employees. —BLOOMBERG NEWS