White House economic advisers on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dismissing criticism that Trump's actions could undermine confidence in official U.S. economic data.
On Sunday, Trump again criticized BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, without providing evidence of wrongdoing, and said he would appoint a new BLS commissioner in the next three or four days.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CBS that Trump has "real concerns" about the BLS data, while Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said the president is "right to ask for new leadership."
Hassett said on Fox News Sunday that the primary concern was Friday's BLS report of a net downward revision that showed 258,000 fewer jobs created in May and June than previously reported.
Trump accused McEntarfer of falsifying the employment figures, without providing evidence of data manipulation. The BLS compiles the closely watched employment report, as well as consumer and producer price data.
The BLS did not provide a reason for the data revisions, but noted that "monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimate and from recalculations of seasonal factors."
McEntarfer responded to her abrupt dismissal on Friday in a post on the social media platform Bluesky, saying that serving as BLS commissioner had been "the honor of a lifetime" and praising the civil servants who worked there.
McEntarfer's dismissal added to growing concerns about the quality of U.S. economic data and came after a series of new tariffs against dozens of trading partners, which sent global stock markets plummeting as Trump continued his plans to restructure the global economy.
Investors were also watching the impact of the abrupt resignation of Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler, which opened up a position on the central bank's influential board and could shake up the already tumultuous Fed leadership succession process amid a rocky relationship with Trump. Trump said on Sunday that he would announce candidates to fill open positions at the Fed in the coming days. (alg)
Source: Reuters
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