Cooking the Numbers: What Happens When You Fire the Person Who Keeps the Books?
When the data that decides your benefits can be bent, so can your future.
The Gist:
President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics—right as the data used to calculate your 2026 COLA was being finalized. It’s not just a power move. It could shake the benefits lifeline for over 70 million Americans.
On August 1, 2025, President Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—right in the middle of the data window that determines how much your benefits will go up next year.
The reason? He didn’t like the jobs report.
He said she wasn’t “competent.” That he’d find someone “much more qualified.”
Let’s talk about that.
