The moment many of us in the public data community have feared has come to pass: the President has fired the head of a federal statistical agency because the data are politically inconvenient.
Today President Trump accused BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer of deliberately reporting false numbers to reflect poorly on this administration, with no evidence of his claims,and he ordered her firing.
To be clear, the BLS Commissioner simply did what her job entails: reporting the truth based on well-respected, well-documented, transparent, and reliable standards. Those standards include revising prior estimates as new data become available, a process which has happened with every jobs report (under administrations of both parties) for decades without incident.
Under the law, disliking the data is not a qualifying reason to remove the BLS Commissioner from her four-year appointment. Under our democracy, it is unacceptable to fire someone for publishing data collected in accordance with scientific standards.
We concur wholeheartedly with our colleagues at the Friends of BLS, who wrote in their statement: “This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers. U.S. official statistics are the gold standard globally. When leaders of other nations have politicized economic data, it has destroyed public trust in all official statistics and in government science.” This is a road that we, as a country, cannot afford to take.
And we echo their call to Congress to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer’s removal, to strongly urge the BLS Commissioner’s continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained.
What can you do?
Make your voice heard.
In addition, knowing how you use public data helps us defend public data. Tell us why BLS data are important to you by email or tag us in your post on LinkedIn or Bluesky.
Contact your rep.
APDU urges you to contact your representatives in Congress, regardless of their party affiliation, and let them know that you, as a constituent, believe that the loss of public data is unacceptable. Calling is most effective and takes just two minutes of your time.
You can find contact information here:
https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
And we’ve provided a sample script:
I am deeply troubled by the removal of the BLS Commissioner and urge you to investigate Dr. McEntarfer’s inappropriate removal, ensure the nonpartisan integrity of the position is maintained, and work to reinstate Dr. McEntarfer in her role as Commissioner.
Please share.
Please also share this statement and call to action with others who may be impacted, particularly those who may not yet understand the magnitude of what has occurred.