White House Withdraws Nominations After Senator’s Decision

Oh, you thought the biggest headache this week was the Schumer Shutdown circus? Cute. Turns out the real heartburn came from inside the house—specifically from the so-called “Republicans” in the Senate who never miss a chance to stab their own party in the back with a steak knife labeled “bipartisanship.”

Let’s start with the bombshell: E.J. Antoni, Trump’s pick to head up the Bureau of Labor Statistics—the guy who was finally going to drag that dusty little agency into the daylight, clean up the cooked books, and maybe stop pretending inflation is just a figment of your imagination—just had his nomination pulled. Why? Because two GOP senators decided they couldn’t be bothered to even meet with him.

Yes, that would be Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. Shocked? Didn’t think so.

Now let’s be clear. Antoni’s entire crime seems to be that he’s a conservative economist who doesn’t buy into the Bidenomics fantasy land where gas is $7 a gallon, groceries are up 30%, but somehow everything’s “just fine.” His actual policy sin? Wanting to deliver accurate economic data in a timely manner so Americans can understand what’s really happening to their wallets. Apparently, that’s controversial now.

And yet, Murkowski and Collins—two names that might as well be honorary members of the Lincoln Project at this point—couldn’t be troubled to give the guy a hearing. Not a grilling. Not a debate. Not a single minute. Just… no meeting. No vote. No courage.

Of course, Murkowski has been flirting with flipping parties since September. Lady, stop teasing. We all know where your heart is—and it’s not with the voters who sent you to D.C. to represent Alaska’s interests, not Chuck Schumer’s.

And then there’s the nomination of Hung Cao for Under Secretary of the Navy. Again—Republican nominee. Strong record. But somehow even that wasn’t enough for some in the Senate GOP. Murkowski voted against him. Collins? She voted yes this time—so congratulations, I guess? It’s like giving someone a medal for putting their shoes on the right feet.

But the real issue here isn’t just Collins and Murkowski being, well, Collins and Murkowski. It’s the pattern. The sabotage. The chronic refusal to stand with their party when it actually counts.

Oh, they’ll nod along during committee meetings. They’ll vote for a tax cut once a year if it polls well. But when it comes to major nominations—appointments that actually change how this government functions—they fold like lawn chairs. Every. Single. Time.

And let’s not let the other culprits off the hook. Thom Tillis? Mitch McConnell? Don’t even get started. Tillis has been bending over backwards to impress the donor class for so long he’s basically a yoga instructor. McConnell? Let’s just say the days of “Cocaine Mitch” bringing the heat are long gone. Now it’s more like “Melatonin Mitch,” drifting off while the country burns.

Back to Antoni’s statement—because, honestly, it was a masterclass in professionalism and clarity. He laid out exactly why his nomination mattered: to reform a broken bureaucracy, demand transparency, and restore trust in economic reporting. The kind of grown-up priorities that should have both parties nodding in agreement. But instead? The left screamed “conspiracy theorist,” and the middle-of-the-road Republicans couldn’t even be bothered to show up.

And what do we get? A president trying to deliver real reform—and his own party tripping over their heels to block him. It’s maddening. It’s predictable. And it’s exactly why the D.C. Swamp never drains—it just changes filters.

.@DailyCaller’s @ReaganReese_: “CNN reported that Collins and Murkowski declined to be with EJ Antoni, raising concerns that his nomination was in trouble. I’m wondering what message Collins, Murkowski are sending to the White House by not meeting with the President’s nominees?”… pic.twitter.com/xNvby3iye4

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 1, 2025

Antoni’s out. Hung Cao barely squeaked by. And two Republican senators just reminded us, once again, that when the chips are down, they’re more interested in media approval and Georgetown cocktail invites than doing the job they were elected to do.

JUST IN: Senator LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK) votes NO on advancing Trump nominee Hung Cao as Under Secretary of the US Navy – the sole Republican.

Why does she do this? pic.twitter.com/4NEy1xAGKS

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 1, 2025