Warren, Sanders, Cantwell, Peters Call for Administration to Release Critical Economic Data and Stop Keeping Public, Fed in the Dark About U.S. Economy

Warren, Sanders, Cantwell, Peters Call for Administration to Release Critical Economic Data and Stop Keeping Public, Fed in the Dark About U.S. Economy

"Any failure by the Trump Administration to release delayed data could have disastrous consequences for our economy as Americans struggle to afford groceries, housing, and daily living expenses."

"The Administration must release as much economic data as possible before the Fed's meeting and resume normally scheduled data releases as soon as possible."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, called on the Trump Administration to release as much economic data as possible before the Fed's meeting in early December and resume normally scheduled data releases as soon as possible.

"In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to release September jobs data," wrote the Senators. "Then, on November 12, 2025, the White House announced it would not release October's jobs data or CPI numbers - a decision made while most agency staff with data expertise remained on furlough, unable to evaluate existing datasets or identify gaps…. The Administration has blamed these delays and cancellations on the government shutdown."

The Senators questioned the Administration's use of the government shutdown as a justification for delaying and cancelling data releases: "Instead, it appears that the Trump Administration may be intentionally restricting the release of data. According to former Trump-appointed BLS Commissioner Bill Beach, for example, the September jobs data was 'likely written in final draft' before the government shutdown. Yet the Administration refused to release this data."

They also described the importance of this federal economic data to the U.S. economy: "This data is critical for American businesses and policymakers, including the Federal Reserve (Fed), which will rely on this data as it considers interest rate cuts on December 9 and 10, 2025. Any failure by the Trump Administration to release delayed data could have disastrous consequences for our economy as Americans struggle to afford groceries, housing, and daily living expenses."

The Senators continued: "The Administration must release as much economic data as possible before the Fed's meeting and resume normally scheduled data releases as soon as possible. Furthermore, it must clarify to the public which data were and were not collected during the shutdown, as well as provide a detailed explanation for any decision made to discontinue collection, halt processing, or cancel completely any data that was delayed due to the government shutdown."

The Senators concluded by requesting answers to their questions on the Administration's plans to address the economic data delays no later than December 1, 2025. During the government shutdown, Director Vought failed to respond to two letters from Ranking Member Warren requesting that he release the September jobs data and ensure that any additional data postponed because of the shutdown be processed and made public.

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