The federal government is facing yet another threat of a partial shutdown this month and because of the failure of Congress to appropriate funding, the vital flow of economic data to the press and public remains under threat.
The statistical reports generated by federal agencies are vitally important for individuals, households, businesses, state and local officials, and central bankers to make a range of decisions. The world’s largest economy should not have to endure a disruption in this flow of data over partisan games. That is why the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) calls on members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to fully fund the federal government and avoid another counterproductive interruption of this data flow.
The monthly employment report, weekly jobless claims, the Consumer Price Index and others show up in regular news coverage and then become part of the widely reported analysis that drives financial markets and the decision-making process on a global scale.
“Helping citizens to have continued visibility on and access to statistical releases allows them to maintain focus on how the economy is doing including its complicated nuances. This helps them plan and make informed financial decisions. Taxpayers and all other stakeholders in the U.S. economy deserve nothing less which, in a perfect world, should be obvious to elected officials,” wrote Bankrate.com Washington Bureau Chief and former SABEW President Mark Hamrick, via email.
It is one thing for the legislative branch of the government to be dysfunctional. It is another to inflict dysfunctionality on the rest of the nation and the global financial markets by failing to act responsibly.