Data for the Economy, Lost in the Shuffle: Trump's Administration Leaves Economic Figures in Limbo
The Trump administration has officially announced that several key economic indicators, including inflation and employment figures for October, will not be made available to the public. In a statement citing the prolonged government shutdown, the White House claimed that statistical agencies were unable to gather or verify this data due to the prolonged shutdown.
According to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to complete its surveys during the 40-day closure, leaving the economic data "permanently impaired." This assertion has been met with skepticism from lawmakers and economists who believe that the administration is attempting to cover up unfavorable numbers.
While it's true that some business-side data can be reconstructed, officials have stated that the household survey – which relies on direct contact with individuals – cannot be conducted retroactively without risking unreliable results. This means that the full employment report, including both payroll growth and unemployment rates, will not be available to the public.
Critics argue that this move is an attempt by the administration to downplay the true state of the economy. A recent job loss estimate from Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggests that over 150,000 jobs were cut in October alone, which would be the worst October record in over two decades. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) has already labeled this trend as a "golden age" joke.
As one expert noted on Fox News, it's unlikely that even half of the employment report will be made available to the public. Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council, stated that the unemployment rate for October may never be known with certainty, leaving questions about the accuracy and reliability of the data in question.
The lack of transparency from the Trump administration raises concerns about their credibility on economic issues and highlights the difficulties faced by statistical agencies when dealing with an impromptu government shutdown.
The Trump administration has officially announced that several key economic indicators, including inflation and employment figures for October, will not be made available to the public. In a statement citing the prolonged government shutdown, the White House claimed that statistical agencies were unable to gather or verify this data due to the prolonged shutdown.
According to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to complete its surveys during the 40-day closure, leaving the economic data "permanently impaired." This assertion has been met with skepticism from lawmakers and economists who believe that the administration is attempting to cover up unfavorable numbers.
While it's true that some business-side data can be reconstructed, officials have stated that the household survey – which relies on direct contact with individuals – cannot be conducted retroactively without risking unreliable results. This means that the full employment report, including both payroll growth and unemployment rates, will not be available to the public.
Critics argue that this move is an attempt by the administration to downplay the true state of the economy. A recent job loss estimate from Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggests that over 150,000 jobs were cut in October alone, which would be the worst October record in over two decades. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) has already labeled this trend as a "golden age" joke.
As one expert noted on Fox News, it's unlikely that even half of the employment report will be made available to the public. Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council, stated that the unemployment rate for October may never be known with certainty, leaving questions about the accuracy and reliability of the data in question.
The lack of transparency from the Trump administration raises concerns about their credibility on economic issues and highlights the difficulties faced by statistical agencies when dealing with an impromptu government shutdown.
. I mean, we've seen plenty of times where data gets withheld or delayed due to technical issues. It's like they're trying to create some kind of air of mystery around their economic policies 
. And let's be real, if they were really hiding something, they'd probably just deny it outright 
.
. Can't we focus on the bigger picture rather than nitpicking every little detail? 
It's not like this one data point is going to make or break the entire economy 
.
. This move by the Trump administration might be a case of them trying to level the playing field, rather than hiding something 
. But hey, what do I know? Maybe I'm just missing the point 
. I mean, who loses data in a 40-day shutdown? 
It's not like they were doing fieldwork or something that required manual labor. Can't we just use some technology to gather info quickly? 
And what's up with the claim that the household survey can't be done retroactively without risking unreliable results? Isn't that just a cop-out? 
I'm all for transparency and accountability, but this is just a bunch of excuses from the White House. 
, but then they announce that all this data from October is lost and it's like "oh wait what was going on?" 
, even if it's not 100% accurate. It feels like they're hiding something and it's kinda fishy 
, but like who knows for sure?