Dive Brief:

• There was no August data disclosed on U.S. construction spending Monday as Census Bureau workers went home and the agency website went down because of the federal government shutdown.
• Associated General Contractors of America normally analyzes the data release, which would have been for August, and reports on what is happening in all parts of the construction industry.
• "It is hard to get a sense of where the industry is heading when basic construction spending data isn't available," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist.

Dive Insight:

Simonson observed that another ill effect of the shutdown of the government because of a budget fight in Congress is likely to be federal spending on construction.New projects cannot be moved along, and federal supervisors are unavailable to oversee ongoing projects or approve change orders. Road projects should be OK, however, AGC said because the Federal Highway Administration is funded through the Highway Trust Fund, not the regular budget that is in limbo now.