Donald Trump’s removal of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer has drawn widespread criticism from former agency leaders, nonpartisan economic organizations, and some Republican senators. Trump asserted without evidence that McEntarfer falsified employment data to assist Kamala Harris during the 2024 election and claimed the recent jobs report was manipulated to reflect negatively on his administration and Republican candidates.
Former commissioners from both parties, including Erica Groshen, who served under President Obama, and William Beach, Trump’s appointee during his first term, issued a joint statement condemning the termination. Beach, who served as commissioner from 2019 to 2023, called the firing “totally groundless” and warned it establishes a dangerous precedent. An organization called Friends of BLS, which both Groshen and Beach chair, declared that the rationale for removing McEntarfer “is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making.”
Multiple professional and academic economic organizations have similarly opposed the firing. The Association of Public Data Users emphasized that under federal law, disapproving of data is not a valid justification for removing a commissioner from a four-year term, and characterized the dismissal as incompatible with democratic principles when applied to officials publishing data collected according to scientific standards. The National Association for Business Economics and the American Economic Association also registered their opposition.
Former BLS Commissioner Kathleen Utgoff, who was appointed during the George W. Bush administration, emphasized that accurate economic data is essential for sound decision-making by workers, businesses, and policymakers. Meanwhile, Trump’s National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett has defended the action by claiming government-wide resistance to the administration’s agenda.
Republican senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, and Cynthia Lummis have also questioned the justification for McEntarfer’s removal. The timing followed the release of employment data showing labor market deceleration during summer months.
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