Chavez-Deremer: Sept Jobs Number to Be Out as Soon as Gov Opens

Chavez-Deremer: Sept Jobs Number to Be Out as Soon as Gov Opens

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, has pushed for the release of the September jobs report despite the ongoing government shutdown. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been virtually shut down due to the lack of government funding, but the data for the September jobs report has already been collected and processed. Sen. Warren, along with other lawmakers, has sent letters to the White House and the acting BLS chief, William Wiatrowski, urging the release of the report .

The White House, however, has remained unmoved. White House spokesperson Kush Desai argued that the shutdown is not a cause for concern and that the jobs data is not critical at this time. However, a delay in the report could inject further uncertainty into the U.S. economy, at least for a brief period .

The BLS is tasked with publishing several important economic indicators, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Producer Price Index, and the Import/Export Price indexes for trade. If the shutdown continues into October, it could imperil the timely release of these reports as well .

The BLS has faced scrutiny since Trump fired its previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer. The White House recently withdrew its nomination of conservative economist E.J. Antoni to be the next BLS chief after he failed to attract enough support in the Senate .