WASHINGTON, D.C. — At the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP), our mission is to provide the clearest, most honest picture of the economic reality facing everyday Americans by developing alternative indicators of economic well-being. These indicators rely, in part, on data collected by federal statistical agencies — the backbone of credible economic analysis.

The ongoing government shutdown has halted the release and reporting of this data, disrupting the essential flow of information that guides policymakers, businesses, and households alike. As a result, LISEP must postpone two October reports that depend on the release of the Current Population Survey (CPS) public-use microdata files: the September True Rate of Unemployment (TRU) and the quarterly True Weekly Earnings (TWE).

Beyond these reports, the shutdown is also delaying several key data releases that feed into LISEP’s other indicators, including the True Living Cost (TLC) and the Minimal Quality of Life (MQL) indexes

‍TRU & TWE

The CPS public-use microdata file for September — originally scheduled for release the week following the unemployment report — has been delayed. It remains unclear whether the Census Bureau, which conducts monthly household interviews during the week including the 19th, will collect CPS data for October if the shutdown continues.

‍TLC & MQL

‍The 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year public-use microdata sample, originally scheduled for October 16, is delayed. This dataset informs population weights for LISEP’s cost-of-living metrics. The Census Bureau’s contingency plan  specifies that ACS data collection would be discontinued during a shutdown, which may affect future releases.

The 2024 Consumer Expenditure (CE) Survey public-use microdata file, originally scheduled for release on September 23 and later postponed to October 30, is also at risk of further delay. LISEP uses CE data to calculate costs of miscellaneous and technological goods in the TLC, as well as categories such as food away from home, travel, and toys for the MQL. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics ceasing operations during the shutdown, this delay is likely to extend further.

Accurate, timely data collection and releases by these statistical agencies are essential functions of effective government. When this work stops, the nation is left to navigate in a dangerous data vacuum.

LISEP’s TRU, TWE, TLC, and MQL reports will remain delayed until the government shutdown ends and normal operations resume.

As LISEP Founder and Chairman Gene Ludwig emphasized, “You can’t steer the economy with a blindfold on. When the flow of objective economic data stops, policymakers lose sight of what’s really happening to American workers and families, and that’s dangerous.”

This situation underscores a central argument put forth by Ludwig in his new book, The Mismeasurement of America: the health of the U.S. economy cannot be properly understood, nor can effective policy be shaped, when indicators are flawed, incomplete, or—as in this case—entirely absent.

LISEP urges Congress to swiftly restore funding to these essential agencies and ensure that the collection of objective economic data remains a core, uninterrupted function of government.