Trump Canceling GDP Report Comes Under Scrutiny

By Alia Shoaib

News Reporter

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The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Monday that it has canceled the release of its advance estimate of third-quarter GDP.

The department said the release was being canceled due to disruption caused by the federal government shutdown, but the announcement has sparked criticism and speculation that the report is being held because of disappointing data.

Newsweek contacted the White House and the BEA via email on Tuesday outside of regular working hours.

Why It Matters

The GDP report becomes the latest government data to be delayed because of the lingering impacts of the federal government shutdown, following other missed releases such as the October jobs report.

The data delays are fueling speculation about the true state of the economy, at a time when President Donald Trump continues to highlight strong growth while concerns over affordability and unemployment persist.

What To Know

The advance estimate for third-quarter GDP, which was originally scheduled for October 30, has no new release date.

The BEA also rescheduled the release of its September inflation data, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics will not release October jobs and Consumer Price Index data because of issues with compiling data.

Critics have speculated that the GDP report is being withheld to conceal weak economic performance.

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"They only do this when it's really good news," Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro wrote on X about the release being canceled.

Democratic Representative Darren Soto said on X: "Trump’s tariff torture: My "advanced estimate" is that the economy is awful."

Edward Dowd, founder of Phinance Technologies and author, speculated on X that the report not being released meant that "the wheels must be coming off the "Golden Economy" bus."

"Nothing says "booming economy" like…canceling the GDP report," social media commentator BrooklynDad_Defiant! wrote on X. "If it were good, they wouldn't hide it. FUN FACT: This is the first time in HISTORY that both the Jobs Report and GDP Report have been canceled at the same time. This trump economy is a BUST."

Another commentator Vince Wilson wrote on X: "First they canceled the jobs report due to the shutdown and now they are canceling the Q3 GDP report…. how bad is our economy that they are hiding the data."

Despite the speculation, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model, which tracks available federal economic data in real time, had suggested that third-quarter growth was likely to be strong.

What People Are Saying

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier this month blamed Democrats for the government shutdown and subsequent data delays, telling reporters: "The Democrats may have permanently damaged the Federal Statistical system with October CPI and jobs reports likely never being released."

"All of that economic data released will be permanently impaired, leaving our policymakers at the Fed flying blind at a critical period," she added.

Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell noted in October that the lack of timely economic data caused by the shutdown could influence the Fed’s policy decisions: "What do you do when you’re driving in the fog? You slow down."