Trump picks veteran economist to replace fired Bureau of Labor Statistics chief

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would nominate career economist Brett Matsumoto as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, months after he fired the previous chief following a weak jobs report.

“I am confident that Brett has the experience to QUICKLY fix the long history of problems at the BLS on behalf of the American people,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump fired then-Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, appointed by former President Joe Biden, in August, accusing her without evidence of manipulating July numbers, which showed unexpectedly slow job growth and largely revised downward nonfarm payrolls for the previous two months.

In addition to employment data, the bureau produces U.S. inflation reports, among others.

Matsumoto is a veteran BLS economist who is on leave from the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Trump initially chose conservative economist EJ Antoni to lead the agency, but withdrew the nomination. Matsumoto’s nomination requires Senate confirmation.

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Former BLS commissioners have described Trump’s attacks on the agency as unwarranted, saying they risked undermining confidence in economic data and driving career economists from their roles.

Trump is under increasing pressure to deliver strong economic results before the November elections that will determine control of Congress. Voters have been displeased by his handling of cost-of-living issues, with only 35% of them giving the Republican president passing grades on the economy.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chris Reese and William Mallard)