President Donald Trump nominated E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, as the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the president said in a social media post late Monday.
Antoni, a longtime critic of the BLS and a contributor to the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025, received the nod less than two weeks after Trump fired the agency’s previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer.
Antoni's nomination will require Senate confirmation.
Hours after the release of a weak jobs report on Aug. 1, Trump accused McEntarfer of providing “faked” statistics, without providing evidence to support his contention. The report also featured significant downward revisions of employment numbers from May and June. Such data revisions, either adding or subtracting jobs, are not uncommon.
“Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” Trump said of Antoni in a social media post.
Antoni did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.
Both gross domestic product and hiring have slowed this year.
MORE: Prices climbed less than expected in July, despite Trump's tariffsThe BLS, an independent agency under the U.S. Department of Labor, provides regular reports on key economic indicators that are relied upon by Congress, federal and state agencies, and businesses.
Here’s what to know about Antoni and what his selection could mean for the BLS:
Antoni, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from Northern Illinois University, has spent recent years working with conservative organizations. Since joining the Heritage Foundation in 2022, he has ascended to the top economic post at the conservative think tank, which has close ties to the Trump administration. He is also a senior fellow at the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, a research organization co-founded by longtime Trump advisor Stephen Moore.
Antoni has appeared as a guest on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast and also contributed opinion pieces to Fox News.
In a statement to ABC News, Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said Antoni’s leadership “has been instrumental in advancing our mission to protect American families and rebuild a resilient economy rooted in free enterprise.”
MORE: Stocks close lower after Trump's new tariffs, weak jobs reportAntoni has criticized the BLS in recent years, focusing in part on issues tied to data collection and revisions.
“There are better ways to collect, process, and disseminate data – that is the task for the next BLS commissioner, and only consistent delivery of accurate data in a timely manner will rebuild the trust that has been lost over the last several years,” Antoni said in a post on X last week.
In an interview with Fox News Digital last week, before his nomination, Antoni said the BLS should stop issuing monthly jobs reports and instead switch to quarterly reports until the agency improves its data collection process. Quarterly reports would allow additional time for greater accuracy, Antoni said.
Survey response rates have declined since the onset of the pandemic, BLS data shows. Lower response rates in turn make it more difficult for the agency to gather information about the U.S. economy, which is a complex task even under ideal conditions.
The BLS releases a preliminary estimate of its jobs report based on an initial tranche of data but the agency often revises the figure in subsequent months as households and businesses return additional data.
Additionally, in an appearance on Bannon’s podcast earlier this month, Antoni described now-former BLS Commissioner McEntarfer as “incompetent,” and voiced support for the notion that Trump should appoint an ally to the position.
McEntarfer, a Biden appointee who was confirmed by the Senate in 2024, had served in the federal government for two decades prior to her firing.
"It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy," McEntarfer said in a social media post after her dismissal. "It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation."
William Beach, a former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by Trump, condemned the firing of McEntarfer.
"The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau,” Beach posted on X.
McEntarfer did not respond to an earlier ABC News request for comment.
Some economists warned that Antoni's appointment could spark concerns about partisanship at the BLS and foster distrust of the agency’s data. They also pointed to what they consider to be Antoni's lack of experience with data collection.
MORE: Trump admin live updates: Trump signs 90-day extension for trade truce with China“Trump's nominee for BLS commissioner, EJ Antoni, is disastrously terrible,” Justin Wolfers, a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, said in a post on X on Monday. “He has demonstrated no commitment to truth.”
Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard University and a former economic advisor to President Barack Obama, echoed the sentiment, posting on X that Antoni is an “extreme partisan and does not have any relevant expertise. He would be a break from decades of nonpartisan technocrats.”
Moore, of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, praised Antoni as the right fit to improve the BLS.
"If anyone can fix the Bureau of Labor Statistics and give us accurate numbers, [Antoni] can," Moore said on Monday in a post on X, responding to news of Antoni's potential selection as BLS commissioner.