White House defends firing of jobs data official, critics mount
White House economic advisers defended on Sunday the move of President Donald Trump to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), pushing back against criticism that surprise 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 that the main concern was Friday's BLS report, which showed net downward revisions indicating that 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.
McEntarfer's firing added to growing concerns about the quality of U.S. economic data and came on the heels of a raft of new tariffs on dozens of trading partners, sending global stock markets tumbling as Trump presses ahead with plans to reorder the global economy.
Investors are also watching the impact of the surprise resignation of Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Adriana Kugler, which has opened a spot on the central bank's powerful board and could shake up what was already a fractious succession process for Fed leadership amid complex relations with the Trump administration.
Trump said on Sunday he would announce a candidate to fill the open Fed position within the next couple of days.
Revisions are common In an interview with CBS's 'Face the Nation,' Greer acknowledged there were always revisions of job numbers, 'but sometimes you see these revisions go in really extreme ways.' Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, stated that significant revisions to economic data could erode public confidence and that government officials should develop methods to enhance data quality.
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Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
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White House defends firing of jobs data official, critics mount
Agencies White House economic advisers defended on Sunday the move of President Donald Trump to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), pushing back against criticism that surprise 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 that the main concern was Friday's BLS report, which showed net downward revisions indicating that 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 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. McEntarfer's firing added to growing concerns about the quality of U.S. economic data and came on the heels of a raft of new tariffs on dozens of trading partners, sending global stock markets tumbling as Trump presses ahead with plans to reorder the global economy. Investors are also watching the impact of the surprise resignation of Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Adriana Kugler, which has opened a spot on the central bank's powerful board and could shake up what was already a fractious succession process for Fed leadership amid complex relations with the Trump administration. Trump said on Sunday he would announce a candidate to fill the open Fed position within the next couple of days. Revisions are common In an interview with CBS's 'Face the Nation,' Greer acknowledged there were always revisions of job numbers, 'but sometimes you see these revisions go in really extreme ways.' Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, stated that significant revisions to economic data could erode public confidence and that government officials should develop methods to enhance data quality.
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