By Brendan Hart 1 min read

Is Government Spending Fueling Inflation?

The cause of rising prices.
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Is Government Spending Fueling Inflation?

The GOP claims so. The Fed Chair corrects them.

You have to look at the fiscal impulse from spending,” Mr. Powell said on Wednesday, referring to a measure of how much tax and spending policies are adding or subtracting to economic growth. “Fiscal impulse is actually not what’s driving inflation right now. It was at the beginning perhaps, but that’s not the story right now.”

Instead, Mr. Powell — along with Mr. Biden and his advisers — says rapid price growth is primarily being driven by factors like snarled supply chains, an oil shock following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a shift among American consumers from spending money on services like travel and dining out to goods like furniture.

Brendan Hart

About the Author

Brendan Hart

Brendan Hart is the founder of The Power Curve, an independent platform publishing economic intelligence for a complex world.

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