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Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal Judge blocks Trump from closing East Potomac Park golf course for now Trump asks Supreme Court to curb judges' power to void unlawful rules nationwide On tape: Richard Blumenthal says the Trump administration let $190 million in anti-human trafficking grants lapse On tape: Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican, on the House floor: the president never asked Congress before sending troops… Massie to force new House vote to end Trump's Iran war before he leaves in January Over 200 Democrats ask appeals court to strike down VA's abortion ban for veterans Kushner says U.S. is brokering Europe-Russia talks and planning next Ukraine round Blumenthal says Lutnick 'must go' over stalled Nvidia chip blacklist for Megaspeed NBC says Democrat Mary Peltola likely to beat Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska On tape: Hakeem Jeffries: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick could face Intel Committee subpoenas over Nvidia scandal
Erika McEntarfer
Photo: United States Department of Labor, Public domain

The Administration · Out the door

Erika McEntarfer

Former Commissioner of Labor Statistics Out the door

Career federal economist who ran the agency that produces the monthly jobs report and was fired by Trump in August 2025 hours after a weak report, alarming economists across party lines.

Why they left: Trump ordered her fired on August 1, 2025, hours after a jobs report showed 73,000 jobs added in July and cut the May and June figures by 258,000; he called the revision a major mistake without offering evidence that the data were wrong. 2 Now: Research scholar and distinguished policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, according to Wikipedia. 1

Biography

Erika McEntarfer is a labor economist who spent more than 20 years in federal service, mostly at the Census Bureau, with stints at the Treasury Department and the White House Council of Economic Advisers. 1 2 President Biden nominated her to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2023 and the Senate confirmed her 86-8 in January 2024. 1

On August 1, 2025 the bureau reported weak July hiring and large downward revisions to earlier months. Within hours Trump said he had ordered her dismissal and accused her, without evidence, of manipulating the numbers. 1 2 CBS News noted that the bureau routinely revises its figures in both directions. 2 Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer backed the firing. 2

Trump's first choice to replace her, E.J. Antoni, was withdrawn in September 2025. 1 Deputy William Wiatrowski ran the bureau as acting commissioner until career economist Brett Matsumoto, confirmed on August 7, 2026, took office on August 11, 2026. 2 3

In the job

What happened while Erika held the post.

  1. Began her term as commissioner. 1

  2. The bureau's July report showed 73,000 jobs added and revised May and June down by a combined 258,000. 2

  3. Trump said on social media that he had ordered her fired and would name someone more competent; William Wiatrowski became acting commissioner. 2

  4. Trump nominated E.J. Antoni to succeed her; the nomination was withdrawn in September 2025 after criticism. 1

Disputes, and their side

What critics, courts or investigators have said, and the answer given. An allegation is not a finding.

  1. Trump accused her of faking jobs numbers before the 2024 election. He offered no evidence, and economists rejected the claim; her Trump-appointed predecessor William Beach called the firing groundless. 1 2

    Their side: McEntarfer later said the bureau's data could still be trusted because its career staff remain in place and would raise the alarm about any interference. 1

Career

  1. Economist, U.S. Census Bureau
  2. Economist, Treasury Department Office of Tax Policy
  3. Lead economist and later head of research for labor-market data programs at the Census Bureau
  4. Senior economist, White House Council of Economic Advisers
  5. Commissioner of Labor Statistics
  6. Research scholar, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Our reporting

We have not yet published a story that names Erika McEntarfer. When we do, it will appear here.

Sources for this file

  1. Wikipedia, Erika McEntarfer, Nov. 13, 2026
  2. CBS News, Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after disappointing job numbers, Aug. 2, 2025
  3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Brett Matsumoto, Commissioner, Aug. 2026

File checked Nov. 13, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Tell the desk.