Conservative groups are criticizing President Biden and his administration for trying to “smoke” Americans into believing the country is not in a recession. The country entered a technical recession as the US economy shrank by 0.9%, meaning the country has seen negative gross domestic product for the second straight quarter. Ahead of the country’s advance estimate of GDP on July 28, the White House Council of Economic Advisers said that even if the figure is negative, it is still “unlikely” to be a sign that the country is in recession. “Based on these data, it is unlikely that a decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year — even if followed by another decline in GDP in the second quarter — would indicate a recession,” said a post on the White House website. US ECONOMY IN TECHNICAL RECESSION AFTER GROWING 0.9% IN SECOND QUARTER President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 relief package in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, March 15, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky/AP Images) After the GDP number was released, Biden was quick to say that the United States is “not in a recession,” adding that “it’s not a riot that the economy is slowing down.” Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research told Fox News Digital that the country is in the middle of a recession despite what Biden and his administration are suggesting. “GDP numbers don’t lie — under the Biden administration, we’re building brokers back,” Hield said. “No matter how the White House tries to spin it, the Biden recession is here to stay as everyday Americans face higher prices from the grocery store to the gas pump.” He said in an interview that the White House’s current calculation of whether the country is in a recession is based on the fact that there is not yet high unemployment. “My understanding is [White House] it’s largely based on the fact that we haven’t seen huge unemployment numbers yet, but layoffs are increasing and it may just be a lagging indicator,” Hield said. FED’S POWELL SAYS HE DOESN’T THINK OUR ECONOMY IS IN A RECESSION U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference after attending the G7 finance ministers’ meeting at Winfield House in London, Britain, June 5, 2021. (Justin Tallis/Pool via Reuters / Reuters Photos) “What we’re probably going to see in the next three months is unemployment going up, I think we’re already seeing increases there,” Hield added. Other members of the Biden administration also said the country is not in a recession. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a news conference on July 28 that most economists define a true recession as a “broad weakening of the economy,” which also involves large numbers of job losses and business closings, among other things. “That’s not what we’re seeing right now,” Yellen said. Heritage Action for America executive director Jessica Anderson said the Biden administration is trying to redefine what the term “recession” is. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS “No matter how the Biden administration tries to target the American people or redefine the term ‘recession,’ we are all feeling the inflationary effects of his economic policies in our wallets,” Anderson said. As our economic growth slows, inflation soars and interest rates rise, the American people are asking the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress to stop their reckless spending and put our fiscal house in order.” FOX Business’ Megan Henney and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
