Katharine Abraham affirms the independence of employment reports
Abraham explains BLS data is independent, not political
Faculty Associate Katharine Abraham, former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1993-2001, appeared on CBS news’ The Takeout with Major Garrett to address recent claims of politically influenced jobs data. Responding to reports that President Trump fired the BLS commissioner over a rigged jobs report, Abraham clarified that “the commissioner has no control at all over what the numbers are, they’ve been produced using methods laid out well in advance and carried out by the professional staff of the BLS.” She emphasized that “there is no discretion on the part of the commissioner about what the report says.”