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mahatmakanejeeves

(66,501 posts)
Sun Aug 10, 2025, 11:16 PM Aug 10

Trump Administration Considers Longtime Critic to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

EXCLUSIVE * POLICY
Trump Administration Considers Longtime Critic to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

Officials are looking at E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, among others, to head jobs-data agency

By Brian Schwartz and Meridith McGraw
Aug. 10, 2025 at 5:39 pm ET

President Trump fired the head of the BLS, claiming manipulated jobs numbers after a report of slowed hiring. While revisions were more dramatic than usual, these numbers are always revised. WSJ explains.

The Trump administration is interviewing candidates to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics including at least one longtime critic of the agency, according to a senior administration official.

Administration officials are weighing candidates to take the top job after President Trump fired the BLS commissioner earlier this month Following the release of a weak jobs report.

{paywall}

Read more: https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-administration-considers-longtime-critic-to-lead-bureau-of-labor-statistics-5aea02ed

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Trump Administration Considers Longtime Critic to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Aug 10 OP
Hopefully, in January 2029, we can get rid of all the cheesy "gold" decor calimary Aug 10 #1
He can hildegaard28 Aug 11 #2
This whole administration is a fraudulent, criminal organization. Fla Dem Aug 11 #3
Turns out I may have been wrong when I said Stephen Moore was the most dishonest "economist" in the world Wiz Imp Aug 11 #4
Oh, and his statement about government workers from the household survey is total bullshit Wiz Imp Aug 11 #5

calimary

(87,628 posts)
1. Hopefully, in January 2029, we can get rid of all the cheesy "gold" decor
Sun Aug 10, 2025, 11:27 PM
Aug 10

and return the White House to its earlier dignity. It should serve to remind us that we’re ALL civilians here. It’s NOT supposed to be a freakin’ PALACE!!!

hildegaard28

(766 posts)
2. He can
Mon Aug 11, 2025, 01:10 AM
Aug 11

Hire someone who will fudge the numbers for him, but the American people will know the truth when they lose their jobs, their homes, and start going hungry.

Wiz Imp

(6,761 posts)
4. Turns out I may have been wrong when I said Stephen Moore was the most dishonest "economist" in the world
Mon Aug 11, 2025, 10:38 AM
Aug 11

I think this asshole may be even worse. He wrote this about the June jobs report relased at the beginning of July:

Astonishingly, all of the net job growth in June came from full-time work. Indeed, the number of part-time jobs actually declined.

That's complete and total bullshit. The jobs survey does not measure full-time and part-time workers. He's either lying his ass off or stupid as fuck.

This trend has helped increase the average American’s weekly paycheck, which has risen faster than inflation since President Trump took office in January. That’s a stark contrast to Mr. Trump’s predecessor, who oversaw a 4 percent decline in the inflation-adjusted value of those weekly paychecks.

Average weekly earnings have increased from January thru June prelim from 1221.80 to 1241.46. That's an increase of 1.6%. Inflation has increased 1.5% over the same period. Average weekly earnings during Biden's last year in office rose from 1178.87 to 1221.80. That's an increase of 3.6% versus an inflation rate of 3.0% over the same period. More lies from Antoni. Wages performed significantly better relative to inflation during Biden's last year than they have under Trump.

And unlike the last administration, the labor market is no longer depending on a massively expanding federal workforce to pump up the monthly job numbers. Federal payrolls (excluding the postal service) have declined every month this year as Mr. Trump slashes the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C.

The decline in the federal workforce this year has completely offset hiring by state and local governments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey shows the number of people employed by the government fell more than half a million in the first half of this year.

So now he is mixing the household data with the establishment data - sure sign of a lying asshole. From the CES Survey, Total Government Employment as of the June prelim data was 23,698,000. Total Government Employment in January was 23,592,000. So not only did government employment NOT fall by over half a million during the first half of this year, it actually INCREASED by over 100,000. That preliminary figure for total government employment in June was an all time record HIGH for government employment!!!!! Talk about dishonest?!?!?!

Clearly this guy has no problem lying about actual published data. I'd hate to imagine how ridiculous the numbers would look if he were given free reign by Trump to "make the numbers look like you think they should". The only comforting thought in that is that we will know the data is completely made up if/when he would try that.

Wiz Imp

(6,761 posts)
5. Oh, and his statement about government workers from the household survey is total bullshit
Mon Aug 11, 2025, 10:53 AM
Aug 11

as the household survey doesn't measure number of employed persons by industry. That survey does measure number of unemployed by industry, and the number of unemployed workers in Government did increase by 328,000 from January to June, but those numbers are not seasonally adjusted and a large portion of that increase is definitely seasonal. Regardless, the number is nowhere near half a million.

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