If the US government shuts down, the Federal Reserve will face a data gap in its interest rate meeting

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's operational contingency plan released earlier this year, the September employment report, originally scheduled for release next Friday, will face delays if a federal government shutdown occurs. The exact scope of the shutdown's impact is currently unclear because most government agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the monthly employment report, have not yet publicly updated their contingency plans—these agencies will operate under these contingency plans if Congress fails to pass a spending bill by next Tuesday. A plan updated by the Department of Labor in March of last year stated that in the event of a shutdown, all data collection and scheduled data releases would be suspended. If the government shutdown continues and the Bureau of Labor Statistics data is delayed, the Federal Reserve will miss several key employment and inflation economic data before its next policy meeting on October 28-29, which will undoubtedly increase the risks of policy making. (Jinshi)