Data Blackout Continues As 34-Day Shutdown Ties For The Longest In History
At 34 days, this government shutdown is now tied as the longest in U.S. history.
This year’s shutdown affects all government agencies and statistical services, whereas previous shutdowns were only partial since some agencies were funded by Congress.
Several key economic reports have been delayed by the shutdown, including the jobs report, inflation data and retail sales report.
It’s a government shutdown like no other.
It's the 34th day of the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, tying it with the longest-ever government shutdown that took place in 2018. That shutdown also lasted 34 days, but wasn’t a full government work stoppage like this one, since some government agencies were funded through congressional appropriations before that shutdown began. Before that, there was a partial shutdown in 1995 that went for 21 days.
The shutdown has halted the flow of key economic data from the government that's used by economists, policymakers and businesses to make critical decisions. Reports from statistical agencies like the Census Bureau, Department of Labor, and Department of Agriculture are all on hold because they lack the staffing to administer the surveys and data collection.
The U.S. government shutdown presents another significant threat to the economy alongside headwinds from tariffs, immigration and inflation. The longer investors and officials go without key economic data, the greater the risk of making mistakes based on outdated or imperfect information.
So far, the shutdown has delayed October releases on U.S. employment levels, retail sales and new home sales. It’s also likely to delay another release of the U.S. jobs report, which was originally scheduled for Friday.
The current shutdown is poised to continue for days or even weeks, according to betting market Polymarket. The prediction market found that 63% of respondents expect the standoff to continue until Nov. 15, while only 14% expect it to be over by this Friday.
Here’s a list of all the government reports that have been delayed by the shutdown.
Data Drought: The list of unreleased government reports grows longer as the showdown drags on.
Date
Report
Statistical Agency
Oct. 1
Construction Spending
Census Bureau
Oct. 1
Grain Crushings
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 1
Fats and Oils
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 2
Motor Vehicle Sales
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct. 2
Export Sales
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 2
Weekly Jobless Claims
Department of Labor
Oct. 2
Factory Orders
Census Bureau
Oct. 3
Employment Situation
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct. 6
Crop Progress
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 7
International Trade in Goods and Services
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct. 8
Business Formation
Census Bureau
Oct. 9
Weekly Jobless Claims
Department of Labor
Oct. 9
Export Sales
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 9
Wholesale Sales and Inventories (Preliminary)
Census Bureau
Oct. 9
Supply/Demand (agricultural products)
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 9
Crop Production
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 14
Crop Progress
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 15
Real Earnings
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct. 16
Weekly Jobless Claims
Department of Labor
Oct. 16
Producer Price Index
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct. 16
Retail Sales
Census Bureau
Oct. 17
Export Sales
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 17
Import and Export Prices
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct. 17
Housing Starts
Census Bureau
Oct. 17
Industrial Production
Federal Reserve
Oct. 17
Treasury International Capital
Treasury Department
Oct. 20
Crop Progress
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 23
Weekly jobless claims
Department of Labor
Oct. 23
Export sales
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 24
Cattle on feed
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 24
Cold storage
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 24
New home sales
Census Bureau
Oct. 27
Durable-goods orders
Census Bureau
Oct. 27
Crop progress
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 29
Advanced U.S. trade Balance in Goods
Census Bureau
Oct. 29
Advanced Retail Inventories
Census Bureau
Oct. 29
Advanced Wholesale Inventories
Census Bureau
Oct. 30
Weekly Jobless Claims
Department of Labor
Oct. 30
Q3 Gross Domestic Product
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct. 30
Export Sales
Department of Agriculture
Oct. 31
Personal Consumption Expenditure Index
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct. 31
Q3 Employment Cost Index
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct. 31
Farm Prices
Department of Agriculture
Nov. 3
Construction Spending
Census Bureau
Nov. 3
Export Inspections
Department of Agriculture
Nov. 3
Crop Progress
Department of Agriculture
Nov. 3
Grain Crushings
Department of Agriculture
Nov. 3
Fats and Oils
Department of Agriculture
Nov. 4
Trade Balance
Census Bureau
Nov. 4
Factory Orders
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Nov. 4
Job Openings
Bureau of Labor Statistics
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