President Trump is facing criticism after firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics just hours after a disappointing jobs report. In a press conference, Trump claimed the latest data was “ridiculous” and “a scam,

Economists across the political spectrum are sounding the alarm over President Trump’s decision to fire the Labor Department’s top statistician in response to a stalled-out July jobs report that showed weakness in hiring going back to May.

After President Donald Trump unceremoniously fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following Friday’s disappointing jobs report, criticism and condemnation have come swiftly, as economists and politicians warn that the politicization of federal statistics and the agencies that produce them erodes confidence in data that is crucial to both government and business.