The White House has warned that the October jobs and consumer price index (CPI) reports may never be released due to the ongoing government shutdown. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the shutdown has forced the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to go dark, halting data collection and publication.
Leavitt blamed Democrats for the disruption, saying the shutdown has “permanently damaged the Federal Statistical System.” She warned that this could leave Federal Reserve policymakers “flying blind” at a critical moment for the economy.
The October jobs report, which was due last week, did not come out for the second month in a row as the shutdown—now the longest in U.S. history—continues to drag on. Leavitt said the missing reports mean the economic data used to guide monetary policy may be “permanently impaired”.
The BLS has played a key role in tracking employment trends and inflation rates, which are vital to shaping interest rate decisions and economic forecasts. However, with its operations halted, the release of official data has completely stopped.
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The shutdown also follows controversy earlier this year when President Donald Trump dismissed the agency’s chief after expressing frustration with previous jobs numbers, adding tension to an already strained situation.
Economists Warn of Data Blackout
The absence of government data is now creating uncertainty for economists and financial markets. Without official reports, the Federal Reserve has little insight into the current state of employment, inflation, or wage growth.
Private estimates are filling some gaps. Payroll processor ADP reported that private employers added 42,000 jobs in October. Goldman Sachs estimated the U.S. likely lost 50,000 jobs, while economists surveyed by Dow Jones put the number closer to 60,000. Still, these figures cannot replace official BLS data, which serve as the standard for policy decisions.
Economist Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser for Allianz, warned that the missing reports could fuel conspiracy theories. He said the shutdown has “derailed the data collection process”, and trying to catch up later would be “technically tricky” and possibly inaccurate.
Some experts are suggesting that the Labor Department focus on gathering November data instead of trying to rebuild the missing October reports. Brian Bethune, an economics professor at Boston College, said, “From a monetary policy perspective, you want the November data first. You don’t want November data in January.”
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell described the data blackout as “a temporary state of affairs” but admitted it could influence the Fed’s December meeting. “If you’re driving in the fog, you slow down,” he said, explaining that the lack of data may force the central bank to proceed cautiously.
Shutdown Freezes Key Economic Functions
The record-long shutdown began after a political standoff between the White House and Congress. Many federal agencies have been forced to suspend operations, sending workers home and halting essential services.
For the BLS, the shutdown means that staff cannot conduct surveys, verify responses, or analyze data for critical reports. Because October’s data collection period was fully affected, much of the information is now incomplete and may never be recovered.
Economists warn that the loss of these reports will make it harder to assess how the economy performed during the shutdown period. Missing this data could also create long-term gaps in U.S. economic records, which rely on continuous monthly input to maintain accuracy.
The White House said it fears the federal statistical system has been “permanently impaired”. The Labor Department and BLS have not commented on when—or if—the missing reports will be released. As a result, policymakers, investors, and analysts remain in the dark while the shutdown continues to stall crucial economic reporting.
