By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-asked-if-trump-administration-will-continue-to-release-jobs-report-leavitt-says-i-believe-that-is-the-plan Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Asked if Trump administration will continue to release jobs report, Leavitt says ‘I believe that is the plan’ Politics Aug 12, 2025 6:49 PM EDT White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the government will continue to issue the monthly jobs report, which includes the nation’s unemployment rate, despite comments by an administration’s nominee that suggested suspending it. Watch in the video player above. “I believe that is the plan and that’s the hope,” Leavitt said. READ MORE: Why economists are criticizing Trump’s nominee to oversee data on jobs and inflation On Aug. 4., E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation, said on Fox News Digital that the agency should pause the issuance of the reports while it works to improve its data collection. Antoni a week later was nominated by Trump to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that compiles the jobs data as well as monthly inflation report. The jobs report is closely watched by Wall Street and many businesses around the country, and suspending it would be unprecedented. WATCH: Amy Walter and Jasmine Wright on Trump’s BLS firing and trust in institutions Trump slammed the last report Aug. 1 after it showed hiring weakened in July and was much lower in May and June than originally reported, then fired the BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the government will continue to issue the monthly jobs report, which includes the nation’s unemployment rate, despite comments by an administration’s nominee that suggested suspending it. Watch in the video player above. “I believe that is the plan and that’s the hope,” Leavitt said. READ MORE: Why economists are criticizing Trump’s nominee to oversee data on jobs and inflation On Aug. 4., E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation, said on Fox News Digital that the agency should pause the issuance of the reports while it works to improve its data collection. Antoni a week later was nominated by Trump to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that compiles the jobs data as well as monthly inflation report. The jobs report is closely watched by Wall Street and many businesses around the country, and suspending it would be unprecedented. WATCH: Amy Walter and Jasmine Wright on Trump’s BLS firing and trust in institutions Trump slammed the last report Aug. 1 after it showed hiring weakened in July and was much lower in May and June than originally reported, then fired the BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now