Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) accused President Donald Trump of deliberately withholding the September jobs report by using the U.S. government shutdown as cover for doing so.
Warns The Fed ‘Is Flying Blind’
On Thursday, in a post on X, Warren said that Trump wants to use the shutdown, which she said is of “Republicans’ own making’ to keep voters “in the dark” about the state of the economy.
Her comments come amid delays in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September employment data, which is typically scheduled to be released on the first Friday of every month. “The September jobs numbers are ready – and Trump must release them,” she said.
See Also: Shutdown Hits Growth And Hurts American Workers, Bessent Says
She warned that withholding the data could leave central bankers without crucial information ahead of policy decisions. “Without them, the Fed is flying blind while making decisions that impact you,” Warren added.
She warned that withholding the data could leave the Federal Reserve without crucial information ahead of the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting later this month. “Without them, the Fed is flying blind while making decisions that impact you,” she added.
Private Payrolls Report Shows Job Losses in September
Earlier this week, the ADP National Employment Report showed a net loss of 32,000 private-sector jobs in September, the weakest reading since March 2023. The figure came in well below expectations for a 50,000 gain.
“Despite the strong economic growth we saw in the second quarter, this month’s release further validates what we’ve been seeing in the labor market, that U.S. employers have been cautious with hiring,” said Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.
This comes just a month after the bad August jobs report by the BLS, which showed that the U.S. economy had added just 22,000 jobs during the month, far short of the expected 75,000.
This prompted the Fed to cut interest rates by 25 basis points during the FOMC meeting last month, with the committee citing slowing job growth and rising unemployment rates for its decision.
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