The White House announced on Friday that inflation data will likely not be released next month because of the US government shutdown.

Because of Congress’s failure to pass a temporary funding bill, “researchers cannot grow in the field, depriving us of critical evidence,” the White House said in its official account on X. “The financial consequences could be devastating.”

According to Reuters, if the October inflation data is not released, it will be the first time in US history that this has happened.

White House spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt said in a post on X:

“Inflation was lower than market expectations in September, thanks to President Trump’s economic plan.

This is good news for American households, and it’s a shame that Democrats are using it as “leverage” to fund health care for illegal immigrants.

“The Democrats’ decision to keep the government closed will likely result in the October inflation report not being released, which will cause disruption to businesses, markets, households and the Federal Reserve.”