U.S. President Donald Trump fired his previous head after weaker job data, and chose a conservative think tank economist to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The president said he is nominating EJ Antoni, a federal budget analyst at Heritage Foundation, as a commissioner for major economic institutions.
He posted on The Society of Truth: “Our economy is booming and EJ will make sure the published numbers are honest and accurate.”
In early August, Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika Mcentarfer, claiming she “manipulated” the work figures and made him look bad, an allegation that has attracted sharp criticism from economists across the political spectrum.
The U.S. Senate, controlled by Trump’s Republicans, needs to confirm the appointment.
Antoni, who holds a PhD in Economics, has previously criticized BLS, questioned its methodology and called its statistics “Phoney Baloney.”
In a post on X last November, he said that the Ministry of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “needs to get the chainsaw to the BLS.”
Influential Trump ally Steve Bannon gave Antoni enthusiastic support to take over BLS.
The agency is currently led by Acting Commissioner William Watrowski, who has worked there for decades.
Mcentarfer is Fire after BLS number July missed expectations, raising alarms about Trump’s tariff policies.
Since 1979, the agency has also lowered employment data for the first two months (besides Covid-era).
Although the revisions are larger than usual, the initial monthly number changes are normal as more data are exposed.
An unprecedented move has sparked allegations that Trump is politicizing economic data.
Willam Beach, which previously led the agency in the first semester of Trump, said the move sets a “dangerous precedent.”
McEntarfer worked in the government for more than 20 years before being nominated for the 2023 BLS by Biden.
Antoni worked as an economist at the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation.
According to the Heritage Foundation, he has taught various courses on labor economics, currency and banking.
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