The White House reportedly pulled economist E.J. Antoni’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
President Donald Trump said in August that he was nominating economist Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer over a weak July jobs report. The Trump administration’s nomination of Antoni drew criticism over what Axios called a potential politicization of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. CNN and the Associated Press first reported his withdrawal.
Almost immediately after his nomination, Antoni stirred controversy by suggesting the agency suspend publication of its jobs report until internal issues were resolved. Antoni, the Heritage Foundation’s top economist, has previously questioned the credibility of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), saying its monthly jobs reports often resemble “random outputs” in a post on X.
July’s modest job gains came after the BLS revised down employment figures for May and June by a total of 258,000 positions, according to a statement from the White House. That same release said that the agency adjusted its estimate for payroll growth between March 2023 and March 2024 downward by 818,000 jobs — marking the second-largest annual revision in its records.
“A lengthy history of inaccuracies and incompetence by Erika McEntarfer, the former Biden-appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has completely eroded public trust in the government agency charged with disseminating key data used by policymakers and businesses to make consequential decisions,” the White House press release said.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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