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Former heads of US Bureau of Labor Statistics say Trump's attacks erode trust in data
Reuters.com ^ | October 8, 20251:57 PM CDT | Lucia Mutikani

Posted on 10/08/2025 5:35:10 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Summary

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's unwarranted attacks on the integrity of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics were undermining trust in economic data and had accelerated retirements of key personnel at the agency, former BLS commissioners said on Wednesday.

During a discussion at the libertarian Cato Institute, Erica Groshen and William Beach, who headed the agency under presidents of both parties, said the BLS had lost 12 of its 35 senior leaders. The agency produces the closely watched employment and inflation reports among others.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the agency, claiming without evidence that it was faking the jobs numbers.

"Trust ... for statistical agencies, it is mission critical. Unwarranted attacks on the integrity of BLS and the other parts of the statistical system will do lasting damage until trust is rebuilt," said Groshen. "So this is a bad place for the agencies, and we need to recover from it. I trust that the more informed and sober minds in our country will work hard to repair that damage."

In August, Trump abruptly fired Erika McEntarfer following sharp downward revisions to the nonfarm payrolls counts for June and July. McEntarfer had been appointed in 2024 by former President Joe Biden to lead the BLS.

Trump nominated conservative economist E.J. Antoniz to head the agency before withdrawing the nomination last week.

Attacks on the agency, together with Trump's push to shrink the size of the federal government workforce, have prompted early retirements by experienced employees at the BLS and other government statistical agencies.

Statistical agencies, which include the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis and...

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: alreuters; bea; bidenstooges; bls; blssedition; catoinstitute; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; ericagroshen; erikamcentarfer; fakenews; gaslighting; liberalagenda; libertariangarbage; luciamutikani; lunitarians; mediawingofthednc; notrustinliars; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; rinoinstitute; rinosedition; smearmachine; tds; williambeach

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"President Donald Trump's unwarranted attacks on the integrity of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics" Reuters says, without evidence.
1 posted on 10/08/2025 5:35:10 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Just more BLSBS.

Their process is still run in a smoke mirrors stat lab.


2 posted on 10/08/2025 5:39:21 PM PDT by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: Paladin2

YOU CREATED THE LACK OF TRUST OVER MANY YEARS.....

DON’T CRY WHEN YOU GET CAUGHT


3 posted on 10/08/2025 5:40:23 PM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Just more BLSBS.

Their process is still run in a smoke & mirrors stat lab.


4 posted on 10/08/2025 5:40:33 PM PDT by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: Paladin2

The data is a joke. The Restatements are released for maximum political impact.


5 posted on 10/08/2025 5:42:28 PM PDT by MMusson ( )
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To: ridesthemiles

I agree with you 100%, FRiend. The sun has gone down in North Texas, and I’m feeling fine. One more glass of Fall Creek Vineyards GSM and I’m done.


6 posted on 10/08/2025 5:45:44 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Huh. Interesting, and all this time I thought it was because they kept putting out bad numbers.

/s. Not really


7 posted on 10/08/2025 5:48:05 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: Sequoyah101

Seriously…. Revised jobs 800k down in 2024 , then 900k in 2025. They are pathetic.


8 posted on 10/08/2025 5:52:18 PM PDT by MrRelevant
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Well I certainly had no trust in their data before.


9 posted on 10/08/2025 5:54:07 PM PDT by Revel
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Rueters playing games with the facts. Article attempts to strengthen the comments of these hacks by saying they served under presidents of both parties. But Beach only headed the agency under Slow Joe. Groshen did serve as head under both parties...3 years under Obama and 1 WEEK for Trump. No reason the Media has no credibility.


10 posted on 10/08/2025 6:05:47 PM PDT by Lawgvr1955 ( Sic Semper Tyrannis )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The BLS revised it’s comments saying that now they think Trump is a good guy. Next month they will revise again saying he’s not so good.


11 posted on 10/08/2025 6:06:27 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Former heads…….”
That’s says it all.
Obama was running the presidency through his Joe puppet.
There was no truth in Biden’s entire time in office.


12 posted on 10/08/2025 6:08:21 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The numbers never add up and some people think that the fed should use the numbers to effect monetary policy.


13 posted on 10/08/2025 6:08:35 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Figures Don’t Lie, But Liars Do Figure” ... Hmm... I wonder how long that axiom has been around?

The days of people accepting contrived statistics and ‘data’ as ‘factual’ were over a very long, long time ago.


14 posted on 10/08/2025 6:10:01 PM PDT by jerod (Nazis were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I worked for BLS for 35 years. I helped design surveys and wrote code that produced the numbers. I’ve been a freeper since 1998.

It’s impossible to fake the numbers. The commissioner doesn’t even see them until the day before release. Whole offices of people work on them. If the numbers were being faked, lots of people would know.

I worked on the inflation number for a while and had a program that imitated the official program. If anyone messed with the numbers, I’d know. Nobody ever did.


15 posted on 10/08/2025 6:18:40 PM PDT by Our man in washington
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Couldn’t be their constant over-estimations for Ds followed by radical quiet downgrades, followed by dismal reports for Trump followed by silent upward revisions.

Stop all that noticing! The target of our attacks is degrading trust in our attacks!


16 posted on 10/08/2025 6:21:54 PM PDT by No.6
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To: Our man in washington

How many times did you “adjust” the numbers the following month?


17 posted on 10/08/2025 6:24:34 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Je suis Charlie Kirk.)
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To: Our man in washington
The commissioner doesn’t even see them until the day before release.

Was that when the numbers were faked?

18 posted on 10/08/2025 6:51:01 PM PDT by jimtorr
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Why don’t you go back home to whatever African country you came from, Lucia? (Looks like South Africa.)


19 posted on 10/08/2025 7:09:04 PM PDT by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is goings to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

As far as I know, the BLS has always been a RAT smoke and mirrors operation.


20 posted on 10/08/2025 7:27:10 PM PDT by wjcsux (On 3/14/1883 Karl Marx gave humanity his best gift, he died. )
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