Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Sign Up

Sign Up

Please fill this form to create an account.

Already have an account? Login here.

Posted: 2020-01-31T03:23:38Z | Updated: 2020-01-31T03:23:38Z

The economy grew 2.3% last year in the weakest performance of President Donald Trump s time in office, according to data released Thursday by the Commerce Department.

Trump promised annual economic growth measured by gross domestic product of at least 3%.

The slowdown was attributed to the continuing costs and uncertainty of Trumps trade war, and a consumer spending dip in the final quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the current $21.7 trillion U.S. economy , fell as job gains slowed to 1.8% from 3.2% in the previous quarter.

Many experts have derided Trumps massive tax cut passed in 2017, largely benefiting corporations, as a short-lived sugar rush that failed to trigger significant business investment and a new level of sustained growth as deficits zoomed.

The remarkable thing is how weak wages are, how weak the economy is , given that, as a result of the tax bill, we have a $1 trillion deficit, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz complained at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost

Trump has indicated hell consider cutting programs like Social Security and Medicare to save costs, while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is beginning to call for even more tax cuts.

The U.S. economy grew 2.4% in 2017 and 2.9% in 2018 , temporarily boosted by tax cuts that went into effect that year. It grew 2.1% in the final quarter of 2019. The Congressional Budget Office is predicting a 2.2% boost in economic growth for 2020 but only 1.7% for the rest of the decade .

Despite the economys moderate showing last year, it racked up an 11th year in the nations record-breaking stretch of economic expansion.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost