President Donald Trump said late Friday that he intends to nominate veteran economist Brett Matsumoto to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after abruptly firing the agency’s commissioner in August.
“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 said in a post on Truth Social. The role carries a four-year term and is subject to Senate confirmation.
Matsumoto Takes Helm After Brief Turmoil
BLS prides itself on being a non-partisan agency responsible for compiling key economic indicators, including the closely watched monthly jobs report and inflation data, which are central gauges of the health of the world’s largest economy. But like many statistical agencies, it has long operated under tight budgets and staffing constraints, pressures that have intensified in Trump’s second term and forced cutbacks in some data collection efforts.
Then, a sharp slowdown in job growth over the last summer drew heavy criticism from Trump, who claimed the data were rigged.
Trump fired Commissioner Erika McEntarfer midway through her term, following a weak jobs report. Shortly after, he picked E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation, to run the agency, but abruptly pulled the nomination in September after backlash for his criticism of the BLS and vocal political views.
Matsumoto, who holds a Ph.D. in economics, joined the BLS in 2015 and works in the Division of Price and Index Number Research. He recently served as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
“Brett Matsumoto is a Brilliant, Reputable, and Trusted Economist who will restore GREATNESS to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” Trump said on Friday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Matsumoto would replace acting BLS Commissioner William Wiatrowski, who took the helm after McEntarfer was fired.
The appointment comes as Trump also formally nominated Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve earlier on Friday, confirming market expectations that had been building for days.
Image via Shutterstock
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