The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the federal agency responsible for providing the nation’s most closely watched economic data, has been thrown into turmoil after President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew his nominee for commissioner, conservative economist E.J. Antoni, just weeks after firing the previous chief. This move, confirmed late Tuesday by the White House, comes at a time when the agency is already facing a staffing crisis, a government shutdown, and mounting concerns over the politicization of economic data.
Antoni’s nomination had been contentious from the start. President Trump selected him in August 2025, following the sudden dismissal of Erika McEntarfer, the BLS commissioner, after a July jobs report revealed that U.S. employers added only 73,000 jobs—far below the forecasted 109,000. Trump, without offering evidence, accused the BLS of “rigging” the numbers to make his administration look bad, a claim dismissed by independent observers and widely criticized by economists and agency supporters alike, according to BBC and NPR.
In announcing Antoni’s nomination, Trump had said on his Truth Social platform, “Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE.” Yet, the move was seen by many as an attempt to reshape the agency in line with the president’s political agenda. Conservative allies like Stephen Moore and Steve Bannon praised Antoni, but economists across the spectrum voiced alarm. As NPR reported, critics argued that Antoni lacked the technical expertise and nonpartisan background typical of previous BLS commissioners, most of whom were “data nerds” with deep experience in government statistics.
Antoni, who serves as chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and previously worked at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, has been a vocal critic of the BLS, once calling its data “phoney baloney.” His nomination was met with swift opposition not only from Democrats but also from many Republicans and independent economists, who warned that his confirmation could undermine the credibility of the agency’s reports. The Friends of the BLS, an advocacy group, urged the White House to choose a nominee with 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.”
Adding to the controversy were revelations about Antoni’s lack of professional credentials and his presence in videos linked to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, as well as social media posts showing him with controversial imagery. Despite these issues, a White House official described Antoni as “a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country.” The official also reiterated the administration’s commitment to “fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data.”
But Antoni’s withdrawal, confirmed on October 1, 2025, leaves the BLS in a precarious position. The agency, which employs about 2,000 people, is already hamstrung by a government shutdown that began overnight Wednesday. With no agreement on a federal spending bill, the BLS has suspended all operations, and its highly anticipated monthly jobs report—relied upon by the Federal Reserve, businesses, and households alike—will not be released as scheduled. William J. Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, is now the only employee working, serving as acting head for the third time in his career.
The agency’s troubles run deeper than leadership woes. As Quartz and The New York Times have reported, about one-third of BLS leadership positions were vacant as of early August. Two advisory panels that provided statistical guidance on jobs reports were eliminated in March by Trump’s executive orders. Since the beginning of 2025, the BLS has lost roughly 20% of its workforce due to government job cuts, forcing it to scale back crucial data collection efforts, including the number of price checks used to compile inflation reports.
“Markets have to trust the data are not manipulated,” warned Erika McEntarfer in her first public comments since being ousted, as quoted by The New York Times. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like—it has serious economic consequences. The list of countries that have gone down this route, it’s not a good list.”
The politicization of the BLS has drawn sharp criticism from economists, former agency leaders, and bipartisan observers. Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist and steering committee member of the Friends of BLS, said, “This was an underqualified pick, and it’s good that the process worked.” He expressed hope that the administration would now select someone with the experience and impartiality needed to champion the agency’s mission.
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, defended Antoni, stating, “Dr. E.J. Antoni continues to be one of the sharpest economic minds in the country. We are very proud to have him on our team.” Still, the consensus among experts is that the next BLS commissioner will inherit a daunting job. William Beach, who led the agency during Trump’s first administration, remarked, “It’s a much bigger job today than it was on July 31. The next person has to establish him or herself as a barrier to meddling by political forces both in Congress and the White House.”
Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said he appreciated meeting with Antoni and looked forward to working with President Trump to “fix BLS so it can deliver accurate, reliable economic data to the American people.” However, with the agency’s credibility under fire and operations at a standstill, the path forward remains uncertain.
For now, the BLS stands at a crossroads: its leadership in flux, its staff furloughed, and its vital data releases suspended. The next nominee will face not only the technical and managerial challenges of running a gold-standard statistical agency but also the task of restoring trust in the impartiality and reliability of America’s economic data. All eyes are now on the White House as it prepares to announce a new candidate for one of the most consequential—and currently embattled—roles in government.
