The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday that it would not publish its closely watched September jobs report. The ongoing federal government shutdown forced the agency to furlough staff and suspend data collection and release.

The September employment situation report was scheduled for release at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday, October 2. Congress failed to pass appropriations before the fiscal year began on October 1, triggering a lapse in funding that halted operations across non-essential federal agencies, including statistical bureaus.

The delay deprived investors, the Federal Reserve, and policymakers of a key gauge of the labor market ahead of the central bank's next policy meeting. A Labor Department spokesperson said the report would be rescheduled once funding was restored, with no firm date given. Private measures such as the ADP National Employment Report remained available.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer continued to trade blame over the impasse, with Democrats demanding health subsidy extensions and Republicans pressing a stopgap measure. The White House Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to implement shutdown contingency plans.

Economists at Goldman Sachs and the Peterson Institute warned that a prolonged shutdown would leave the Federal Reserve navigating its October meeting with incomplete data, complicating decisions on interest rates amid uncertainty over the health of hiring.