DOGE layoffs may have compromised the accuracy of government data

CNN —

The Consumer Price Index is more than just the most widely used inflation gauge and a measurement of Americans’ purchasing power.

Its robust data plays a key role in the US economy’s trajectory as well as monthly mortgage payments, Social Security checks, financial aid packages, business contracts, pay negotiations and curiosity salves for those who wonder what Kevin McCallister’s $19.83 grocery bill in “Home Alone” might cost today.

However, this gold standard piece of economic data has become a little less precise recently: The Bureau of Labor Statistics posted a notice on Wednesday stating that it stopped collecting data in three not-so-small cities (Lincoln, Nebraska; Buffalo, New York; and Provo, Utah) and increased “imputations” for certain items (a statistical techniq