Ten days running is my tally of hearing some variation of the same uneasy question: “Will we be able to trust the numbers coming out of Washington?”

And these aren't conspiracy theorists or online agitators. They are fellow economists, investors, and business leaders. You know… sensible, data-driven people… who built careers on the assumption that official statistics were, if not perfect, at least honest.

Now that trust is starting to fray.

When government-reported metrics like inflation, GDP, or unemployment begin to sound too clean, too convenient, or too contradictory, the impact goes beyond economic modeling. The unease spills into boardrooms and newsrooms. Financial forecasts lose their foundation. People begin to wonder not just what the economy is doing, but whether they can believe anything they’re being told.

I’ve felt that uncertainty myself. And I’ve heard it in the voices of colleagues, clients, and friends. There is concern, frustration, and a fear that something foundational is slipping away.

But here’s what I say in return: Don’t despair.