Trump to Announce New Bureau of Labor Statistics Chief in the Next Three to Four Days

ChainCatcher reports that U.S. President Trump has announced he will name a new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the next three to four days.

On Friday, Trump ordered the dismissal of the Bureau of Labor Statistics director (the agency responsible for releasing nonfarm payroll data) after he claimed, without evidence, that the disappointing employment figures had been "manipulated." The bureau later confirmed that Director Erika McEntarfer had been removed, and her deputy, William Wiatrowski, would serve as acting director. The July jobs report released earlier on Friday showed that only 73,000 jobs were added last month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also announced significant data revisions, revealing that total employment was 258,000 lower than previously estimated. This marks the second-largest two-month downward revision on record, surpassed only by adjustments made during the pandemic.