Antoni was slated to appear before a Senate committee for a confirmation hearing for the BLS commissioner role, which is the only political appointee in an agency of roughly 2,000 people.
The nomination already showed signs of faltering after Lisa Murkowski, a Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour and Pensions, expressed “extreme reservations” about Antoni earlier this month. Her vote could have blocked the nomination from advancing through the HELP committee, which is made up of 12 Republicans and 11 other senators.Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, called Antoni one of the “sharpest economic minds in the country” in a statement Tuesday, adding the group is “very proud” to have him on the team as chief economist.
“EJ’s immense capabilities and insightful economic analysis have not changed,” Roberts said. “It is undeniable that BLS needs reform, and EJ was the right man for the job.”
Antoni has repeatedly criticised the BLS, which produces marquee figures on employment and inflation and prides itself as an independent, nonpartisan institution. His nomination drew criticism from both left- and right-leaning economists, many of whom pointed to his MAGA Republican views and other public commentary.
His nomination was further imperilled after CNN — which first reported that his nomination had been pulled — published an article alleging that Antoni ran a now-deleted social media account that included sexually degrading comments about Kamala Harris, conspiracy theories and derogatory comments aimed toward Trump critics, Democratic lawmakers and the LGBTQ community. The comments were posted from approximately 2017 through 2020.
NBC News also reported last month that video footage showed Antoni was among the crowd outside the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The White House described Antoni as a “bystander” to the events and said he never crossed any barricades or participated in demonstrations.Abrupt Firing
Trump named Antoni for the role after firing the previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, on Aug. 1. Her dismissal followed a BLS report that showed the labor market was notably weaker than previously thought. The president accused McEntarfer, without evidence, of manipulating the numbers to make him and Republicans look bad, noting that she was appointed by former President Joe Biden.
Following Tuesday’s news, the Friends of BLS, an advocacy group for the statistical agency, urged Trump to find a new nominee who possesses the characteristics it outlined in an August statement.
“We believe the next nominee should demonstrate a 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,” the group said.
Antoni earned his PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University and serves as chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He contributed to Project 2025 and is a senior fellow at Unleash Prosperity, a group that counts Steve Forbes, Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore among its leaders.
Before he was selected for the role, Antoni suggested suspending the monthly jobs report until issues were “corrected.” In a social media post last year, Antoni said the “L” in BLS “is silent.”
And while Antoni has repeatedly indicated that he doesn’t believe BLS staff are manipulating the data, he said in December that “just because you didn’t make a sin of commission doesn’t mean you haven’t committed a sin of omission.”
Antoni has also advocated for getting rid of the Federal Reserve, which he’s called “unconstitutional.”
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