In a late Friday announcement, President Donald Trump revealed his plan to nominate economist Brett Matsumoto to serve as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This nomination comes after a period of notable upheaval within the agency, including the abrupt dismissal of the previous commissioner in August.
The BLS, a federal agency tasked with delivering essential economic statistics such as the monthly employment report and inflation figures, operates under a four-year commissioner term that requires Senate approval. These data releases are vital indicators used to gauge the performance of the nation's economic health.
Historically, the BLS has maintained a reputation as a non-partisan institution. Despite its importance, the bureau has faced chronic budgetary and staffing limitations. Those constraints have become more pronounced during President Trump's second term, leading to scaling back some data collection operations. These factors have contributed to operational challenges within the agency.
The turbulence at the BLS intensified during the summer, when the agency reported a significant slowdown in job growth. This report elicited sharp criticism from President Trump, who expressed suspicions about the accuracy of the labor statistics, suggesting that the data might have been manipulated.
Following the release of the weak jobs figures, Trump removed then-commissioner Erika McEntarfer from her position before her term concluded. Subsequently, he selected E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to lead the BLS. However, antagonism toward Antoni's previous criticism of the bureau and his outspoken political opinions triggered backlash, resulting in the withdrawal of his nomination in September.
Brett Matsumoto emerges as the third nominee in this sequence. Holding a Ph.D. in economics, Matsumoto has been with the BLS since 2015, working in the Division of Price and Index Number Research. Most recently, he served as a senior economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, bringing seasoned expertise to the role.
President Trump praised Matsumoto in his announcement, describing him as a "brilliant, reputable, and trusted economist" capable of restoring the BLS to a state of "greatness." If the Senate confirms the nomination, Matsumoto will succeed acting commissioner William Wiatrowski, who assumed leadership duties after McEntarfer's departure.
The appointment of Matsumoto coincides with another significant nomination by the Trump administration: Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve, a move anticipated by financial markets in recent days.