President Donald Trump ordered the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday. The move comes just hours after a government jobs report revealed a significant slowdown in hiring over the previous three months.
Trump accuses McEntarfer of manipulating data
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Biden appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, of faking job report numbers.
“This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said in the social media post.
Hiring numbers fall short in July
The BLS reported Friday that the U.S. economy created 73,000 new jobs, well below economists’ estimates, for July. Analysts were expecting a much higher number.
The BLS reviewed the job data for May and June and found that they had overestimated the number of jobs added during those months by more than 200,000.
“She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes,” Trump added in his Truth Social post.
Economic data advocates respond
Friends of the BLS, an organization made up of groups that support the BLS mission, funding, and work of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released a statement denouncing McEntarfer’s firing.
“This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers. U.S. official statistics are the gold standard globally. When leaders of other nations have politicized economic data, it has destroyed public trust in all official statistics and in government science,” the statement read in part.
A bureau official told the New York Times that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as acting commissioner.
