B Jarosz

Statistics, public data leaders condemn Trump’s order to fire BLS commissioner One group, whose leadership includes two former BLS commissioners, called on Congress to respond immediately and investigate her removal.

“It’s just completely disheartening. It’s a sign that norms that have long existed are shattered,” says APDU President @amy-ohara.bsky.social about the firing of BLS Commissioner McEnfarfer

fedscoop.com/statistics-p...

Photo credit: Jp Valery via Unsplash
Alt text: A hand holding three $100 bills that are on fire.

And yes. The jobs numbers matter too.
But I wrote about that already.

You can read more about what I think about the whole situation here:
apdu.org?p=5813739

So who's overseeing BLS can have very real consequences for our personal wallets.

AND it's not just Social Security payments that rely on accurate price data from BLS. Other things that do:
- Income tax brackets
- Nutrition assistance
...and maybe even YOUR pay.

(Ever get a "cost of living" adjustment? It was probably based on the CPI from BLS.)

The Fed might lower interest rates (this will make some people happy).

Meanwhile...grocery, fuel, & housing prices *are* actually higher.

Social Security payments won't accurately correct for the higher prices. And we'll have more seniors deciding whether to buy groceries or refill a prescription

Right now POTUS wants inflation to be 🔽 (so Fed will cut interest rates).

So if inflation remains high, & BLS shows that inflation is still high, that's a threat to what he wants.

A political lackey might "cook the books" to make the number look lower.

So...

The BLS Commissioner also oversees the production of price data--like producer prices and--importantly--consumer prices.

Still sounds wonky, right? Bear with me...

Each year Social Security payments are adjusted based on the consumer price index (CPI).

I think the thing many people don't understand yet, because the headlines are all so tied to "jobs" numbers, is that the removal of the BLS Commissioner also means our individual wallets are at risk...

What?!

Let me explain... 🧵

Accurate on all points

So it wasn't *just* admin data.
(Though that was arguably the most alarming up until yesterday.)

I mostly, but not entirely, agree with this assessment. The admin has been altering previously-published data by removing or recoding gender variables. They have been scaling back surveys due to staffing constraints (e.g. consumer prices). They have suspended or censored data collections & reports.

I don't agree on every point in this thread but do agree with most.

And are the right kinds of questions to be asking.

(These are the things APDU and similar orgs have been wrestling with since November--you know, back when people laughed at us and said we were being hysterical.)

The ADP payroll numbers get plenty of press. I don't think the media part is as big a hurdle as you think...

Well it was a nice month while it lasted...

(Note: many still are working to remain independent, but today that got a lot harder.)

Why aren't we already besties?

Respectfully... those safeguards were rooted in the legal protection against retaliation (like firing) for partisan political reasons.

Those protections are failing.

The bulwarks have been breached.

If only they were part of a co-equal branch of govt and could do something... 🤔

One of the many reasons I like Bill (and Erica, and all of the other co-authors on their statement)

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.

APDU Statement on Firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner | Association of Public Data Users (APDU) APDU Statement on Firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner "The moment many of us in the public data community have feared has come to pass: the President has fired the head of a federa...

The @apduorg.bsky.social also issued a statement. You can read that here: www.linkedin.com/posts/apdu-a...

You can read the full statement here: www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

The bulwark of federal statistical independence has been breached.

(My org issued a statement about why this is so deeply troubling: bsky.app/profile/apdu...)

This.

Absolutely unacceptable behavior by POTUS.
The one shining hope for me amidst all this chaos is being part of a team who are willing to drop their Friday night plans to respond.

My sentiments exactly.
Many of us knew this was coming but that the dedicated civil servants would hold out as long as they could to preserve the integrity of the statistical system.
Those ramparts have been breached.

The thing we warned about has happened:
Tell the truth, get fired.

Breaking: Another CDC purge underway. Multiple members of the Director’s Advisory Committee terminated without explanation. I believe were are breaking some news here in Inside Medicine.

The broad termination of federal advisory committee members will only undermine trust in US government agencies. I am particularly worried this will only fuel the persistence of questions about CDC’s independence.

insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-a...

Evangelical legal group asks Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage ruling (RNS) — ‘We think that it’s not a matter of if, but just a matter of when, the Supreme Court will overrule Obergefell,’ said Mathew Staver, head of Liberty Counsel.

And so it begins...

Evangelical legal group asks Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage ruling [Obergefell v. Hodges]

What could possibly go wrong?