Warren, Sanders, Colleagues Question Trump Administration’s Attacks on Transparent Economic Data

Warren, Sanders, Colleagues Question Trump Administration's Attacks on Transparent Economic Data

"Businesses, families, and investors all rely on the federal government's high quality economic data to make decisions that are critical to our economic security and financial stability. Any attempts by the Trump Administration to distort it will have serious consequences for every American."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions led 10 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Mark Calabria, Chief Statistician of the United States, requesting information on the Administration's plans to implement changes to economic data collection, analyses, and reporting. The letter follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics delaying the release of its annual Consumer Expenditure Survey and repeated statements from the President and senior Administration officials that undermine confidence in economic data.

The signers of the letter include Senators: Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

The news about the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) delaying its annual Consumer Expenditure Survey to address a technical error "underscores how strained our federal statistical agencies have become," wrote the Senators. "Rather than strengthening these agencies, the Trump Administration has spent the last eight months calling into question the integrity of U.S. economic data, while simultaneously undermining the tools in place to improve data accuracy and public trust."

The Senators expressed concern about the Administration's allegations of political manipulation on economic data, including the firing of BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer: "President Trump's decision to fire Commissioner McEntarfer represents a departure from over a century of statistical independence and has alarmed economists and former BLS Commissioners from both parties, who warn that it threatens public trust and the quality of data that is essential for public and private sector decision-making."

"If the Administration is serious about improving the quality of economic data, they should ensure that federal statistics agencies have the appropriate resources to modernize statistical methods and increase survey response rates," wrote the Senators.

The Senators continued: "Businesses, families, and investors all rely on the federal government's high quality economic data to make decisions that are critical to our economic security and financial stability. Any attempts by the Trump Administration to distort it will have serious consequences for every American."

The Senators concluded by requesting answers to their questions on data quality and public trust in federal economic data by October 6, 2025.

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