{"id":22408,"date":"2025-10-01T05:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sochtimes.com\/2025\/10\/01\/wh-withdraws-ej-antoni-nomination-heritage-economist-pulled-from-bls-leadership-trump-to-announce-new-nominee-soon\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T05:30:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:30:29","slug":"wh-withdraws-ej-antoni-nomination-heritage-economist-pulled-from-bls-leadership-trump-to-announce-new-nominee-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sochtimes.com\/hi\/2025\/10\/01\/wh-withdraws-ej-antoni-nomination-heritage-economist-pulled-from-bls-leadership-trump-to-announce-new-nominee-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"WH withdraws EJ Antoni nomination: Heritage economist pulled from BLS leadership; Trump to announce new nominee soon"},"content":{"rendered":"


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File photo: EJ Antoni with Donald Trump <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of EJ Antoni, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a post that has been vacant since President Donald Trump fired the previous commissioner over a jobs report he deemed unfavorable. The Senate received paperwork formally withdrawing Antoni\u2019s nomination on Tuesday, as per the news agency AP.A White House official praised Antoni as a \u201ctalented economist\u201d but did not provide a reason for the withdrawal, only noting that President Trump plans to nominate a replacement soon. Antoni\u2019s nomination had been controversial from the start, as he had no government experience and had been a vocal critic of the BLS, echoing Trump\u2019s accusations that the agency\u2019s data was biased.Economists across the political spectrum questioned Antoni\u2019s suitability, citing his history of misreading recessions, import prices, and other indicators, as well as his partisan commentary. Kyle Pomerleau of the American Enterprise Institute called him \u201cnot one of the competent conservative economists\u201d for the role, as cited by AP. Labor economist Aaron Sojourner welcomed the withdrawal, saying Antoni was \u201cunderqualified\u201d and expressing hope that the next nominee would be a \u201cchampion for the agency and its mission\u201d, as quoted by the New York Times.Additional scrutiny arose over Antoni\u2019s personal history. Reports indicated he was present at the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and that Nazi-era imagery appeared in his televised interviews. Financial disclosures show Antoni earned over $495,000 annually at the Heritage Foundation, plus additional income for speeches and consulting.Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, defended Antoni, calling him \u201cone of the sharpest economic minds in the country\u201d and stating he would remain as the organization\u2019s chief economist rather than joining the government. The next BLS commissioner will take over at a challenging moment. The agency\u2019s deputy commissioner, William Wiatrowski, currently serves in an acting capacity and will soon be the only employee on duty if a government shutdown occurs, as all other staff would be furloughed when federal funding lapses on Wednesday at 12:01 am. Independent advocacy group Friends of BLS, co-chaired by former bureau leaders Erica Groshen and Bill Beach, urged that the new nominee demonstrate \u201ca commitment to gold standard statistics, strong management skills, excellent economics training and a record of public support for the integrity of BLS products and standards\u201d, as per news agency AFP.Antoni\u2019s withdrawal comes amid heightened scrutiny of Trump\u2019s handling of economic data. He had fired Erika McEntarfer, the previous commissioner, shortly after the July jobs report showed slower-than-expected hiring, which Trump claimed was politically manipulated\u2014a move economists warned could undermine trust in federal data.<\/div>\n