Trump didn't just threaten to fire the BLS Commissioner—he actually did it in August 2025.Hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released weak July jobs data, Trump fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, accusing her without evidence of "rigging" the numbers. His own first-term BLS Commissioner called the firing "groundless" and warned it "undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau."Here's the concerning part: The recent 43-day government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—has created permanent gaps in economic data. October 2025 may never have CPI or jobs reports released. The BLS uses in-person visits to collect data, so it can't be gathered retroactively.The timing is notable: obstructed statistics cannot reveal a downturn. When unfavorable economic data becomes inconvenient, firing statisticians and shutting down data collection prevents bad numbers from being published at all.Former officials warn this leaves the Federal Reserve and policymakers "flying blind at a critical period"—precisely when transparency matters most.https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/01/trump-erika-mcentarfer-jobs-report-fired.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/12/white-house-october-data-release.htmlhttps://www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025/11/12/2025-government-shutdown-faqs-on-bls-data#EconomicData #BLS #GovernmentShutdown #Transparency #DataIntegrity
