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Concern over the reliability of federal job information has been growing among California economists and policy experts, after President Donald Trump fired the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner earlier this month, writes CalMatters' Levi Sumagaysay.

Every month, the bureau releases unemployment numbers and the consumer price index. After seeing a sharp hiring slowdown in July's jobs report, Trump, without evidence, accused the commissioner of rigging the data. He then nominated the chief economist at a right-wing think tank -- one that helped draft Project 2025 -- to lead the agency.

Now, economists are ringing the alarm about the possible politicization of data from the bureau, which is used to inform a multitude of things like cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security, funding for food stamp benefits, tax-bracket thresholds and more. Besides potential global implications, state agencies across the country could be undermined.

Some examples specific to California, include:

State agencies and other groups that don't use the federal data directly, however, still utilize research that relies on that data to stay informed and gather insight.