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U.S. Recession

By experts and staff

Published
  • Benn SteilCFR Expert
    Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics
  • Dinah Walker
    Analyst, Geoeconomics

As our chart indicates, the U.S. budget deficit is expanding at its fastest rate in the post-war era. Obama’s proposed fiscal stimulus will add to this deficit. This aggressive fiscal response is meant to offset a sharp contraction in GDP. As our updated CGS indicators package shows (see right hand column), the 3.8% fall in the fourth quarter is unlikely to mark the end of the downturn.