Biden Administration Aims to Avoid Acknowledging U.S. Recession

U.S. President Joe Biden and members of his administration are avoiding the "R word" — recession — to describe the country's economy despite the release of government data showing a contraction for a second straight quarter, a traditional benchmark for a recession.

"There's going to be a lot of chatter today on Wall Street and among pundits about whether we are in a recession," Biden told a group of business leaders gathered at the White House on Thursday afternoon. "But if you look at our job market, consumer spending [and] business investment, we see signs of economic progress in the second quarter, as well."

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, earlier speaking to reporters next door at the Department of the Treasury, said "most economists and most Americans have a similar definition of recession — substantial job losses and mass layoffs, businesses shutting down, private sector activity slowing considerably, family budgets under immense strain. In sum, a broad-based weakening of our economy. That is not what we're seeing right now."