White House defends Bureau of Labor Statistics firing as critics warn of eroded trust
Japan Today :
White House economic advisers on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pushing back against criticism that Trump’s action could undermine confidence in official U.S. economic data.
Later on Sunday, Trump again criticized BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, without providing evidence of wrongdoing, and said he would name a new BLS commissioner in the next three or four days.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CBS that Trump had “real concerns” about the BLS data, while Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said the president “is right to call for new leadership.”
Hassett said on Fox News Sunday the main concern was Friday’s BLS report of net downward revisions showing 258,000 fewer jobs had been created in May and June than previously reported.
Trump accused McEntarfer of faking the jobs numbers, without providing any evidence of data manipulation. The BLS compiles the closely watched employment report as well as consumer and producer price data.
The BLS gave no reason for the revised data but noted “monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.”
McEntarfer responded to her abrupt dismissal on Friday in a post on the Bluesky social media platform, saying it was “the honor of her life” to serve as BLS commissioner and praising the civil servants who work there.
