(RTTNews) – The Bureau of Labor Statistics is among the agencies that will completely cease operations if the U.S. government shuts down, the Department of Labor said in a contingency plan that was published on Friday.
The Labor Department said the purpose of the plan is “to ensure that DOL agencies can perform an orderly suspension of programs and operations should a lapse occur, while continuing those limited activities authorized to continue during a lapse.”
President Donald Trump is set to hold talks with congressional leaders from both Republican and Democratic parties on Monday to avert a shutdown. A failure to reach a consensus would lead to a government shutdown that would begin at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
“BLS will suspend all operations,” the 73-page plan report available on the Labor Department website said. “Economic data that are scheduled to be released during the lapse will not be released.”
“All active data collection activities for BLS surveys will cease. The BLS website will not be updated with new content or restored in the event of a technical failure during a lapse,” the document said.
The BLS has several statistical reports lined up for release in the coming days that can shed more light on a cooling labor market and strong inflation. This includes the weekly initial jobless claims report on Thursday and the nonfarm payrolls data on Friday. A total blackout means they will not be released.
Then on October 15, the monthly consumer price index data is scheduled, which is a key inflation indicator that Fed policymakers watch, and a crucial one as the FOMC is set to hold the next policy session on October 28-29. The producer price index report is due on October 16.
“The releases of economic data will likely be delayed if a lapse is prolonged,” the document said. “A reduction in quality of data collected might impact the quality of future estimates produced.”
Further, a delay of the CPI release during October might have an impact on the Cost of Living Adjustment announcement by the Social Security Administration, the report said.
The BLS is already under pressure as massive revisions to labor statistics invited criticism from President Trump who fired recently bureau chief Erika McEntarfer. The administration has nominated E.J. Antoni, a well-known defender of Trump’s economic policies, to the post.
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