The ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, requested information from the Department of Commerce and Bureau of Economic Analysis on recent changes to inflation measurement and federal statistical methods. The letter seeks details on the rationale and decision-making process, including whether key experts were consulted, and requests responses by Aug. 20, 2026. The Bureau of Economic Analysis changed its methodology for calculating parts of the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, including categories covering portfolio management, legal services, and computer software and accessories. Economists cited in the letter estimate the changes could reduce reported inflation. The letter also questions Commerce’s decision to bar federal statistical agencies from using noise infusion to protect privacy in local data and instead require coarsening, which produces less detailed estimates or may result in no data.
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs2026-08-06
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ranking member seeks explanations for inflation and statistical methodology changes
The ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs requested explanations for recent changes to the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index and federal statistical privacy methods. The Department of Commerce and Bureau of Economic Analysis were asked to detail the rationale, process and expert consultation behind the changes by Aug. 20, 2026.