Why Erika McEntarfer’s Dismissal Should Alarm Every Business Owner in America

Nikki Porcher
Aug 7
5 min read

The president fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he didn’t like the jobs report. That’s not politics. That’s a threat to democracy.

Erika McEntarfer, a Senate-confirmed economist with years of experience, was fired last week, hours after releasing July’s jobs report and correcting data from previous months. The report wasn’t flattering. Job growth had slowed, and earlier months had been revised downward. That’s how data works. You gather more information, and you update the facts.

But facts don’t seem to matter anymore. In Trump’s world, if the truth makes him look bad, he fires it.

And that should concern every single person in this country, whether you’re a business owner, a worker, a parent, or just someone trying to survive.

This Is Bigger Than One Firing

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is one of the most trusted, nonpartisan agencies in our government. It tells us what jobs are being created, where wages are falling, and how people are actually doing in the economy. If that data becomes political, we all lose.

We can’t afford to live in a country where the numbers are rewritten to protect power. Because if the truth no longer matters, then what happens to policy? What happens to programs meant to support small businesses? What happens to the everyday people who are barely holding on?

Why This Matters for Black Business

I’m not an economist on paper, but I live the economics of being a Black woman business owner every single day. And I know when we’re being told to sit down and shut up. This isn’t just about one woman losing her job. It’s about what happens when the people in power start rewriting data to suit their politics.

If they can erase a bad jobs report, they can erase the truth about Black unemployment.If they can fire the messenger, they can silence our message.If they can politicize economic facts, they can justify policies that hurt our businesses again.

Black-owned businesses are always the first to feel the tremors of economic instability. We don’t have the cushion of generational wealth. We don’t get the same access to capital. And we sure as hell don’t get bailed out when things go south. So when they start playing games with the scoreboard, we are the ones most likely to get benched.

You Think This Has Nothing to Do with You?

If you’re a Black business owner reading this, let me be clear. Your bottom line is under attack. Not just from inflation. Not just from supply chain issues. But from a deliberate campaign to control the narrative and erase the data that proves we exist, we build, and we struggle.

Right now, Black unemployment is at 7.2 percent, nearly double the national average. That’s not just a number. That’s a reality. That’s missed mortgage payments, empty storefronts, and delayed dreams. And it’s not being shouted from the rooftops the way it should be.

When Trump says the jobs report was rigged, what he’s really saying is that any truth that doesn’t fit his version of the economy must go. And that includes the truth about how Black businesses are surviving, or not.

We’ve already seen what happens when data gets twisted. During the pandemic, Black-owned businesses closed at twice the rate of white-owned ones. But how many headlines told that truth? How many federal dollars followed the facts?

Let’s Talk About What 7.2 Percent Really Means

That number isn’t just about people looking for work and not finding it. It’s also connected to something else. Fewer Black people are working, period. The employment-to-population ratio for Black workers has been falling for consecutive months. That means more of us are losing jobs, not just applying for new ones.

And historically, Black unemployment rises faster in a downturn and falls more slowly in a recovery. We are the last ones hired, so we are often the first ones let go. That’s not new. That’s structural.

We are overrepresented in the industries most vulnerable to cuts, like retail, food service, care work, and logistics. So even when the rest of the economy is holding steady, we’re still taking the hit.

The truth is, this jobs report wasn’t catastrophic. But firing Erika McEntarfer was never about the data. It was about controlling the narrative. And in this moment, the truth is that Black workers and Black businesses are once again being left exposed.

We Lose More Than a Statistician

Let me say this plainly. The Bureau of Labor Statistics isn’t exciting. Most people don’t think about it unless they’re an economist, a policymaker, or someone trying to figure out whether it’s a good time to change careers. But this agency matters more than people realize. It tells us which industries are growing. It tracks how many hours people are working. It lets us know what folks are getting paid. This is the data that shapes policy, business investment, and job training. This is the data the Federal Reserve uses to decide interest rates.

Now we’re watching a sitting president try to discredit an entire federal agency just because the facts didn’t flatter him.

That’s the real danger. Not that the numbers were wrong, but that people will stop believing any of the numbers moving forward. Even if the next commissioner operates with full integrity, the damage has already started. And the people who will suffer most are the ones who rely on this data to make everyday decisions, not the ones sitting in power.

Once we lose trust in the numbers, we’re flying blind. It’s like trying to land a plane in a storm with no visibility. How do you plan a workforce strategy? How do you direct funding? How do you set wages or advocate for better labor protections if nobody believes the math?

This wasn’t just about one job report. This was about undermining the entire process of economic truth to protect one man’s ego.

And let’s not forget. We’ve seen this playbook before. The last time he didn’t like what the numbers said, he tried to stop COVID testing and told reporters that if we just didn’t test, the cases would go away. That wasn’t a joke. He meant it.

Ignoring or distorting data doesn’t make problems disappear. It makes them worse.

And this time, the problem is affecting the economy. For the worker. For the business owner. For the person trying to figure out why their paycheck doesn’t stretch anymore.

We can’t afford to sit quietly and let this happen. We have to speak up, pay attention, and protect the institutions that protect us. Especially the ones that speak the truth when it’s hard to hear.

Don’t Miss the Bigger Picture

This wasn’t just a headline. This was a test. And now the question is, are we paying attention?

McEntarfer didn’t rig anything. What she did was her job. She stood by the data and let the numbers speak. And for that, she was fired.

What You Can Do

Whether you’re a business owner, a worker, or someone who simply believes in the power of truth, you have a role to play. Here’s how:

Stay informed. Read the full breakdown from the Economic Policy Institute: epi.org/policywatch/firing-bls-commissioner-erika-mcentarfer
Support media and leaders who tell the truth. Misinformation wins when we ignore it.
Pay attention to labor policy. These roles matter. Our lives are shaped by the people making decisions about work.
Protect institutions that protect you. It’s not enough to be outraged. We need to organize around transparency, accountability, and data that reflects real life.