BLS commissioner reacts to Trump firing
Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), whom President Trump fired following a dismal jobs report, said it was the "honor of my life" to serve in the position.
"It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy," she said in a post on the social media platform Bluesky. "It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation."
McEntarfer was nominated by former President Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate in 2024 in a bipartisan 86-8 vote as the 16th commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the Department of Labor. Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who were both senators at the time, voted in favor of her nomination.
Her post comes after Trump fired the commissioner last week for “inaccuracies” and “incompetence” after presenting a low job growth report for July.
On Truth Social, the president said McEntarfer had “faked the Jobs Numbers” before the 2024 election to boost former Vice President Kamala Harris’s White House bid.
“No one can be that wrong?” Trump said. “We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”
Former BLS chief William Beach pushed back on the firing in a post on the social media platform X on Friday, calling it "totally groundless" and saying it sets a "dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau."