34-Day Shutdown Now Ties The Longest In History. And There’s No Official Economic Data In Sight

It’s a government shutdown like no other.

It’s the 34th day of the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, tying it with the longest-ever government shutdown that took place in 2018. That shutdown also lasted 34 days, but wasn’t a full government work stoppage like this one, since some government agencies were funded through congressional appropriations before that shutdown began. Before that, there was a partial shutdown in 1995 that went for 21 days.

The shutdown has halted the flow of key economic data from the government that’s used by economists, policymakers and businesses to make critical decisions. Reports from statistical agencies like the Census Bureau, Department of Labor, and Department of Agriculture are all on hold because they lack the staffing to administer the surveys and data collection.

So far, the shutdown has delayed October releases on U.S. employment levels, retail sales and new home sales. It’s also likely to delay another release of the U.S. jobs report, which was originally scheduled for Friday.

The current shutdown is poised to continue for days or even weeks, according to betting market Polymarket. The prediction market found that 63% of respondents expect the standoff to continue until Nov. 15, while only 14% expect it to be over by this Friday.

Here’s a list of all the government reports that have been delayed by the shutdown.