With Social Security’s COLA on the line, the Trump administration plans to release inflation data delayed by the shutdown
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is calling some staff back to work to prepare its closely watched inflation gauge, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, despite the government shutdown, a Trump administration official told CNN.
The latest CPI data was previously scheduled for release on October 15. It’s unclear whether the report will still be released next week or delayed amid the shutdown. The Trump official told CNN that the data would be published before November 1, since that is the deadline to publish the annual increase for Social Security payments. The September CPI data is needed to calculate that adjustment.
The BLS has stopped all operations since October 1, when the government’s funding lapsed. Only one employee was assigned to continue working full-time at the bureau throughout the shutdown, according to contingency plans released by the US Department of Labor, which oversees the bureau. This meant that data collection and analysis were effectively halted.
The Trump official told CNN that without the CPI data, the annual increase to Social Security benefits, which takes effect in January, could be impacted. (Social Security benefits continue to be distributed during the shutdown.)
As a result, more staff will be called back into work on an as-needed basis to complete the September CPI report.
Last week, the BLS did not release its monthly jobs report, which usually comes out on the first Friday of every month.
Social Security impact
Beneficiaries receive an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) to help them keep up with inflation. It’s based on an inflation metric from the third quarter of the year, which includes September. Social Security typically unveils the COLA amount shortly after BLS announces the CPI for September.
In its shutdown contingency plan, the Labor Department noted that a delay in the CPI release in October could impact the COLA announcement.
Senior citizens, people with disabilities and others received a 2.5% adjustment for this year, which was lower than the previous two years after a steady decline in inflation in 2024. More than 74 million people receive monthly Social Security payments.
The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when it would release the 2026 COLA.
