SABEW, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, is raising alarm over troubling signs of deterioration in the quality and timeliness of work by federal statistical agencies.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the American Statistical Association, reports on delays in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Trade Outlook report for May. A Department of Education annual report on the Condition of Education was delayed and incomplete, according to Wasserstein. Both reports are required by statute.
Reporting by Molly Smith at Bloomberg News raises questions about proposed additional budget cuts to the Bureau of Labor Statistics “further compounding concerns about the quality and quantity of data produced about the U.S. economy.” She notes that BLS has already reduced the scope of its consumer price index surveys due to staffing shortages. The Wall Street Journal cites rising concerns among economists about the quality of inflation data.
Trump Administration policies are adding to uncertainty about economic conditions now and in the future. “This is no time to be delaying reports or reducing staff at the agencies tasked with keeping the public informed,” said Henry Dubroff, chair of the SABEW First Amendment Committee.
SABEW’s First Amendment Committee will be tracking these and other developments as the budget debate continues and as statistical agencies continue to face cuts. Having accurate, timely, reliable data is a necessary ingredient for sound decision making by businesses, investors and consumers.
SABEW is the largest association of business journalists. The nonprofit organization advocates for the protection of the First Amendment and a free press.
