In a stunning rebuke from both sides of the aisle, conservative senators and economists are openly slamming President Donald Trump after he abruptly fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for releasing a jobs report that painted an unflattering picture of the U.S. economy.
Erika McEntarfer, the BLS commissioner appointed by President Biden, was dismissed just hours after the agency reported that the country added only 73,000 jobs in July — the weakest monthly figure in over a year.
Rather than address the underlying economic slowdown, Trump lashed out. “In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,” he posted Friday. “The good news is, our Country is doing GREAT!” He claimed the numbers were politically manipulated and announced McEntarfer’s firing in the same post.
The backlash was swift — and surprisingly bipartisan.
Even Republicans Say Enough Is Enough
“If she was just fired because the president or whoever decided to fire the director just … because they didn’t like the numbers, they ought to grow up,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), one of several Republicans now openly criticizing Trump’s action.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned that firing data officials undermines the credibility of federal statistics entirely. “We have to look somewhere for objective statistics,” Paul told NBC News. “You can’t really make the numbers different or better by firing the people doing the counting.”
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) echoed the concern. “It’s not the statistician’s fault if the numbers are accurate and they’re not what the president had hoped for,” she said.
A Dangerous Precedent
Economists and former agency officials warned of lasting damage.
William Beach, who served as BLS commissioner during Trump’s first term, called the firing “totally groundless” and said it “sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau.”
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative American Action Forum, emphasized the uniqueness of Trump’s action. “There have been countless BLS revisions, and many BLS Commissioners, but only ONE sitting President has fired a BLS head,” he wrote. “You do the math.”
A Professional Legacy Undone by Politics
McEntarfer, a respected economist with decades of public service experience, responded gracefully on social media.
“Serving as BLS Commissioner has been the honor of my life,” she wrote. “The Bureau’s work is vital to our economy and our democracy. I stand by the professionalism and integrity of every employee there.”
The Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a nonpartisan organization that supports the agency’s mission, issued a scathing statement condemning Trump’s accusations as “baseless” and “damaging.” They accused the president of threatening “the independence and integrity of the federal statistical system.”
Powell in the Crosshairs Again
Trump didn’t stop with McEntarfer. In the same tirade, he reignited his long-standing feud with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
“Powell should also be put ‘out to pasture,’” Trump wrote, suggesting he may pursue more dismissals of key economic officials who don’t toe the political line.
More Than a Personnel Change
To many, this latest move is less about jobs numbers and more about a growing pattern of Trump targeting civil servants for doing their jobs — especially when facts clash with his narrative.
“It’s chilling,” said one senior economist at a Washington think tank. “What happens when future BLS reports need to be cleared by political operatives? What happens when we can no longer trust our own data?”
For now, the numbers still speak for themselves — even if the statisticians behind them are being silenced.
