Trump Fires BLS Commissioner After Accusing Her of Falsifying Data

On August 1, President Trump abruptly fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after baselessly accusing her of deliberately reporting false numbers in the Employment Situation report released that morning. The White House released an accompanying statement in which the Administration accused McEntarfer of having a “lengthy history of inaccuracies” that harmed the public’s trust in the agency. This unprecedented removal of a Congressionally-approved agency head greatly undermines the credibility of the federal economic statistical enterprise, which has been the gold standard for U.S. labor data collection for almost 150 years.

COSSA joins the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of which COSSA is a member, in calling for “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.” The full statement condemning the action can be found here.