If the U.S. government shutdown leads to a latency in the September employment report, the interest rate meeting will face a data gap.

On September 27, according to the operational contingency plan released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Labor, if the federal government shuts down, the September employment report originally scheduled for release next Friday will face latency. The specific impact of the government shutdown is still unclear, as most government agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics responsible for compiling the monthly employment report, have not publicly updated their contingency plans—these agencies will operate based on the contingency plan if Congress fails to pass the spending bill by next Tuesday. A plan updated by the Department of Labor in March last year indicated that once a shutdown occurs, all data collection activities and planned data releases will be suspended. If the government shutdown continues and the Bureau of Labor Statistics delays data release, it will lead to the Fed missing several key employment and inflation economic data ahead of its next policy meeting on October 28-29, which will undoubtedly increase the risks in policy-making. ( Jin10 )