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The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump firing of labor statistics chief ‘undermines credibility', ex-leaders say
The former Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioners and non-partisan economic groups have criticized Donald Trump's shock firing of BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the July jobs report data revealed jobs growth stalled this summer. Trump, without any evidence to back his claims, alleged McEntarfer 'faked' employment numbers in the run-up to the 2024 election to boost Kamala Harris's chances and said that the recent data was 'rigged' to make Trump and Republicans look bad. The Trump administration has continued to repeat the allegations. The National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, a Trump appointee, has claimed 'all over the US government, there have been people who have been resisting Trump everywhere they can,' in justifying the firing. Friends of BLS, a group chaired by former BLS commissioners Erica Groshen, an Obama appointee, and William Beach, Trump's appointee during his first term, strongly criticized the firing of McEntarfer, Trump's allegations, and called on Congress to act. 'We call on Congress to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer's removal, to strongly urge the Commissioner's continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained,' Friends of BLS wrote in a statement. 'This rationale for firing Dr McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers.' The Association of Public Data Users, the National Association for Business Economics and the American Economic Association also criticized the firing. 'Under the law, disliking the data is not a qualifying reason to remove the BLS Commissioner from her four-year appointment. Under our democracy, it is unacceptable to fire someone for publishing data collected in accordance with scientific standards,' the Association of Public Data Users said in a statement, echoing the call for Congress 'to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer's removal, to strongly urge the BLS Commissioner's continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained.' Beach added in a social media post: '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 was nominated by Trump as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2017, was confirmed by the Senate in 2019 and served a full four year term until 2023. In an email, former BLS commissioner Kathleen Utgoff, who was appointed and served under the George W Bush administration, told the Guardian: 'A functioning democracy requires accurate data so that workers, businesses, politicians and voters can make good decisions. I was at the BLS after the Iraq war. Many people asked me how to create something like the BLS there. They could not move forward without data on the state of the economy.' Republican US senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, Cynthia Lummis have also questioned the rationale behind Trump's firing of BLS commissioner McEntarfer. The last jobs report issued by BLS before the presidential election in November 2024 showed the US only added 12,000 jobs in October 2024, the slowest growth since 2020.
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Ex-BLS heads say Trump's firing of labor statistics chief ‘undermines credibility'
The former Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioners and non-partisan economic groups have criticized Donald Trump's shock firing of BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the July jobs report data revealed jobs growth stalled this summer. Trump, without any evidence to back his claims, alleged McEntarfer 'faked' employment numbers in the run-up to the 2024 election to boost Kamala Harris's chances and said that the recent data was 'rigged' to make Trump and Republicans look bad. The Trump administration has continued to repeat the allegations. The National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, a Trump appointee, has claimed 'all over the US government, there have been people who have been resisting Trump everywhere they can,' in justifying the firing. Friends of BLS, a group chaired by former BLS Commissioners Erica Groshen, an Obama appointee, and William Beach, Trump's appointee during his first term, strongly criticized the firing of McEntarfer, Trump's allegations, and called on Congress to act. 'We call on Congress to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer's removal, to strongly urge the Commissioner's continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained,' Friends of BLS wrote in a statement. 'This rationale for firing Dr McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers.' The Association of Public Data Users, the National Association for Business Economics and the American Economic Association also criticized the firing. 'Under the law, disliking the data is not a qualifying reason to remove the BLS Commissioner from her four-year appointment. Under our democracy, it is unacceptable to fire someone for publishing data collected in accordance with scientific standards,' the Association of Public Data Users said in a statement, echoing the call for Congress 'to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer's removal, to strongly urge the BLS Commissioner's continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained.' Dr William Beach added in a social media post, '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 was nominated by Trump as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2017, was confirmed by the Senate in 2019 and served a full four year term until 2023. In an email, former BLS commissioner Kathy Utgoff, who was appointed and served under the George W Bush administration, told the Guardian: 'A functioning democracy requires accurate data so that workers, businesses, politicians and voters can make good decisions. I was at the BLS after the Iraq war. Many people asked me how to create something like the BLS there. They could not move forward without data on the state of the economy.' Republican US Senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, Cynthia Lummis have also questioned the rationale behind Trump's firing of BLS commissioner McEntarfer. The last jobs report issued by BLS before the presidential election in November 2024 showed the US only added 12,000 jobs in October 2024, the slowest growth since 2020.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Statisticians blast Trump over BLS firing: ‘Dangerous precedent'
Statisticians railed against President Trump on Friday following his decision to fire Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner Erika McEntarfer for 'inaccuracies' and 'incompetence' after presenting a low job growth report for the month of July. Former BLS chief William Beach slammed the 'totally groundless' rebuke alongside the Friends of BLS, an organization that advocates on behalf of the agency which he co-chairs. '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 in a Friday post on the social media platform X. The Friday job report from the agency lowered May and June job growth numbers by the initial 258,000 positions reported. The organization also published a strongly worded statement condemning the shift in leadership at BLS, denying Trump's accusations that McEntarfer deliberately reported 'fake' numbers to tarnish his administration's standing. 'This baseless, damaging claim undermines the valuable work and dedication of BLS staff who produce the reports each month,' a Friday statement on the organization's website reads. 'This escalates the President's unprecedented attacks on the independence and integrity of the federal statistical system. The President seeks to blame someone for unwelcome economic news,' they added. 'The Commissioner does not determine what the numbers are but simply reports on what the data show.' Regardless, the president on Friday remained skeptical of the adjustments made to the two previous BLS job reports. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes,' he added. Democrats said the president fired McEntarfer with political motives to skew data while investors with a similar view weighed heavily on the market. As of Saturday morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 542 points, Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.3 percent and the S&P 500 decreased 1.6 percent of its value. 'Just absolutely insane, absolutely nuts. The economy is tanking and he's terrified and he's acting like a dictator,' Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in reference to Trump's dismissal. A chorus of Democrats in the upper chamber chimed in. 'That's some weird Soviet s‑‑‑,' Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said. 'Blaming the messenger? Nothing's ever his fault.' 'Speaks for itself,' he said. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) shared similar thoughts telling people 'it sounds very Soviet, very authoritarian, very 1984.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
