Former President Donald Trump has sparked considerable political firestorm from all angles—left and right alike—when he surprised Erika McEntarfer by ordering her abrupt firing. After all, she had just been confirmed as the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). McEntarfer, who had been confirmed to her position in January 2024 during President Joe Biden’s administration, was responsible for overseeing the nation’s labor market statistics, which are considered the gold standard globally.
Trump’s decision comes on the heels of a disappointing jobs report for July, which revealed that the national economy added only 73,000 jobs—far fewer than expected. This alarming statistic has already led to fears about the economy’s overall state. It undermines the public’s trust in the federal government’s ability to provide accurate, reliable economic data.
The BLS is currently supposed to work with a decentralized jobs tabulation process designed to prevent meddling and ensure accuracy. However, Trump’s firing of McEntarfer has raised alarms among senior Republican lawmakers and Democrats alike, who fear it undermines the integrity of federal economic statistics.
Prominent Republicans have condemned Trump’s actions. Senator Thom Tillis stated, “If she was just fired because the president or whoever decided to fire the director just … because they didn’t like the numbers, they ought to grow up.” Senator Cynthia Lummis echoed this sentiment, warning that “if the president is firing the statistician because he doesn’t like the numbers but they are accurate, then that’s a problem.”
Even the former BLS commissioner William Beach—appointed by Trump himself—decried McEntarfer’s firing as “totally groundless.” He co-signed a letter from “the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” asserting that her removal was “without merit.”
Democrats have not held back either. Senator Bernie Sanders characterized Trump’s decision as “the sign of an authoritarian type,” stressing that it jeopardizes the public’s trust in government data. Paul Schroeder, the former executive director of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, sounded an alarm. He argued that these moves would politicize data, putting its independence and trustworthiness at risk. He authored a confidential memo on why this action erodes the integrity of our federal economic statistics. What’s more, it further politicizes data that should remain objective and reliable. This outrageous decision represents one of the most serious mistakes ever taken by this administration, and one whose consequences will be felt for decades.
Senator Rand Paul went further, warning that the precedent set by this dismissal could be even worse. He stated, “When the people providing the statistics are fired, it makes it much harder to make judgments that you know, the statistics won’t be politicized.” He added, “You can’t really make the numbers different or better by firing the people doing the counting.”
In light of the fury or perhaps because of it, Trump has made a strong attempt to justify his move. He further asserted that McEntarfer’s firing was justified because of purported inaccuracies in her reports. “RIGGED to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,” Trump claimed.
The storm of dissent following McEntarfer’s firing raises salient points about the politicization of economic data. This ongoing conundrum has important ramifications for both the nation’s policymakers and its citizens. That’s why the BLS is important — it provides vital, unbiased statistics. These statistics are instrumental in guiding economic policy decisions at the federal, state, local, and private sectors.
As the situation continues to develop, it remains to be seen what effect McEntarfer’s dismissal will have on public confidence in economic reporting. Urgent action is needed to restore confidence in federal statistics.