President Donald Trump is expected to name replacements for two important vacancies in the coming days, one at the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the other as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Both positions were vacant last Friday, with the Fed position following the surprise resignation of Governor Adriana Kugler, while the BLS position was vacant after Trump's surprise decision to fire its commissioner, Erika McEntharfer. Trump told the media that he was considering several candidates and would make an announcement soon.
Kugler, whose term was set to end next January, chose to step down early without giving a reason in his resignation letter to Trump. During his nearly two years in office, he has often supported Chairman Jerome Powell's policies, for which he has often been the target of Trump's criticism. This resignation opens up the opportunity for Trump to appoint candidates who are in line with his vision, including former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, or National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. Trump had previously said Fed nominees would be screened based on their willingness to vote to lower the key funds rate.
Meanwhile, McEntarfer’s firing came after a disappointing July jobs report, with the economy adding just 73,000 jobs and a revision for the previous two months reducing the number by 258,000. Trump accused McEntarfer of making “the biggest miscalculation in more than 50 years.” Widespread criticism followed, with concerns that the move could politicize official labor data, a key benchmark in economic policymaking. Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski is currently serving as acting head of the BLS.
