Can you take government spending out of GDP?

Enlarge this image WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 13: Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (R) speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 13: Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (R) speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The Trump administration has some nits to pick with government spending: They don’t think it should be counted as part of the country’s GDP, that it should be counted separately. In today’s episode, we look at why government spending is part of the U.S.’s GDP and we speculate why Trump’s administration might want to take it out … and what that could mean. Related episodes:Econ Exploder: GDP For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. Sponsor Message