Overview
- The House prepared to vote on a Senate-passed stopgap to reopen the government through Jan. 31, restoring federal statistical operations once President Donald Trump signs it.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said October inflation and employment reports will likely never be released because key surveys were not conducted during the shutdown.
- National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said some October surveys were never completed, warning of a lingering data fog even after agencies resume work.
- Economists urged the Labor Department to publish November employment and CPI data first so policymakers have timely inputs for the Federal Reserve’s Dec. 9–10 meeting.
- Analysts expect fully collected September reports to be released within days of reopening with updated calendars to follow, while GDP growth for the quarter could be reduced by roughly 1.5 to 2 percentage points and private indicators have only partly filled the gap.