Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has demanded that the Trump administration release the September jobs report on schedule this Friday, warning that withholding it during the government shutdown would leave the Federal Reserve and markets without vital economic data.
Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, argued that the monthly employment survey compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is already complete. Former BLS officials have told her office the September figures have been collected and processed. In a letter to acting BLS Commissioner William Wiatrowski and budget director Russell Vought, she urged that "the jobs data scheduled to come out this Friday has undoubtedly been collected and the President must release it."
Her push comes despite a contingency plan from the Labor Department making clear that BLS would suspend both data collection and publication during a funding lapse. According to Reuters, the shutdown will halt the release of major reports, including the jobs data, as the BLS remains shuttered.
The dispute underscores the stakes: the jobs report is one of the most closely watched indicators of the U.S. economy, and its absence leaves policymakers and markets flying blind. The timing is particularly sensitive as the Federal Reserve prepares for a policy meeting on Oct. 28–29, where interest rate decisions hinge on labor market conditions.
Private indicators are already flashing warning signs. The ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday showed private-sector employers cut 32,000 jobs in September, a signal of potential weakness in the broader labor market. As CBS News reported, investors are leaning more heavily on such alternative data with official government statistics offline.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis has also confirmed that the shutdown has forced it to suspend economic reports on trade, GDP and inflation until funding resumes, further deepening the information vacuum.
With the shutdown dragging on, Warren insisted the administration has the power to publish the jobs data. But for now, the release of America's most important economic report card remains hostage to Washington's political standoff.
