Former commissioners of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and non-partisan economic groups have condemned Donald Trump's decision to fire BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer. The dismissal came after the July jobs report showed stalled job growth, which Trump baselessly claimed was 'rigged' to harm his 2024 election prospects.
The Trump administration has repeated the allegations, with National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett claiming that 'all over the US government, there have been people who have been resisting Trump everywhere they can'. Friends of BLS, a group chaired by former commissioners Erica Groshen and William Beach, called on Congress to investigate and ensure the nonpartisan integrity of the position.
In a statement, Friends of BLS said: 'This rationale for firing Dr McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics.' The Association of Public Data Users, the National Association for Business Economics, and the American Economic Association also criticised the firing, noting that 'disliking the data is not a qualifying reason to remove the BLS Commissioner'.
Former BLS commissioner Kathleen Utgoff, who served under George W. Bush, said: 'A functioning democracy requires accurate data so that workers, businesses, politicians and voters can make good decisions.' Republican senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, and Cynthia Lummis have also questioned the rationale behind the firing.
