Trump dismissed an economist who previously enjoyed backing from both political parties
Erika McEntarfer, a seasoned labor economist with a strong background in government service, was appointed as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in January 2024, following a bipartisan 86-8 Senate vote. Her tenure, however, was marked by both operational challenges and political controversy.
McEntarfer's role as commissioner was primarily about managing and overseeing the agency of more than 2,000 nonpartisan staff members. She had previously worked at the Census Bureau, Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy, and the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Notable supporters of her confirmation included Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Under McEntarfer, BLS produced influential monthly "jobs reports" widely used by policymakers and businesses. However, there were significant revisions to earlier jobs data, such as the May and June 2024 reports being revised downward by 258,000 jobs combined. This, some critics argue, may have misled economic policy, including Federal Reserve actions.
The BLS also faced data collection difficulties due to resource constraints, with nearly 20% of July 2025 inflation data missing. These operational challenges were met with political controversy when McEntarfer was abruptly fired by former President Trump in August 2025, shortly after a weak July jobs report. Trump called the data "rigged" without offering any evidence.
Some conservative commentators and entities accused McEntarfer and the BLS under her leadership of consistent inaccuracies and overly optimistic job numbers that were later revised downward. Conversely, independent reviews, such as a 2024 Department of Labor inquiry involving experts familiar with BLS procedures, found isolated human errors but no evidence of systemic data quality or integrity problems under her watch.
The firing of McEntarfer was unprecedented—no previous BLS commissioner had been removed in this manner. A group called the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consisting of former commissioners from both Democratic and Republican administrations, denounced Trump's decision. William Beach, McEntarfer's predecessor, who is a member of the Friends group, was appointed by Trump during his first term.
Following McEntarfer's firing, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, as the acting commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It wasn't clear what McEntarfer would do next, as she hasn't publicly commented on her firing.
The process of obtaining the numbers is decentralized by design to avoid opportunities for interference. McEntarfer graduated from Bard College with a bachelor's degree in social sciences and obtained a doctorate in economics at Virginia Tech. Despite the controversies surrounding her tenure, McEntarfer was noted for her candour and commitment to producing honest statistics despite underfunding and resource challenges.
The impact of McEntarfer's career as BLS Commissioner remains significant, as BLS under her leadership critically reported on national economic data, even as it faced resource constraints and political pressure.
- Erika McEntarfer's tenure as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was marked by both operational challenges and political controversy, with some critics arguing that revisions to earlier jobs data may have misled economic policy, including Federal Reserve actions.
- The firing of Erika McEntarfer by former President Trump was unprecedented, as no previous BLS commissioner had been removed in this manner, and was met with criticism from a group called the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consisting of former commissioners from both Democratic and Republican administrations.
