The Bureau of Labor Statistics fired its director a little over a year ago.
Posted by Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 92%
Platypus Economics with Justin WolfersAug 28, 2026
Multiple tier-1 and tier-2 sources (AP, Reuters, PBS) report that the BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, was removed on August 1, 2025, which is a little over a year before the post's 2026-08-28 date.
What was said
… So another really interesting part of your video, it kind of comes closer to the end, is when you compare what happened here with what had happened earlier at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when they fired the BLS director a little over a year ago, and you note that the BLS guardrail that ultimately held, but this one of the Census seems to have failed. Do you have any theories about what was maybe different in this case, or what that tells us about how to go forward and protect other agencies? …
Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports that President Trump removed the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, August 1, 2025, after a weak jobs report.[1][3]
Supports. Reuters reports that Trump fired BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer following downward revisions to May and June payrolls.[2]
Supports. Later coverage, including a 2026 govexec piece, refers back to the firing as occurring last summer, consistent with a date about a year before the post.[4]
Context. The firing was ordered by the President and carried out via the Labor Secretary's announcement, not by the Bureau acting on its own; the claim's shorthand does not contradict the sources.[3][5]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Markets struggle to price smoke and mirrors | Reutersreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after ...pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 4Staffing cuts are leaving federal statistical agencies ...govexec.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Trump fires official overseeing jobs data after dismal ...abc7.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Donald Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner because he did not like the employment numbers.True
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics is under the Department of Labor.True
- The Trump administration nominated EJ Antoni to be the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.True
- Brett Matsumoto was confirmed as the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner.True
- The Commerce Department removed rules that shielded official statistics from political interference in August 2026.True