Economic data is the backbone of policymaking. It informs decisions at the highest levels—from the Federal Reserve setting interest rates to Congress crafting fiscal policies and local governments addressing housing crises. But what happens when the data is flawed? Time and again, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) have demonstrated an alarming incapacity to deliver reliable numbers. These failures have led to catastrophic consequences, from the 2008 financial crisis to the chaotic missteps during the pandemic. It is not a matter of insufficient funding, as Democrats claim; it is a matter of outdated methods and institutional inertia. This is precisely why President-Elect Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, must prioritize reforming these agencies. They are wasting billions and costing the economy trillions. If America’s leaders are flying blind, it’s because the instruments guiding them are woefully inaccurate, and DOGE’s mandate to overhaul inefficiency has never been more critical.

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