The Number You Cannot Audit: Federal Statistics Under Pressure

The Warsh hearing on Monday will use economic data produced by agencies that have been systematically defunded. The measurement instruments the Fed depends on are degrading at the exact moment monetary policy decisions are most consequential. That question is not on the agenda.

A government-issue measurement instrument — a calibration gauge or dial — that appears intact but shows a subtle, uncorrectable malfunction: needle stuck mid-reading, scale markings worn away
Original art by Felix Baron, Creative Director, Offworld News. AI-generated image.