Catherwood LibraryILR School

President Donald Trump’s removal of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer is raising alarms over the integrity and credibility of U.S. labor data. While the firing was legal, critics—including former BLS leaders—warn it undermines the agency’s independence and risks politicizing key economic indicators relied upon by businesses, workers, and global markets. The move comes amid staffing shortages and declining survey response rates at the BLS, with the administration blaming McEntarfer for operational issues and data revisions. Labor advocates and policy experts say the action breaks long-standing norms meant to keep statistical agencies insulated from political interference, potentially eroding public trust in the nation’s “gold standard” labor statistics.