Trump Withdraws Nomination of E.J. Antoni for Bureau of Labor Statistics Chief
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President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, following concerns over Antoni's qualifications and impartiality.
President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), according to a White House official. The decision comes after Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, faced criticism over his qualifications and impartiality.
Antoni's nomination in August followed the dismissal of former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, whom Trump accused—without evidence—of manipulating jobs data. The BLS, a division of the Department of Labor, is responsible for key economic reports, including monthly employment statistics and the Consumer Price Index.
Antoni has been a vocal critic of the BLS, previously suggesting that the agency's reports often feel like "a random number generator" and that inflation readings under the Biden administration produced "phoney baloney" numbers from "the magical world of make-believe" that understated the scale of price rises.
The withdrawal of Antoni's nomination leaves the BLS without a permanent leader during a period of scrutiny over the accuracy and independence of economic data. The White House has indicated that a new nominee will be announced soon.
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