The Bureau of Labor Statistics is calling back a limited number of workers to help release consumer price data for September, despite the federal government shutdown, according to an administration source familiar with the plan.
It isn’t clear when the Consumer Price Index report, originally scheduled for Oct. 15, will ultimately be released. But it will almost certainly be in time for the Federal Reserve’s next meeting at the end of the month.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has stopped all operations during the lapse in funding, leaving economists and policymakers without key data at a critical moment for the economy. The shutdown already delayed the release of the closely watched monthly jobs report last week.
The inflation report was expected to be the next casualty before the statistical agency began calling back some employees back to work to produce the report.
The decision to release the data appears to be tied to the annual process of adjusting Social Security benefits to account for changes in the cost of living. That adjustment is based on inflation data from the third quarter, so any delay in the September price data could delay the announcement of the adjustment.
The raw price data used in the report has already been collected but must still be processed and analyzed. Employees called back to work include economists and information technology specialists, according to the administration source. Data collection will remain suspended, which could lead to a delay in the following month’s C.P.I. report.
Federal agencies have designated tens of thousands of workers as “essential,” meaning they must continue to work during the shutdown — although they will not be paid until funding is restored.
In a contingency plan published last month, the Department of Labor indicated that the Bureau of Labor Statistics would suspend all operations — including regularly scheduled data releases — during the lapse in funding and would not release economic data. Only one B.L.S. employee, the acting commissioner, was initially expected to continue working.
It isn’t clear what led the administration to adjust that plan. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The statistical agency is currently led by William J. Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, who took over on an acting basis after President Trump fired its Senate-confirmed commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, in August. Mr. Trump initially selected E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist, to take over the agency, but withdrew the nomination last month after it faced bipartisan criticism.
Tony Romm contributed reporting.
Ben Casselman is the chief economics correspondent for The Times. He has reported on the economy for nearly 20 years.
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