US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was nominating career economist Brett Matsumoto to be commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, months after he fired the previous chief on the heels of a weak jobs report. "I am confident that Brett has the expertise to QUICKLY fix the long history of issues at the BLS on behalf of the American People," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Matsumoto is a veteran economist at the BLS, who is on leave to work at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Trump is under increasing pressure to deliver strong economic results ahead of the November elections that will determine control of Congress. Voters have soured on his handling of cost-of-living issues, with just 35% of them giving the Republican president passing marks on the economy

Source: The Telegraph January 31, 2026 05:46 UTC