President
|
Vice President
|
First Lady
|
Mrs. Cheney
|
News & Policies
History & Tours
|
Kids
|
Your Government
|
Appointments
|
Jobs
|
Contact
|
Graphic version
Email Updates
|
Español
|
Accessibility
|
Search
|
Privacy Policy
|
Help
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 11, 2008
Fact Sheet: The Economic Report of the President
President Bush Submits Report To Congress Reviewing Our Nation's Economic
Outlook, Showing How Continuing Pro-Growth Policies Will Benefit Our
Economy
Today, the White House released the Economic Report of the President, an
annual report to Congress on the Nation's economic progress. The report
released today reviews the state of the U.S. economy, the outlook for the
next several years, and a wide variety of economic issues that underlie
many of the Administration's economic policies. The full report, written by
the President's Council of Economic Advisers, is available at:
/cea/pubs.html.
-
The U.S. economy continued to grow for the sixth straight year in 2007, but
we are facing a rough patch. Although real GDP growth slowed in the fourth quarter of last year, economic growth is expected to continue in 2008.
Most market forecasts suggest a slower pace in the first half of 2008,
followed by strengthened growth in the second half of the year.
-
Recognizing the signs of a slowing economy, President Bush proposed an
economic growth package and this week will sign into law bipartisan
legislation to protect the health of our economy and encourage job
creation. The President thanks members of both parties in Congress for
their efforts to advance this important legislation, which meets the
criteria he set forward to provide a robust, broad-based, timely, and
effective set of incentives to protect the health of our economy and
encourage job creation.
-
The Administration has also taken important steps to shore up the housing
sector. In August, the Administration launched the FHASecure initiative,
which is expected to help more than 300,000 families refinance their homes
by the end of the year. In addition, Secretaries Paulson and Jackson have
facilitated the private-sector HOPE NOW alliance, which has developed a
plan under which more than a million homeowners could receive help.
-
President Bush continues to call on Congress to join him in assisting
struggling homeowners by passing much-needed housing legislation. As he
has since August, President Bush urges Congress to pass legislation giving
the Federal Housing Administration more flexibility to help hundreds of
thousands of additional families qualify for prime-rate financing.
Congress should also pass legislation to reform the regulation of
Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and
to permit State and local housing agencies to help troubled borrowers by
issuing more tax-exempt bonds and allowing them to be used for refinancing
existing home loans.
-
To ensure the economy continues to grow over the long term, we must keep
taxes low, open new markets for U.S. exports through trade agreements,
address rising health care costs, and diversify our energy portfolio. The
report released today discusses how these pro-growth policies can
strengthen our economy and allow more Americans to benefit from continued
economic expansion.
Chapter 1: The Year In Review And The Years Ahead
Economic expansion continued for the sixth consecutive year in 2007. This
economic growth came despite a weak housing sector, credit tightening, and
high energy prices. Sustained growth has resulted from U.S. economic
flexibility, openness and other pro-growth policies. Signs that the economy
is slowing, however, led the President to call on the Congress to enact a
short-term economic growth package. Chapter 1 reviews the past year and
discusses the Administration's forecast for the years ahead. The key points
are:
-
Real GDP posted solid 2.5 percent growth during the four quarters of 2007,
similar to the pace of a year earlier. Compared with the preceding years of
the expansion, the continued reorientation of aggregate demand resulted in
more growth from exports and business fixed investment, while residential
investment flipped from contributing positively to GDP growth from 2003 to
2005 to subtracting from it in 2006 and 2007.
-
Labor markets were tight in the first half of 2007, but conditions
slackened somewhat in the second half, with job growth slowing and the
unemployment rate edging up to 4.7 percent in the third quarter and to 5.0
percent by December.
-
Energy prices dominated the movement of overall inflation in the consumer
price index (CPI), with large increases toward the end of the year. Core
consumer inflation (which excludes food and energy inflation) moved down
from 2.6 percent during the 12 months of 2006 to 2.4 percent in 2007. Food
prices rose appreciably faster than core prices.
-
Nominal wage gains of 3.7 percent for production workers were offset by the
unexpected rise in energy prices. These nominal gains, however, exceeded
measures of expected price inflation implying an expectation of real wage
gains during the next several years.
-
The Administration's forecast calls for the economic expansion to continue
in 2008, but at a slower pace. Slower growth is anticipated for the first
half of the year, and the average unemployment rate for 2008 is projected
to move up from the 2007 level. In 2009 and 2010, real GDP growth is
projected to grow at 3 percent, while the unemployment rate is projected to
remain stable and below 5 percent.
-
The contraction of the secondary market for some mortgage securities and
the ensuing write-downs at major financial intermediaries are a new
downside risk to this expansion. As of the end of 2007, however, these
developments had not greatly affected the non-financial economy outside of
the housing sector.
Chapter 2: Credit And Housing Markets
In the summer of 2007, the ongoing contraction in the U.S. housing market
worsened and credit markets experienced a substantial disruption. Chapter 2
reviews the developments in the housing and credit markets, and describes
public and private responses. The key points are:
-
Rising delinquencies in subprime mortgages revealed an apparent
underpricing of risk and raised concerns about which market participants
were exposed to that risk, but the subprime market was not the only cause
for the contraction in credit markets.
-
The Federal Reserve provided liquidity and took measures to support
financial stability in the financial markets in the wake of the disruptions
in the credit markets.
-
The Administration focused its response on housing markets and helping
homeowners avoid foreclosure - in particular, subprime borrowers facing
increases in the interest rate on their adjustable-rate mortgages.
-
Participants in the credit and housing markets are actively addressing
challenges that were revealed during the summer of 2007. Markets are
generally better suited than government to adapting to changes in the
economic environment; markets can respond quickly to new information, while
government policy often reacts with a lag or has a delayed impact.
-
Financial innovations in the mortgage and credit markets have provided a
range of economic benefits, but not without some costs. Over time, markets
tend to retain valuable innovations and repair or eliminate flawed
innovations.
-
The macroeconomic effects of the downturn in housing and the credit market
disruptions may occur through several channels, including the direct effect
on residential investment, the reduction of wealth on personal consumption,
and tighter lending standards on business investment.
Chapter 3: The Causes And Consequences Of Export Growth
One noteworthy development in recent years has been the rapid growth of
U.S. exports. This growth has provided clear benefits to entrepreneurs and
workers in export-oriented industries, and to the economy as a whole.
Chapter 3 identifies the primary factors that have driven recent export
growth and discusses several longer-term trends that have lifted exports
over time. More broadly, the chapter addresses the benefits that flow from
open trade and investment policies as well as some related challenges. The
key points of this chapter are:
-
The United States is the world's largest exporter, with $1.5 trillion in
goods and services exports in 2006. The United States was the top exporter
of services and the second largest exporter of goods, behind only Germany.
-
In recent years, factors that have likely contributed to the growth in
exports include rising foreign income, the expansion of production in the
United States, and changes in exchange rates. One reflection of that growth
is that exports accounted for more than a third of U.S. economic growth
during 2006 and 2007.
-
Over time, falling tariffs and transport and communication costs have
likely lowered the cost of many U.S. goods in foreign markets, boosting
demand for U.S. exports.
-
Open trade and investment policies have increased access to export markets
for U.S. producers. Increased investment across borders by U.S. companies
facilitates exports.
-
Greater export opportunities give U.S. producers incentives to innovate for
a worldwide market. Increased innovation and the competition that comes
from trade liberalization help raise the living standard of the average
U.S. citizen.
-
Nearly all economists agree that growth in the volume and value of exports
and imports increases the standard of living for the average individual,
but they also agree that the gains from trade are not equally distributed
and that some individuals bear costs. The Administration has proposed
policies to improve training and support to individuals affected by trade
disruption.
Chapter 4: The Importance Of Health And Health Care
The American health care system is an engine for innovation that develops
and broadly disseminates advanced, life-enhancing treatments and offers a
wide set of choices for consumers of health care. The health care system
provides enormous benefits, but there remain substantial opportunities for
improvements that would reduce costs, increase access, and improve quality,
thus providing even greater health for Americans. Chapter 4 examines the
economics of health and health care. The key points in this chapter are:
-
Health can be improved not only through the appropriate consumption of
quality health care services, but also through individual behaviors and
lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking, eating more nutritious foods,
and getting more exercise.
-
Health care has enhanced the health of our population; greater efficiency
in the health care system, however, could yield even greater health for
Americans without increasing health care spending.
-
Rapid growth in health care costs and access to health insurance continue
to present challenges to the health care system.
-
Administration policies focus on reducing cost growth, improving quality,
and expanding access to health insurance through an emphasis on private
sector and market-based solutions.
Chapter 5: Tax Policy
Economists and policymakers have long debated the appropriate role of the
government in a market economy. The government can provide public services
and transfer payments to lower income individuals, but these benefits often
come at the cost of higher taxes and lower economic output. The key points
in this chapter are:
-
The ratio of federal taxation in the United States to gross domestic
product (GDP) has fluctuated around an average value of 18.3 percent over
the past 40 years; despite the President's 2001 and 2003 tax relief, this
ratio was 18.8 percent in 2007, above the 40-year average. Under current
law revenues are predicted to grow faster than the economy in coming years,
raising the level of taxation well above its historical average.
-
Tax reductions in 2001 and 2003 have considerably lowered the tax burden on
labor and capital income and reduced distortions to economic decisions.
Making these tax cuts permanent can greatly improve long-term economic
outcomes.
-
In addition to contributing to growth, the tax cuts of 2003 also improved
the efficiency of the tax structure primarily by reducing the double
taxation of corporate income.
-
The business tax structure in the United States still creates substantial
distortions. To attract investment from abroad and compete more effectively
in foreign markets, the United States must consider how best to address
distortions created by the structure of business taxes, as other countries
have done.
Chapter 6: The Nation's Infrastructure
Our economy depends on infrastructure that allows goods, people,
information, and energy to flow throughout the nation. As our economy grows
and our infrastructure faces growing demand, policy should support
investments that ensure that existing capacity is used as efficiently as
possible. Chapter 6 discusses some of the economic issues associated with
major transportation, communication, and power transmission systems. The
key points in this chapter are:
-
Infrastructure typically requires large capital investments to build and
maintain capacity. Once built, however, the cost of allowing an extra
person to use the capacity is typically low. This often means that
infrastructure cannot be provided efficiently by a competitive market and
many types of infrastructure are instead provided by Government regulated
companies or, in some cases, by the Government itself.
-
Demands on the U.S. infrastructure grow as the economy expands, and
Government policies often determine how effectively infrastructure can
accommodate that growth. Properly designed user fees can help ensure
efficiency by revealing information about what infrastructure consumers
value most.
-
The price people pay for using infrastructure should reflect the extra cost
associated with its use. This includes the cost of maintaining the
infrastructure itself, as well as delays caused by increased congestion.
-
The private sector plays an important role in providing infrastructure.
However, lack of competition in markets for infrastructure raises concerns
about market power, so that Government oversight is sometimes necessary.
The Government must continually reassess the need for oversight in the face
of changing market conditions.
Chapter 7: Searching For Alternative Energy Solutions
-
Energy is used for many purposes in our economy: electricity generation,
transportation, industrial production, and direct uses by homes and
businesses. Energy security and environmental concerns motivate the
consideration of policies that diversify our sources of energy. Chapter 7
outlines options for changing the way we produce and consume energy in two
sectors of our economy: electricity generation and transportation. The key
points in this chapter are:
-
The current suite of available alternative energy sources is an important
part of achieving our goal, but a number of technical, regulatory, and
economic hurdles must be overcome to use them fully.
-
There are several promising, but currently unproven, methods of producing
and delivering energy that, if successfully developed and deployed, will
greatly enhance our Nation's energy portfolio.
-
Appropriate and limited government action can play a useful role in helping
to realize our energy security goals.
Chapter 8: Improving Economic Statistics
Statistical systems have substantial value for both public policymakers and
private decision makers. Chapter 8 examines several key issues in economic
statistics, including the role of Federal statistical programs in a dynamic
economy, the importance of continuity in statistical series, and ways to
improve the value of existing statistical data. The key points are:
-
Robust statistical systems produce products that are important to
understanding the changing state of the economy and to formulating sound
policy. But statistical systems, like physical infrastructures, become
obsolete or depreciate with time if they are not maintained.
-
Statistical measures must keep up with the changing nature of the economy
to be relevant and useful. For example, it is important that these measures
reflect new and growing industries (such as hightechnology industries or
services) and intangible capital (such as research and development).
-
Disruptions in a statistical series render it much less useful to
policymakers and other data users. Thus, continuity in statistical series
is an important goal.
-
More effective statistical use can be made of existing data. In particular,
amending relevant legislation to enable full implementation of the
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA)
could greatly improve the quality of Federal statistics.
# # #
Printer-Friendly Version
Email this page to a friend
more issues