U.S. Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick proposes excluding government expenditures from GDP calculations, arguing that certain spending, like salaries for policy deliberation, do not contribute to GDP. This change, he claims, aims to prevent what he deems a "waste of money." However, economists, including Rüdiger Bachmann from the University of Notre Dame, criticize the plan, fearing it could undermine trust in U.S. statistics. Lutnick also defends the Trump administration's policies, including tariffs and spending cuts, against recession concerns.