Trump's nominee for the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Don't report the monthly employment report before the issue is resolved
Trump found the employment data unflattering and fired the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, McKinney, accusing him of "manipulating" employment data, then quickly nominated E.J. Antoni, chief economist of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, as his successor.
According to a video released by Fox News on August 12, Antoni told an interview on the 11th that he echoed Trump's doubts about the Bureau of Labor Statistics data and said the agency should suspend the release of monthly employment reports.
The Washington Post said this change could temporarily deprive American businesses and policymakers of data used for decades to assess the labor market and overall economic conditions. According to reports, Antoni has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the agency's data over the past year. However, several former directors of the Bureau of Labor Statistics said there was no evidence that the agency "manipulated the data."
"The Bureau of Labor Statistics should suspend the release of monthly employment reports until the issues are corrected," Antoni told Fox News. "However, it should continue to release more accurate but less timely quarterly data."
Antoni also criticized the previous director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, McKinney, for significantly revising monthly employment data, saying, "Major decision-makers from Wall Street to Washington rely on these data, and the lack of credibility in the data can have far-reaching consequences."
When asked about Antoni's remarks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on the 12th that they still plan to continue releasing monthly employment reports. She added, "This is our expectation, and these monthly reports will be data that Americans can trust."
Antoni did not respond to requests for comment. However, during an interview with Fox News on the 11th, he said he did not believe the employment data was "intentionally manipulated," but rather due to low survey response rates leading to major revisions. He said, "How do companies plan? How does the Federal Reserve set monetary policy? When they don't know how many jobs have been added or lost in the economy, it's a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840348347843592/
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