BLS Postpones Key Consumer Report Amid Political Turmoil Following Director’s Firing

The Bureau of Labor Statistics quietly delayed a major economic release late Friday, offering no explanation beyond a website notice promising future updates. The move came hours after President TRUMP abruptly terminated Director Erika, a Biden appointee, following disappointing jobs data.

Erika learned of her dismissal through a terse WHITE House email, only confirming the news after media inquiries about Trump's social media post demanding her removal. The ousted director had earlier briefed Labor officials on August 1 about anomalous job figures, emphasizing that late-reporting firms skewed the results downward without indicating broader economic weakness.

The tense briefing room atmosphere foreshadowed the political firestorm. "Faces around the table were glum," Erika recalled during a Bard College appearance, describing the silent reception to her technical explanation of data revisions.