President Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on August 1, 2025, following the release of a jobs report that showed a sharp slowdown in U.S. hiring during the summer. Trump accused McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, of manipulating employment data to make him look bad, claims that have been widely disputed by former officials and economists. The White House defended the dismissal, citing concerns over increasingly inaccurate data revisions and asserting that a revamp of the agency was overdue. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the BLS data errors as "lazy work." The firing has sparked controversy and raised concerns among investors, economists, and policymakers about the integrity and reliability of U.S. economic statistics, which underpin market confidence and policymaking. Critics, including former BLS heads and economists, warned that the move breaks a longstanding tradition of non-interference in the agency and risks undermining public trust in official economic data. Some have drawn parallels to data manipulation practices in other countries, emphasizing the potential damage to the credibility of U.S. statistics. Trump subsequently presented alternative economic statistics, alleging that official figures were biased in favor of his predecessor, Joe Biden. The episode has ignited a broader debate over the future of the BLS and the reliability of government economic data amid political pressures.