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President Donald Trump has announced a new replacement to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nominating Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni after abruptly firing the agency’s former commissioner over a disputed jobs report.
Some shit you should know before you read: Earlier this month, President Trump announced the dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who had been appointed during the Biden administration and served in the role for less than a year. Her removal came just hours after the BLS released a July employment report showing weaker-than-expected job growth, along with unusually large downward revisions to May and June payroll numbers (roughly 260,000 fewer jobs than previously estimated). Trump claimed that McEntarfer had manipulated the data to damage him politically, calling the figures “rigged” on his Truth Social account. He also pointed to major revisions made just after the elections in November, which he claimed were held back until after the election in an effort to help Vice President Kamala Harris. It should be noted that the BLS conducts revisions often as it continues to review data, though major revisions are rare.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, President Trump announced the appointment of E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to serve as the next commissioner of the BLS. Antoni holds a doctorate in economics from Northern Illinois University and has spent his entire career at right-leaning think tanks, including the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Heritage.
The Heritage Foundation, where Antoni has served since 2022, is a policy institute known for advancing conservative priorities, advocating for limited government, free-market principles, and a strong national defense. Antoni has also been a contributor to “Project 2025,” a controversial conservative blueprint for overhauling the federal government.
Antoni’s appointment has drawn mixed reactions, with Republican allies praising him as a qualified economist who could restore trust in government statistics. Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate HELP Committee, welcomed the appointment and said he looked forward to hearing how Antoni would ensure accurate, unbiased data. In contrast, Democrats have accused Antoni of partisanship and warned that his appointment risks undermining the independence of the BLS. Senator Patty Murray, the committee’s top Democrat, labeled him a political “hack” and warned that confirming him would “shred the integrity” of America’s most important economic data.
If confirmed, Antoni has signaled he would pursue significant changes to how the BLS collects and reports employment data. He has called for suspending the agency’s closely watched monthly jobs report, which he claims relies on flawed methodologies and outdated statistical assumptions that no longer fit the post-pandemic economy. Antoni instead advocates for prioritizing quarterly reports, which he says are more accurate despite being less timely.
In an interview with Fox, He cited declining survey response rates as a key driver of inaccuracy and argues that persistent large downward revisions to jobs data demonstrate the need for reform.
