The Bureau of Labor Statistics would stop operating in the event of a government shutdown — all active data collection would cease, the Department of Labor, which oversees the BLS, said Monday in a release.

Why it matters: That could delay some important reports, like the monthly unemployment numbers and, notably, a crucial October release used to establish the raises America's seniors get on their monthly Social Security checks.

How it works: The monthly Consumer Price Index, a gauge of inflation, is used to calculate the annual COLA, or cost of living adjustment, that the more than 72.5 million recipients of Social Security and Disability Insurance get each year. • The COLA is based on the change in CPI for wage earners — from the third quarter of 2024 through the third quarter of 20

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