BLS Commissioner Removal Raises Concerns

August 5, 2025|News & Headlines

President Trump’s recent removal of the head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) following the release of an alarming job growth report has raised concerns about the accuracy of federal statistics going forward. Trump defended his move in a CNBC interview, claiming that the data was “rigged” to make him look bad, although he provided no evidence of that.

Former BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer was appointed by President Joe Biden and received broad bipartisan support during her Senate confirmation.

The jobs report that cost McEntarfer her position showed hiring was weak in July and nearly stagnant in May and June, following a rollout of tariffs by Trump. The monthly jobs report is considered one of the most important measures of the US economy. This one reignited fears of a possible recession up ahead.

William Beach, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics during Trump’s first term, criticized McEntarfer’s firing, noting that commissioners have little influence over the jobs numbers that are delivered to them.

“The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau,” Beach wrote on X.

The BLS is generally considered to be a nonpolitical agency staffed mainly by data experts. The only political appointee is the commissioner, who doesn’t see the data until it’s finalized, two days before it is issued to the public.

A federal employees’ group, Stop DOL Cuts Coalition¹, also expressed disapproval of Trump’s action. “BLS is an autonomous, nonpartisan agency that must not be politicized: American businesses and our entire economy depend on it. The purpose of this move is obvious: to seek to replace a dedicated civil servant committed to transparency and good data with a partisan loyalist appointee who will try to cook the books.”

The group demanded that Dr. McEntarfer be reinstated.

Kevin Hassett, Trump’s National Economic Council director, defended Trump’s decision and said it is the president’s highest priority “that the data be trusted.”