As Washington’s partisan standoff deepens, the Labor Department is preparing for a potential halt in economic data if there is a partial government shutdown .

The timing is especially sensitive. This week, the department is scheduled to release several closely watched reports that will offer important clues about the economy and inform Federal Reserve policymakers before its October meeting.

In a 73-page contingency plan , the department said that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will "suspend all operations."

"Economic data that are scheduled to be released during the lapse will not be released," the plan reads.

In a typical month, the agency publishes close to a dozen reports covering areas such as import and export prices, wages and other measures tied to the nation's ec

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