President Donald Trump on Friday fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Erika McEntarfer, after publicly dismissing the agency’s latest jobs report as “rigged” — a move that drew sharp criticism from economists, former officials, and data experts across the political spectrum.

McEntarfer, who was confirmed by the Senate in 2024 with bipartisan support, was removed from her post following the release of the July employment report showing weaker-than-expected job growth and significant downward revisions to previous months. The BLS reported only 73,000 new jobs in July and revised prior figures down by 258,000 data that many economists interpreted as signs of economic cooling under Trump’s renewed term.

“I fired her, and I did the right thing,” Mr. Trump said later in the day, reiterating his claim that the data were “phony” and undermined his administration’s economic message. He provided no evidence for the accusation.

The White House confirmed that Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will serve as acting commissioner. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer echoed the president’s concerns about McEntarfer in a social media post.

McEntarfer, a longtime federal economist with prior service under both Republican and Democratic administrations, was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023. Her dismissal marks a rare instance of a Senate-confirmed statistical official being fired due to disagreement over routine economic data.

The move sparked immediate backlash. Critics warned that ousting a nonpartisan data official undermines the credibility of the nation’s economic statistics, which guide decisions by businesses, investors, and policymakers — including the Federal Reserve.

“This could set a dangerous precedent where unfavorable news becomes grounds for dismissal,” said William Beach, who served as BLS commissioner during Trump’s first term. “Even if pressure exists, the commissioner has no role in manipulating data revisions, which are handled by career professionals.”

Erica Groshen, who led the agency under President Obama, called the firing “a terrible precedent” and a blow to the integrity of the federal statistical system. “It’s a sad day for evidence-based policymaking,” she said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is responsible not only for employment data but also for inflation, wages, and productivity measures. Revisions are standard practice and reflect the incorporation of late-arriving or higher-quality data sources.

Stephen Miran, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, attributed the July revisions to “seasonal quirks” and potential effects of immigration policy — offering a markedly different view than Trump’s. “It’s actually a pretty decent report,” he said on CNBC.

Former economic advisers voiced concern over growing political influence on data institutions. “If you want the public to distrust economic data, firing the Senate-confirmed official in charge is a good way to start,” said Martha Gimbel of Yale’s Budget Lab, who served under Biden.

While McEntarfer faced early controversies during her tenure — including incidents in which Wall Street firms accessed data ahead of the public — there were no allegations of data manipulation or bias.

Trump also criticized a 2024 BLS revision showing that job growth the previous year was overestimated by 818,000 jobs. However, that revision was announced two months before the election and later revised to a smaller margin — evidence, analysts say, of the bureau’s routine, apolitical data practices.

“President Trump is completely wrong in asserting there’s been any sort of anti-Trump bias,” said Michael Strain of the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “The revision was large but doesn’t smell fishy — it reflects standard methodology.”

Federal statistical agencies, including the BLS, have struggled with declining response rates, shrinking budgets, and staffing shortages. Under Trump’s administration, hiring freezes and proposed cuts have further strained their operations. In June, the BLS announced it would scale back data collection for consumer price reports due to resource constraints — a decision that experts warn could degrade the quality of inflation data critical to Social Security adjustments and monetary policy.

Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, defended the importance of reliable government statistics, calling federal data “the gold standard.” He added, “We need it to be good and to be able to rely on it.”

Dr. McEntarfer has not publicly commented on her dismissal.

 

Input: NYTimes