Top Trump administration officials are arguing that it is misleading to include government spending in the quarterly tally of GDP. It sets up a clash between the administration and economists over how to calculate the broadest measure of economic activity.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he could take government spending out of his agency's reports on gross domestic product.

If you ask an economics professor about what GDP is, they will tell you that it is the total value of all goods and services produced by a country at a given time. That’s a simple enough definition, but how do you calculate that massive number?

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday he would strip out government spending from the gross domestic product (GDP) report, but gave no indication how soon this change might happen, while dismissing fears of a possible recession.

Government spending makes up 6% of total gross domestic product. And besides, spending cuts come with economic ripple effects.