Overview
- Trump announced the nomination Friday on Truth Social, saying Brett Matsumoto would quickly fix problems at the BLS.
- Matsumoto previously served as a supervisory research economist at the BLS and is a senior economist on the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
- The move follows Trump’s August firing of Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a weak July jobs report that he denounced as rigged.
- The BLS skipped the October jobs report for the first time in 12 years, and the White House later warned the federal statistical system could face permanent damage after the shutdown.
- An earlier pick, Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni, was withdrawn in September after criticism of his qualifications.