The U.S. economy slowed to an annual growth rate of 1.3 percent during the second quarter of 2011, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
The second-quarter economic growth - the weakest since the recession ended - fell short of market expectations of around 1.7 percent.
The Commerce Department also sharply revised downward the January-March figures to show growth of just 0.4 percent, the weakest since the recession ended two years ago.
Consumer spending was almost flat this spring. It increased only 0.1 percent, after 2.1 percent growth in the winter. Spending on long-lasting manufactured goods, such as autos and appliances, fell 4.4 percent.
The increase in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from exports and federal spending as state and local governments cut spending for the seventh quarter in eight since the recession ended.