Washington (AP) Following a report that revealed hiring slowed in July and was significantly weaker in May and June than previously reported, President Donald Trump fired the chairman of the agency that generates the monthly jobs data on Friday.
In a social media tweet, Trump claimed that the numbers were falsified for political ends and called for the dismissal of Erika McEntarfer, the former president Joe Biden’s head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He offered no proof to support the accusation.
Trump stated on Truth Social, “I have instructed my team to fire this Biden political appointee, IMMEDIATELY.” Someone far more capable and equipped will take her place.
Following his resignation, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that deputy commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over as acting director of the bureau, replacing McEntarfer.
Chavez-DeRemer stated, “I encourage the President to replace Biden’s Commissioner and make sure the American people can rely on the significant and impactful data coming from BLS.”
Only 73,000 new jobs were added last month, according to Friday’s jobs report, and 258,000 fewer positions were generated in May and June than initially thought.
Biden nominated McEntarfer in 2023, and in January 2024, he was appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Usually appointed for four-year terms, commissioners are subject to termination because they are political appointees. The agency employs hundreds of career civil workers, and the commissioner is the only political appointee.
A large portion of Trump’s anger was directed at the agency’s changes to earlier hiring numbers. In May, job growth were reduced from 125,000 to barely 19,000, and in June, they were trimmed from 147,000 to 14,000 jobs. Just 73,000 new jobs were added in July. The unemployment rate increased slightly from 4.1% to a still-low 4.2%.
Can’t anyone be that mistaken? Trump wrote, “We need accurate jobs numbers.” Someone far more capable and equipped will take her place. Such significant figures must be impartial and true; they cannot be swayed for political ends.
One of the most anticipated pieces of government economic data is the monthly employment report, which has the potential to trigger significant fluctuations in financial markets. U.S. market indices fell over 1.5% on Friday as a result of the disappointing number.
Economists and Wall Street investors with millions at stake have long considered U.S. official economic data as being free from political manipulation, even if the jobs figures are frequently the focus of political spin.
