US President Donald Trump has picked a conservative think tank economist to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), after firing its previous head following weaker-than-expected jobs data.
The president said he was nominating EJ Antoni, a federal budget analyst at the Heritage Foundation, to be commissioner of the key economic institution.
“Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” he posted on Truth Social.
Earlier in August Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, claiming she had “rigged” jobs figures to make him look bad, an accusation that drew sharp criticism from economists across the political spectrum.
The US Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, needs to confirm the appointment.
Antoni, who has a PhD in economics, has previously criticised the BLS, questioning its methodology and calling its statistics “phoney baloney”.
Last November, he said in a post on X that the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) “needs to take a chainsaw to the BLS”.
Influential Trump ally Steve Bannon had given his enthusiastic backing for Antoni to take over at the BLS.
The agency is currently led by Acting Commissioner Commissioner William Watrowski, who has worked there for decades.
McEntarfer was fired after BLS figures missed expectations in July, stoking alarm about Trump’s tariff policy.
The agency also lowered employment data for the previous two months in the largest such downward revision – apart from the Covid-era – since 1979.
Although the revisions were bigger than usual, it is normal for the initial monthly number to be changed as more data comes to light.
The unprecedented move sparked accusations that Trump was politicising economic data.
Willam Beach, who previously headed the agency during Trump’s first term, said the move set a “dangerous precedent”.
McEntarfer worked for the government for more than 20 years before being nominated by Biden to lead the BLS in 2023.
Antoni has worked as an economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank.
He has taught a variety of courses on labour economics, money and banking, according to the Heritage Foundation.
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