File photo: EJ Antoni with Donald Trump
The White House has withdrawn the nomination of EJ Antoni, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a post that has been vacant since President Donald Trump fired the previous commissioner over a jobs report he deemed unfavorable. The Senate received paperwork formally withdrawing Antoni’s nomination on Tuesday, as per the news agency AP.A White House official praised Antoni as a “talented economist” but did not provide a reason for the withdrawal, only noting that President Trump plans to nominate a replacement soon. Antoni’s nomination had been controversial from the start, as he had no government experience and had been a vocal critic of the BLS, echoing Trump’s accusations that the agency’s data was biased.Economists across the political spectrum questioned Antoni’s suitability, citing his history of misreading recessions, import prices, and other indicators, as well as his partisan commentary. Kyle Pomerleau of the American Enterprise Institute called him “not one of the competent conservative economists” for the role, as cited by AP. Labor economist Aaron Sojourner welcomed the withdrawal, saying Antoni was “underqualified” and expressing hope that the next nominee would be a “champion for the agency and its mission”, as quoted by the New York Times. Additional scrutiny arose over Antoni’s personal history. Reports indicated he was present at the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and that Nazi-era imagery appeared in his televised interviews. Financial disclosures show Antoni earned over $495,000 annually at the Heritage Foundation, plus additional income for speeches and consulting.Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, defended Antoni, calling him “one of the sharpest economic minds in the country” and stating he would remain as the organization’s chief economist rather than joining the government. The next BLS commissioner will take over at a challenging moment. The agency’s deputy commissioner, William Wiatrowski, currently serves in an acting capacity and will soon be the only employee on duty if a government shutdown occurs, as all other staff would be furloughed when federal funding lapses on Wednesday at 12:01 am. Independent advocacy group Friends of BLS, co-chaired by former bureau leaders Erica Groshen and Bill Beach, urged that the new nominee demonstrate “a commitment to gold standard statistics, strong management skills, excellent economics training and a record of public support for the integrity of BLS products and standards”, as per news agency AFP.Antoni’s withdrawal comes amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s handling of economic data. He had fired Erika McEntarfer, the previous commissioner, shortly after the July jobs report showed slower-than-expected hiring, which Trump claimed was politically manipulated—a move economists warned could undermine trust in federal data.
