Fourth-Quarter Shock: How Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts, Weak Investment, Stubborn Inflation, and Trade Chaos Slowed U.S. Growth
News is knowledge, Knowledge is news / //Fourth-Quarter Shock: How Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts, Weak Investment, Stubborn Inflation, and Trade Chaos Slowed U.S. Growth// The fourth-quarter GDP report delivered an unpleasant surprise to economists and everyday readers alike, showing that U.S. economic growth slowed far more than expected, and at the center of this slowdown was a sharp and unusual collapse in federal spending that many analysts now link to aggressive government cuts associated with policies pushed earlier in the year by Elon Musk , whose influence over the so-called DOGE efficiency program led to massive layoffs across federal agencies and sent ripple effects through the wider economy, creating a mix of uncertainty, reduced demand, and weakened confidence that dragged growth down at a critical moment. According to the data, federal spending plunged at a stunning 16.6 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, a decline large enough to single-handedly pull overall GDP growth...