Overview

• President Trump accused the July jobs figures of being “rigged” before firing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the BLS revised May and June payrolls down by a combined 258,000 jobs.
• Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski was named acting head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the White House seeks a permanent replacement.
• U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and NEC Director Kevin Hassett defended the dismissal, arguing that the agency needs new leadership to address “very unreliable” data.
• Former BLS officials, the Friends of the BLS group and GOP Sens. Cynthia Lummis and Thom Tillis condemned the removal as an overreach that undermines the bureau’s independence.
• Analysts and statisticians warn the move could erode global trust in U.S. economic statistics and have called for a congressional investigation of the BLS revision process.