Kristina McElheran

August 1, 2025 AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations Statement from the American Economic Association on the Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today. The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day. Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias. The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity. Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions. We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure. Lawrence Katz President, American Economic Association Katharine Abraham President-Elect, American Economic Association Karen Dynan Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics Kenneth Troske Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal

It doesn’t even have to be politicized, just de-resourced. Harper did a number on Canadian statistics back in the day. So much of our work takes measurement for granted (while obsessing over identification)….

I've never seen someone's soul leave their body in the middle of a word before

This is gutting. Thank you for your service and unwavering integrity.

What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?

Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...

Best thing I learned all day.

Statement here: cpb.org/pressroom/Co...

"CPB informed its employees today that the majority of staff positions will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. A small transition team will remain through January 2026..."

"I see you are affiliated with Very Important Men, so we will condescend to invite you to give a free keynote for us" is a really crummy invitation strategy, FWIW.

“The internet hasn’t disappeared, but most of the money did.”

😂

I view this as an essential tool in maintaining cognitive plasticity as I age. I also resist helping my kids figure it out, as an opportunity for them to tolerate frustration and stay open to trying new problem solving approaches.

If you were alive in the 1980s, this is among the most wonderful & truly incredible things you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.

Better, now. Thank you for sharing!

Dunno. Just got chastised for hitting the “submit” button on the new expense report system because I did not follow the process for naming a delegate, instead…the instructions for which will be following soon (three months after we were told to submit only via the new system).

US economic data quality a worry, authorities not acting urgently enough, experts say Risks to the quality of official U.S. economic data - long seen as the gold standard - are worrying 89 of 100 top policy experts polled by Reuters, with most also concerned that the authorities are not addressing the issue urgently enough.

"People take statistical agencies for granted. So they're easy to cut because there's no lobby or special interest group that's powerful enough to protect them."
- Ethan Harris, former head of global economic research at Bank of America
www.reuters.com/business/us-...

I have been thinking about this a lot, lately, after finding the troubling productivity impacts of AI on older firms ( conference.nber.org/conf_papers/... ), combined with prior work showing the impacts of digitization on older workers (www.nber.org/papers/w28094).
#EconSky

#Econsky is getting into this, along with the management literature. The risks of the approach are often swept under the rug as “measurement error” (working against finding a result), but I’m not so sure. The volume is ramping up faster than our (or at least my) mastery of new methods…

Once you start looking for it, you start to notice how much meaning gets distorted under the copy-editor’s red pen and the push to make all writing as short and punchy as possible. And here, by distorted, I mean wrong.

No one needs that kind of negativity here.

The canary in the coal mine is actually an eagle.
#econsky #usa

‘Profound concern’ as scientists say extreme heat ‘now the norm’ in UK Frequency of heatwaves and flooding raises fears over health, infrastructure and how society functions

Time to act. 1/2
#ClimateCrisis #Climate #ClimateEmergency
🧪 #PoliSky #EconSky

RePEc sites are again being hit by multiple bots that tax their resources. There may be timeouts (504) or some scripts not delivering content. Just try again.

And if you run such a bot because you want the data, you can get it all much more easily:

ideas.repec.org/getdata.html

#RePEc #EconSky

I will dig in. But I am getting a strong sense of “we want A Number, so give us an approximation—that we can regurgitate as The Number indefinitely…” My understanding is that companies are not sharing the data we would need to accurately quantify this.

The urgent national need to enhance the quality and timeliness of American Community Survey data. Response rates are down post-pandemic, threatening small area/group stats.
thecensusproject.org/wp-content/u...

'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre Residents in rural Georgia say the data centre next door has disrupted their water supply.

Anyone know where this number comes from?

“A single AI query - for example, a request to ChatGPT - can use about as much water as a small bottle you'd buy from the corner shop. Multiply that by billions of queries a day, and the scale becomes clear.”

Helene’s Unheard Warnings As Hurricane Helene barreled toward Yancey County in North Carolina, communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains were particularly vulnerable. But there were no evacuation orders, and few…

“If we had an evacuation order, we certainly would have moved,” a father of nine who lives in Yancey County said.

“I went to bed not worrying about it,” said a woman whose family has lived in the area for at least five generations.

(Published May)

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Rapid Response Data Briefing: American Time Use Survey. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Did you know that the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is up for renewal? Join us to learn: - What's in the ATUS? - Why is ATUS important? - What are the risks facing its continued collection and publi...

The American Time Use Survey is up for renewal, or cancellation.

OMB is gathering input on the data's importance.

@ipums.bsky.social organized a rapid response briefing to equip us with tools to effectively comment.
#EconSky #sociology #policysky

Register:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Relying on readily-available data also injects massive survivor bias. The data sets that show all of the exits and slow growth are incredibly hard to access and work with (e.g. Census)

Trump's NOAA Budget Cuts Could Gut Critical Climate Modeling Potential funding cuts for NOAA and its research partners threaten irreparable harm not only to climate research but to American safety, competitiveness, and national security.

“If we don’t understand what’s happening and why it’s happening, you can’t be adapting. … You’re just going to suffer,” said a member of NOAA’s scientific advisory board. “We’re going to see huge impacts on infrastructure and lives lost in the U.S.”

(Published April)