US President Donald Trump has nominated EJ Antoni, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after firing its previous head over concerns about the integrity of US government statistics.
Trump’s nomination of Antoni, who requires Senate confirmation, comes after the dismissal of Erika McEntarfer earlier this month raised concerns about the credibility and political influence in US government statistics.
Trump defended McEntarfer’s dismissal by claiming, without evidence, that the latest jobs report had been “rigged” to make him look bad. Antoni has consistently praised Trump and called for McEntarfer’s removal before she was fired.
Critics have raised concerns about Antoni’s qualifications and partisan leanings, stating that he is “completely unqualified” and lacks relevant expertise. Economists warn that his nomination breaks from decades of nonpartisan technocrats leading the agency.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/8/12/trump-names-conservative-economist-to-lead-labour-statistics-agency?traffic_source=rss
