Advocates warn that the government shutdown imperils the Education Department’s data functions and ongoing discussions about the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Public comments on proposed reforms were due Oct. 15, but a shutdown has locked those submissions and delayed stakeholder review. Experts caution that moving statistical units like NCES out of Education could fragment data systems that currently merge IPEDS, student‑loan records and other sources to produce tools such as the College Scorecard. Diane Cheng of the Institute for Higher Education Policy warned that splitting datasets across agencies would create bureaucratic hurdles for combined analyses and degrade the utility of federal higher‑education metrics. Policymakers and institutions tracking enrollment, outcomes and aid should expect short‑term interruptions and heightened risk to longitudinal research until the department’s operations resume.