National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett expressed support for President Donald Trump's decision to dismiss the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), citing concerns over perceived partisan bias in job data reporting. During an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Hassett highlighted a significant benchmark revision from August 2024, which indicated that job gains from March 2023 to March 2024 had been overstated by 818,000 jobs, marking the largest revision in 50 years.
Hassett commented on the timing of the revision, noting that it occurred shortly after former President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race. He suggested that such discrepancies in data could lead to suspicions of a partisan influence on the BLS. Hassett further criticized the bureau for a lack of transparency regarding the August revision, describing the process as a "little black box" that raises questions about the reliability of the data.
In addition to addressing the revisions, Hassett defended the integrity of economic data, emphasizing its importance for decision-makers. He advocated for new leadership at the BLS to restore trust in the agency's reporting practices. Despite recent disappointing job reports, which showed a net gain of only 74,000 jobs in July—below economists' expectations—Hassett pointed to a 3.0% annual GDP growth rate reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis as a positive indicator.
Hassett concluded by reiterating the necessity for reliable data, particularly in light of the growing gig economy, and backed Trump's call for changes within the BLS to improve the accuracy and credibility of employment statistics.