Internet reported that Federal Reserve Chairman Powell said on Wednesday that budget cuts have limited some economic data from federal agencies, but have not yet affected the Fed's ability to fully measure the strength and direction of the U.S. economy, but the trend of declining data availability is worrying. "(I) don't want anyone to think that the data has deteriorated to the point where it's difficult for us to understand the economy," Powell said in response to a question from a senator while appearing before the Senate Banking Committee."It's not perfect, but the direction it's going is worrying."