Washington, D.C. — Today, President Donald Trump announced that he is firing the commissioner of Labor Statistics following the release of a disappointing jobs report that also showed a rising unemployment rate. In response, Lily Roberts, managing director for Inclusive Growth at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Trump is firing the messenger because he doesn’t seem to like jobs numbers that reflect how badly he’s damaged the economy. The data he wants to hide is produced by nonpartisan economists who have been doing this work for decades. Politicizing our country’s collection of data on what’s going on in the economy could shake markets that rely on unbiased information, and it will make it harder to create an economy that makes sure everyone has a good job. Borrowing from the authoritarian playbook fuels more uncertainty that will cost Americans for years to come.
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