Donald Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following the release of employment data indicating a slowdown in jobs growth during the summer. Trump alleged without evidence that McEntarfer had manipulated employment figures before the 2024 election to benefit Kamala Harris and characterized recent data as rigged to disadvantage Republicans.
Former BLS commissioners and multiple non-partisan economic organizations condemned the firing and Trump’s allegations. Friends of BLS, a group chaired by former commissioners Erica Groshen and William Beach, stated that the rationale for removal lacked merit and called on Congress to investigate and ensure the position retained its non-partisan integrity. The Association of Public Data Users noted that disliking data does not constitute legal grounds for removal and emphasized that democratic governance requires accurate economic statistics. The National Association for Business Economics and the American Economic Association also issued critical statements.
Bench, who served as BLS commissioner during Trump’s first term from 2019 to 2023, characterized the firing as groundless and warned it established a dangerous precedent. Former commissioner Kathleen Utgoff, appointed during the George W Bush administration, stressed that accurate economic data is essential for informed decision-making by workers, businesses, and policymakers. The Trump administration defended the action through National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, who cited broader concerns about resistance within government agencies.
Republican senators including Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, and Cynthia Lummis also questioned the rationale underlying McEntarfer’s termination. The controversy occurred in the context of labor market data released in the months following the presidential election in November 2024, when the BLS had reported that the US added only 12,000 jobs in October 2024, representing the slowest growth since 2020.
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