Trump chose to dismiss a scarcely recognized statistician, leading to speculation about manipulation of government data, fueling conspiracy theories.
President Donald Trump has fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), following the release of a July jobs report showing weaker-than-expected hiring and downward revisions to previous months' numbers. Trump, without providing evidence, accused McEntarfer of manipulating the data to make him and Republicans look bad, calling the jobs figures "rigged" on his social media platform.
The BLS jobs data are highly respected and considered a "gold standard" of economic measurement globally, with a long-standing reputation for being free from political bias. The monthly figures are based on extensive surveys of about 200,000 business locations, and the data undergo revisions as new information comes in—a normal process recognized by economists.
The firing of McEntarfer, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, has caused controversy for several reasons. Lack of evidence for Trump's allegations, political interference in an independent agency, and impact on trust in U.S. government economic data are among the concerns raised by economic experts and former BLS officials.
William Beach, a former BLS commissioner appointed by Trump himself, called the claim "preposterous," while former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said firing McEntarfer was an extreme move "beyond anything that Richard Nixon ever did." Analysts warned that firing the BLS chief over unfavorable job numbers undermines confidence in U.S. government economic data, which people rely on for financial and policy decisions.
Trump's economic advisers defended the firing, claiming they want transparency and reliability in the jobs data. However, they declined to present evidence that the numbers were rigged. They suggested partisan influences might explain the weak data, though concrete proof was lacking.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis expressed concern that if the president is firing the statistician because he doesn't like the numbers but they are accurate, it would be a problem. Trump's decision to dismiss McEntarfer drew immediate condemnation from economists of all stripes.
McEntarfer has spent decades as a government statistician, working at the Census Bureau and across the bureaucracy. Her goal was to modernize the official statistics for the 21st century and to try and get them on a sustainable path for the future. In her January speech in Atlanta, she acknowledged growing challenges in compiling the monthly jobs report due to a decreasing response rate to surveys from employers and employees.
The new commissioner, whoever they may be, will face scrutiny during their confirmation process in the Senate. They will be tasked with modernizing the bureau's methods and restoring trust in the BLS's data. The controversy surrounding McEntarfer's dismissal reflects an extraordinary assertion of presidential power over a key independent statistical agency amid politically sensitive economic data.
- The controversy surrounding the firing of Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), has raised concerns about political interference in an independent agency, particularly in the context of policy-and-legislation and general news.
- Analysts have warned that firing the BLS chief over unfavorable job numbers could have a detrimental impact on trust in U.S. government economic data, which is crucial for financial and policy decisions, including sports-betting and crime-and-justice.
- The new commissioner, who will be tasked with modernizing the bureau's methods and restoring trust in the BLS's data, will likely face scrutiny not only from economists but also from politicians and the public, given the recent events and the BLS jobs data's global standing as a "gold standard" in economic measurement.
