In a lengthy post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump unveiled his pick to head up the Bureau of Labor Statistics months after ousting its chief.
Trump unleashed criticism on the agency’s previous leadership, claiming that “WEAK and STUPID people” ran the BLS “for many years.” He railed that the bureau has been “FAILING American Businesses, Policymakers, and Families by releasing VERY inaccurate numbers.”
Trump then revealed his replacement: a veteran economist from his first administration.
“That is why I FIRED the former Commissioner, and am pleased to nominate the very talented Brett Matsumoto as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),” he wrote.
Matsumoto, who previously served as a Supervisory Research Economist at the BLS, currently holds the position of Senior Economist on the Trump Council of Economic Advisers, a role he held during Trump’s first term. Trump described him as “Brilliant, Reputable, and Trusted.”
“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,” wrote Trump.
The agency has faced turmoil since Trump ousted its previous chief, Erika McEntarfer, in August following a weak jobs report that he claimed was “rigged” against him.
In the fall, the BLS announced there wouldn’t be an October jobs report, the first time the monthly data has not been released in 12 years.
In November, the White House warned that the federal statistical system could be “permanently damaged” in the fallout over the government shutdown.
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