On Sunday, President Trump announced that he would appoint a new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) within the next 3 to 4 days.
The recent dismissal of the current BLS head, Erika McEntarfer, citing “data manipulation” stemmed from significant revisions to the employment data for May and June, raising concerns about the credibility of the statistics.
According to the latest report released by BLS last Friday, the number of new non-farm jobs in May was revised from the originally reported 144,000 to 19,000, with a staggering adjustment of 86.81%; while in June, it was revised from 147,000 to 14,000, marking a even higher revision rate of 90.48%.
Faced with the substantial revisions, Trump posted on Truth Social, stating, “We need accurate employment data. I have instructed my team to immediately dismiss this politically appointed official by the Biden administration.”
In another post, Trump claimed that the data was “manipulated” to make the Republican Party and himself “look bad.” However, he did not provide specific evidence of data falsification.
On Sunday, on his way back to the White House, Trump told reporters that he expected to announce the new BLS head within the next three to four days.
In response to the skepticism surrounding the dismissal decision, the White House economic team emphasized that the President has the right to demand greater transparency and credibility from statistical institutions.
Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council, said during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, “We need a fresh set of eyes to look at the BLS.”
He pointed out that the BLS made total downward revisions of 258,000 people in the employment data for May and June, the “largest adjustments since 1968.”
Hassett further highlighted that while data revisions are normal, the scale and timing of this revision indeed raise questions.
“The previous patterns were indeed suspicious. I believe the most important thing is to ensure the data is trustworthy and to investigate why these revisions are so unreliable,” Hassett said.
“The key issue is that these data are human-made. If it were up to me to lead the BLS and I saw such a significant and politically impactful revision dating back to 1968… I would write a very detailed report explaining exactly what happened. But we have not received such a report,” Hassett stated.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also expressed concerns about employment data on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“During the campaign last year, we also saw huge fluctuations in employment data. So, in my view, the President does have genuine concerns, not just about today’s data, but based on everything we saw last year,” Greer said.
“Everyone wants relatively reliable data. Although monthly data is always subject to revisions, sometimes the extent of revisions can become extremely extreme,” he added.
Hassett additionally noted that the White House will focus on ensuring greater openness and transparency in the process of future data revisions.
He stated, “The President wants his own people in charge so that when we see the data, it will be more transparent and reliable. If there are large changes and revisions — for example, we anticipate further significant revisions for September’s employment data — then we want to know why and someone needs to explain it clearly to us.”
Under the current BLS statistical procedures, employment data is often subject to subsequent revisions due to insufficient response rates during initial publication.
BLS conducts surveys with approximately 121,000 employers (including businesses and government agencies) each month, inquiring about the total employment for the week that includes the 12th day of the month. However, due to the impact of the pandemic and changes in the survey environment, the response rate has decreased from 80.3% in October 2020 to around 67.1% in July 2025.
To improve data accuracy, BLS allows businesses to supplement or revise data within two months of the initial submission. This means that the data released each month will not only adjust the data from the previous month but also make adjustments to data from two months prior based on new responses.
BLS indicates that response rates typically increase to about 92% by the third month.
Although data revisions are a standard process in BLS statistical operations, the extent of downward revisions in the non-farm employment data for May and June is uncommon. BLS has not provided additional explanations for these revisions, stating that they primarily stem from additional reports submitted by businesses and government agencies, as well as reevaluation of seasonal adjustment factors.
Facing accusations of “data manipulation,” former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers stated in an interview with ABC that without concrete evidence, questioning BLS data could damage the institution’s independence.
However, Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, expressed concerns that significant revisions to economic data would undermine public trust in the data.
“I believe they can obtain this data in other ways; the focus should be on making the data more robust, predictable, and easier to understand,” he said on CBS.
Democratic Senator Alex Padilla accused Trump of trying to “weaponize” the BLS to advance his own agenda.
Padilla stated that during the confirmation hearings for the new BLS head, the Senate would assess their “independence.”
“Our confirmation hearings will focus on whether the new head can maintain the independence of the BLS, just like other departments and institutions that need to be free from White House political pressure to fulfill their duties,” Padilla said.
“When Trump tries to weaponize the BLS, it clearly shows his anxiety and insecurity about the economic situation,” he added.