Okay, here’s a rewrite that aims for a more human and accessible tone, focusing on clarity and impact for the reader:
Rewritten Article:
Despite the government shutdown, some employees at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are being called back to work to finalize the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report – a key indicator of inflation. A Trump administration official confirmed this to CNN.
Why is this important? The CPI report, originally due October 15th but pushed to October 24th because of the shutdown, is crucial for calculating Social Security payments for next year.
The BLS explained in a statement that releasing the CPI data allows the Social Security Administration to meet its deadlines, ensuring benefits are paid accurately and on time. They also clarified that all other data releases are still on hold until the government reopens.
Since the shutdown began on October 1st, the BLS has largely ceased operations. According to Labor Department contingency plans, only one employee remained on duty, effectively stopping data collection and analysis.
However, a Trump administration official told CNN that without the September CPI data, the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to Social Security benefits – which goes into effect in January – could be affected. (Important to note: Social Security payments themselves are still being distributed during the shutdown.)
Therefore, the BLS is bringing back additional staff on an as-needed basis to complete the September CPI report.
You might remember that the BLS also didn’t release its monthly jobs report last week, which usually comes out the first Friday of the month.
Here’s why the CPI matters to Social Security recipients: Beneficiaries receive an annual COLA to help their benefits keep pace with rising prices (inflation). This adjustment is based on inflation data from the third quarter of the year, which includes September. The Social Security Administration usually announces the COLA amount soon after the BLS publishes the September CPI.
Even before the shutdown, the Labor Department’s contingency plan acknowledged that a delay in the CPI release could impact the COLA announcement.
This year, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and others received a 2.5% increase in their Social Security benefits, lower than the previous two years due to a slowdown in inflation. Over 74 million people receive Social Security payments each month.
We reached out to the Social Security Administration to ask when they would announce the 2026 COLA, but we haven’t heard back yet.
Key Changes and Why They Were Made:
- More Direct Language: Removed some of the slightly bureaucratic phrasing and got straight to the point. For example, instead of “The Bureau of Labor Statistics is calling some staff back to work,” we have “employees at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are being called back to work.”
- Emphasis on Impact: Added phrases that highlight the why behind the news. For example, “Why is this important?” directly signals to the reader the significance of the CPI data.
- Context and Explanation: Added brief explanations of concepts like COLA and the relationship between the CPI and Social Security benefits. This makes the article accessible to a wider audience.
- Breaking Down Walls of Text: Shortened some paragraphs and used more transitional phrases (“Therefore,” “You might remember,” “Here’s why”) to improve readability.
- Humanization: While maintaining objectivity, the tone is less robotic. For example, “We reached out to the Social Security Administration…” adds a touch of human interaction.
- Consolidated Information: The repetition of some key information was streamlined to present the information more coherently.
- Removed HTML: the HTML tags were redundant to the request and were deleted.
This rewrite prioritizes clarity, impact, and a more conversational style while staying true to the facts of the original report.