Shutdown Could Leave Economists Flying Blind

US lawmakers are careening toward a shutdown of the federal government that could deprive policymakers, business leaders and investors of critical data needed to assess the state of the economy. Many federal operations will pause and nonessential employees will be furloughed or fired if lawmakers can’t reach an agreement by the time the current fiscal year ends on Tuesday.

Democrats have balked at a proposed GOP deal and are instead looking to unwind some of the massive cuts to healthcare on the way as a result of Republican policies. In a rare moment of leverage, Democrats are demanding a permanent extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits to middle-class families, to avoid a premium spike on Jan. 1, and a repeal of Medicaid cuts under Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spend bill. Democrats also want to reverse cuts to medical research and block the president from rescinding Congressionally enacted appropriations, the latter being something that until recently was seen as largely guaranteed by the Constitution.