WASHINGTON: Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren has urged President Donald Trump to release the highly anticipated September jobs report despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The US labour market faces intense scrutiny as hiring weakened significantly in recent months, prompting the Federal Reserve to implement its first interest rate cut this year.
A key Labor Department report assessing market health will be suspended as the Bureau of Labor Statistics pauses operations during the shutdown.
Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, called on Trump to publish the September employment figures one day before their scheduled release.
She stated clearly that the jobs data scheduled for Friday has undoubtedly been collected and the President must release it.
Warren warned the Federal Reserve would lack the full picture needed for interest rate decisions impacting every American family without this data.
She also sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought and acting BLS commissioner William Wiatrowski with a similar request.
Warren urged them to authorise the release of the September Employment Situation report without delay.
She cited former BLS Commissioner William Beach’s remarks that September’s jobs data would already have been collected, processed, and drafted.
The senator emphasised the administration had sufficient time to plan for this critical data release.
The Labor Department has already postponed its scheduled release of initial jobless claims on Thursday.
This delay forces analysts to rely on alternative private data sources to assess the US economy.
The next consumer inflation report could also face delays if the shutdown continues through October 15.
Comerica Bank chief economist Bill Adams noted increased difficulty measuring the US labour market without government economic indicators.
Adams expects the shutdown to temporarily slow economic growth with potential long-term effects if workers are permanently laid off. – AFP