The U.S. economy expanded at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter as consumer spending, exports and government spending all grew.

U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s total output of goods and services — rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of 3% in the period.

However, inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve would like. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — climbed to a 2.8% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.1% in the second quarter.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation was 2.9%, up from 2.6% in the April-June quarter.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, rose to a 3.5% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.5% in the April-June period.

Within the GDP data, a category that measures the economy’s underlying strength grew at a 3% annual rate from July through September, up slightly from 2.9% in the second quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment, but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.

Exports grew at an 8.8% rate, while imports, which subtract from GDP, fell another 4.7%.

Tuesday’s report is the first of three estimates the government will make of GDP growth for the third quarter of the year.

Outside of the first quarter, when the economy shrank for the first time in three years as companies rushed to import goods ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariff rollout, the U.S. economy has continued to expand at a healthy rate. That’s despite much higher borrowing rates the Fed imposed in 2022 and 2023 in its drive to curb the inflation that surged as the United States bounced back with unexpected strength from the brief but devastating COVID-19 recession of 2020.

Though inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, the central bank cut its benchmark lending rate three times in a row to close out 2025, mostly out of concern for a job market that has steadily lost momentum since Spring.

Last week, the government reported that the U.S. economy gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October. Notably, the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% last month, the highest since 2021.

The country’s labor market has been stuck in a “low hire, low fire” state, economists say, as businesses stand pat due to uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs and the lingering effects of elevated interest rates. Since March, job creation has fallen to an average 35,000 a month, compared to 71,000 in the year ended in March. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said that he suspects those numbers will be revised even lower.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Former state Rep. George Moraitis’ campaign to flip Florida’s 23rd Congressional District red is gaining the backing of two sitting Congressmen from the Sunshine State.

Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Scott Franklin are getting behind Moraitis, who hopes to secure the GOP nomination and supplant Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz next year.

In statements provided to the Moraitis campaign, both highlighted shared ties they have with the candidate.

“George and I share an appreciation for the values instilled by our Greek heritage — faith, family, hard work, and service to community and country. George has lived those values throughout his career, from his service in uniform to his commitment to principled, conservative leadership,” Bilirakis said. “Our state needs leaders who show up, do the work, and put principle ahead of politics. George Moraitis is that kind of leader, and I am proud to support his campaign.”

Franklin noted that both he and Moraitis are Navy veterans and U.S. Naval Academy graduates.

“George and I share a deep commitment to service, integrity, and mission over politics. George brings those values to public service, along with a strong dedication to fiscal responsibility, national security, and putting hardworking families first,” he said. “In Congress, George will defend our freedoms, support those who serve, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. George Moraitis is the clear choice for District 23, and I am honored to endorse his campaign.”

Born and raised in CD 23 — which spans a northern, mostly coastal area in Broward and a section of South Palm Beach County — Moraitis graduated from the University of Florida School of Law and practices real estate law in Fort Lauderdale, where he and his wife, former Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Heather Moraitis, raised two daughters.

He served eight in the Florida House, representing many of the same areas he hopes to represent in Washington, D.C.

In October, his campaign grew his war chest to $485,000. He also carries endorsements from U.S. Reps. Greg Steube, Mike Haridopolos and Jake Elzzey, plus a slew of current and former locally elected officials.

Moraitis faces a crowded Republican Primary that includes six other GOP hopefuls, including Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer and counterterrorism expert Joe Kaufman, who lost to Moskowitz by 6 points last year. Moskowitz’s war chest grew by $2.16 million in the 2024 cycle.

The Cook Political Report rates the 2026 CD 23 race as leaning Democratic (D+2). That’s the most competitive of any contest in the state, according to Cook. It could become even more competitive under a potential redistricting plan by Gov. Ron DeSantis — a noted cross-aisle ally of Moskowitz’s — and Republican legislative leaders, which may shift the district further north into Palm Beach.

Florida’s Catholic bishops appealed to President Donald Trump on Monday to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays. The White House, in response, said it would be business as usual.

The appeal was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The border has been secured. The initial work of identifying and removing dangerous criminals has been accomplished to a great degree,” Wenski wrote. “At this point, the maximum enforcement approach of treating irregular immigrants en masse means that now many of these arrest operations inevitably sweep up numbers of people who are not criminals but just here to work.”

“A climate of fear and anxiety is infecting not only the irregular migrant but also family members and neighbors who are legally in the country,” Wenski added.

“Since these effects are part of enforcement operations, we request that the government pause apprehension and round-up activities during the Christmas season. Such a pause would show a decent regard for the humanity of these families.”

Responding via email, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson did not mention the holiday season in her two-sentence reply.

“President Trump was elected based on his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens. And he’s keeping that promise,” Jackson wrote.

Wenski has established a reputation as an outspoken advocate of humane treatment for migrants. In September, for example, he joined other Catholic leaders on a panel at Georgetown University decrying the Trump administration’s hardline policies for tearing apart families, inciting fear and upending church life.

Wenski highlighted the contributions of immigrants to the country’s economy.

“If you ask people in agriculture, you ask in the service industry, you ask people in health care, you ask the people in the construction field, and they’ll tell you that some of their best workers are immigrants,” said Wenski. “Enforcement is always going to be part of any immigration policy, but we have to rationalize it and humanize it.”

Wenski joined the “Knights on Bikes” ministry, an initiative led by the Knights of Columbus that draws attention to the spiritual needs of people held at immigration detention centers, including the one in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” He recalled praying a rosary with the bikers in the scorching heat outside its walls. Days later, he got permission to celebrate Mass inside the facility.

“The fact that we invite these detainees to pray, even in this very dehumanizing situation, is a way of emphasizing and invoking their dignity,” he said.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.