Trump Nominee Proposes Suspending Monthly Jobs Reports to Avoid Revisions

E.J. Antoni, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has sparked controversy by suggesting the agency temporarily halt publication of its monthly Employment Situation Summary report. The proposal follows unusually large downward revisions to May and June job creation data, which prompted TRUMP to fire the previous BLS chief.

While suspending the reports WOULD eliminate surprises from future revisions, it would leave policymakers and businesses without timely economic indicators. The BLS currently supplements monthly data with more accurate quarterly figures, but these lack the immediacy market participants rely on.

Government economic data revisions remain routine and generally non-controversial, as they incorporate late-arriving information. However, the Trump administration's focus on jobs report accuracy reflects heightened sensitivity to economic narratives during an election year.