United States President, Donald Trump on Friday announced the nomination of career economist, Brett Matsumoto, as commissioner of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, several months after dismissing the agency’s former head following the release of a weak jobs report.
“I am confident that Brett has the expertise to QUICKLY fix the long history of issues at the BLS on behalf of the American People,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president fired then-Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, in August, accusing her without evidence of manipulating July employment data that showed unexpectedly slow job growth and sharply revised down nonfarm payroll figures for the previous two months.
Beyond employment figures, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is also responsible for producing key US inflation reports and other major economic indicators.
Matsumoto is a longtime economist at the BLS and is currently on leave from the agency while serving at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Trump had earlier selected conservative economist E.J. Antoni to lead the agency but later withdrew that nomination.
Matsumoto’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the US Senate.
Former BLS commissioners have criticised Trump’s attacks on the agency as unjustified, warning that such actions could erode confidence in official economic data and discourage career economists from remaining in public service.
The nomination comes as Trump faces mounting pressure to demonstrate strong economic performance ahead of the November elections that will determine control of Congress.
Public confidence in his economic stewardship has weakened, with only 35 per cent of voters approving of his handling of the economy amid ongoing cost-of-living concerns.
