Trump appoints conservative economist for position at Labor Statistics department
In a surprising move, President Donald Trump dismissed Erika McEntarfer as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in August 2025. The decision came after Trump accused McEntarfer, without evidence, of manipulating jobs data to portray a weaker job market following the release of a jobs report that showed slower job growth than expected[1][2].
McEntarfer, who was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed with broad bipartisan support to serve a four-year term starting in January 2024[2], had been leading the BLS since then. The BLS operates as an independent statistical agency within the Department of Labor, providing unbiased economic data essential to policymakers, businesses, and investors worldwide[2][3].
The firing raised concerns about political interference undermining trust in federal economic data, which is considered the global gold standard for objectivity and accuracy[1][3]. This action followed a period of resource constraints at BLS, with some inflation data collection impacted due to budget limitations[2].
Trump's decision to fire McEntarfer was followed by his intention to nominate E.J. Antoni, a prominent economist and chief economist at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, to head the BLS[2]. Antoni holds a PhD in economics and has authored commentary that consistently praises Trump's policies and is critical of Biden's[4].
However, the nomination of Antoni needs to be confirmed by the Senate, and concerns have been raised about the potential for political bias in the data produced by the BLS under his leadership[1][3]. The BLS is responsible for collecting and publishing the country's employment and inflation figures, and its eroding quality has recently come under scrutiny[5].
As of September 2024, the BLS employs some 2,300 people[6]. After Trump imposed a hiring freeze in many government agencies, which also impacted the BLS, the agency has been operating with reduced staff[2].
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett later acknowledged that the jobs market was indeed cooling[7]. Trump posted on his Truth Social account that "Our Economy is booming" and that Antoni will ensure that the numbers released are "HONEST and ACCURATE."[8]
In conclusion, the dismissal of Erika McEntarfer and the nomination of E.J. Antoni to head the BLS have led to debates about the political independence and reliability of government economic data[1][2][3]. The concerns about the potential for political bias and the impact of resource constraints on the quality of data produced by the BLS remain ongoing.
References: 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/business/economy/trump-bls-firing.html 2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-01/trump-fires-bls-chief-amid-claims-of-data-tampering 3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/01/trump-fires-bls-chief-erika-mcentarfer-amid-claims-data-tampering 4. https://www.heritage.org/experts/ej-antoni 5. https://www.axios.com/2025/08/03/bls-data-eroding-quality 6. https://www.bls.gov/bls/about.htm 7. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/05/white-house-economic-adviser-acknowledges-jobs-market-cooling.html 8. https://www.truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/post/109568675476462312
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