President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. E.J. Antoni, a senior economist at the Heritage Foundation and an outspoken critic of federal labor statistics, to serve as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The announcement comes just ten days after Trump abruptly fired Erika McEntarfer, the agency’s previous head, following the release of a lackluster July jobs report that he claimed undermined public confidence in the data.
“I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Highly Respected Economist, Dr. E.J. Antoni, as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” Trump declared in a Truth Social post. “E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST AND ACCURATE.”
The nomination—subject to Senate confirmation—has ignited political and economic debate, given Antoni’s close ties to conservative policy circles and his history of questioning the agency’s credibility. Holding a PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University, Antoni has repeatedly argued that the BLS under the Biden administration produced “unreliable” jobs data, citing a 2023 revision that revealed 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported, according to The Washington Post.
Following McEntarfer’s ouster, Antoni wrote on Twitter, “There are better ways to collect, process, and disseminate data — that is the task for the next BLS commissioner,” stressing the need for more timely, accurate reporting to restore public trust.
The BLS, an independent agency within the Labor Department, compiles the nation’s official statistics on employment, wages, and inflation—figures that guide decisions by policymakers, businesses, and the Federal Reserve. Trump’s decision to remove McEntarfer on August 1 was driven by the July jobs report’s downward revision of 258,000 jobs for May and June, along with a slowdown in hiring. Though Trump accused McEntarfer of “manipulating” data to benefit political opponents, no evidence of such misconduct has been presented.
Antoni’s candidacy has drawn support from prominent Trump allies. Former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon hailed Antoni on his War Room podcast, saying he “almost single-handedly took [the BLS] down by going through their numbers.” A contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint, Antoni has backed policies to reduce the size of the federal workforce and strengthen immigration enforcement—claiming, controversially, that recent labor trends show U.S.-born workers filling positions once held by undocumented immigrants.
As the Senate prepares for confirmation hearings, the fight over Antoni’s nomination is poised to become a broader proxy battle over Trump’s reform of the federal government and the Democrats who stand for the status quo.
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