White House Won’t Issue Economic Forecast of Virus Downturn
- Says projections are too hard to make amid broad shutdown
- Trump this week predicted recovery in 3Q, boom in 2021
The White House stands past fencing in Washington, D.C. on April 1.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The White House won’t issue a formal economic forecast showing the extent of the U.S. downturn precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The forecast is traditionally included in a part of the White House budget process called the “mid-session review,” which is usually issued in July or August. It follows the president’s budget proposal, released in February, and is intended to evaluate whether economic projections in that document are holding up.