Trump nominates Brett Matsumoto to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

President Trump said on Jan. 30, 2026, that he would nominate Brett Matsumoto, a career government economist, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, six months after Mr. Trump fired the previous commissioner. Mr. Matsumoto is the administration’s second pick for the job after an earlier nominee, E.J.

Antoni, faced bipartisan criticism and was withdrawn. He has a doctorate in economics from the University of North Carolina (2015), has worked at the B.L.S. since then, recently conducted research on measuring inflation, spent the past year on assignment at the Council of Economic Advisers and has been active on social media explaining statistical nuances; he did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Trump announced the nomination on Truth Social and renewed attacks on the agency, calling its past leaders “WEAK and STUPID people” and saying it had produced “VERY inaccurate numbers.” Mr. Trump fired the previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, after a weak jobs report, accusing her of bias — a claim experts rejected — and raising concerns about potential political interference in the agency’s work.

There is no evidence so far that the administration has skewed the agency’s statistics, and William Wiatrowski, the longtime deputy commissioner, has led the bureau on an interim basis since August. Still, the B.L.S.

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