The Bureau of Labor Statistics needs reform

OPINION:

Many government agencies are little known to most Americans, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been one of them until recently.

That all changed when President Trump fired the director for issuing “rigged” statistics and several massive, after-the-fact data revisions, including a stunning downward revision of 818,000 jobs.

It never should have reached that point.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics was created in 1884 with an apolitical mission: to ensure valuable economic data is collected, processed and disseminated in the most timely and accurate way possible.

That data was then meant to inform economic policy, allowing government officials and business leaders to act in the best interests of everyday Americans. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has fallen far short of its lofty calling.

Mr. Trump has rightfully taken action to change that by appointing a new leader, E.J. Antoni. Mr. Antoni’s task? To deliver the truth to the American people, without either spinning it politically or sitting by idly as the Bureau of Labor Statistics standards continue to erode. To do that, he must change the bureau’s lackluster data collection practices.

Many of the statistics come from employer surveys, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been unable lately to get more than 50% of businesses to respond. That low response rate calls the bureau’s data and findings into question, undermining its ability to assert confidently that its numbers are accurate. The same data collection issues have plagued the bureau’s management of the consumer price index since the pandemic emergency.

The CPI is meant to measure the change in prices over time, allowing everyday Americans to see how their cost of living is shifting. This information can be used to form policy opinions and manage household budgets. It is essential that the CPI accurately reflects market prices; otherwise, consumers and businesses could be led completely astray as to what actions and policies are best for them, their families and the nation.

More than mere low response rates and poor collection methods, the bureau under Commissioner Erika McEntarfer frequently miscalculated job numbers and then had to publicly revise them. During President Biden’s tenure, the agency significantly overstated job growth, releasing overly optimistic and inaccurate figures that it later had to adjust down in dramatic fashion.

Add all this up, and you’re left with an agency whose statistics are often questionable at best and, at worst, are completely false and in need of revision. It’s unacceptable for the greatest economy in the world to rely on such untrustworthy and inaccurate data. Fortunately, Mr. Trump recognizes the need for change, as does his nominee for Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner.

Mr. Antoni has long criticized the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ flawed data collection techniques and inaccurate reports. More than that, during his time at The Heritage Foundation, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and other institutions, he has produced his own quality economic research that he has disseminated to millions of people through national outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Bloomberg.

Mr. Antoni has become a trusted adviser to many of the institutions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is supposed to serve. This makes him the perfect person to run the bureau and achieve Mr. Trump’s goal of restoring accuracy and transparency to the agency’s data. He has long been a vocal proponent of accurate and timely data collection at the bureau, and he is dedicated to removing any and all partisanship.

Mr. Trump seeks to make America great again, but that can’t happen unless he can base his policies on accurate data. So far, that’s something the Bureau of Labor Statistics has failed to deliver, but with Mr. Antoni at the helm, there is hope for change.

• Sen. Tommy Tuberville is the senior Republican senator from Alabama.