The White House said on the 12th (local time) that the October consumer price index (CPI) and nonfarm payrolls report are likely never to be released.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said this at a briefing that day. Leavitt said, "The Democrats' shutdown has made it extremely difficult for economists, investors, and the Federal Reserve's policy makers to receive critical government data," adding, "The Democrats may have permanently damaged the federal statistical system."
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the CPI and the nonfarm payrolls report every month, and they are used as the basis for policy rate decisions by the Federal Reserve (Fed), the U.S. Central Bank. Because the CPI quickly shows price trends and the jobs report quickly shows real-economy trends, Wall Street treats them as the most important indicators.
However, with the shutdown that began on the 1st of last month, federal employees went on unpaid furlough, making it impossible for the BLS to carry out normal operations. Based on previously compiled consumer price trends, the BLS released the September CPI, but it did not release the employment trends report. It also did not release the October CPI or the nonfarm payrolls report.
Leavitt's remarks are interpreted to mean that even if the shutdown ends, it would be impossible to collect October economic data and compile reports. The BLS sends surveyors to various retail stores across the United States to collect current prices of goods and then analyze the trend of changes, but it is difficult to collect data for a period that has already passed.
Erica Groshen, former BLS commissioner, said, "Field surveyors can't go to Costco in mid-November to check October prices," adding, "Releasing the October CPI is impossible."