The economist was chosen to replace fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer.
The White House has withdrawn economist EJ Antoni’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the White House confirmed on Sept. 30.
A White House official noted that President Donald Trump will announce a new nominee to lead the bureau “very soon.”
“Dr. EJ Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country,” the White House official said. “President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data.”
Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, said in a statement to The Epoch Times that Antoni would have been well-suited to lead the bureau, calling him “one of the sharpest economic minds in the country.”
“E.J.’s immense capabilities and insightful economic analysis have not changed—and we are very proud to have him on our team,” he said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“It is undeniable that BLS needs reform and E.J. was the right man for the job. E.J. will keep calling for that reform and serving the interests of the American people from his invaluable role as chief economist at Heritage.”
In August, President Donald Trump nominated Antoni, chief economist at The Heritage Foundation, to become the next commissioner of the federal agency.
His nomination came shortly after the president terminated Erika McEntarfer following the July jobs report that showed sizable revisions to employment gains in May and June.
Trump and senior administration officials have stated that the bureau requires a fresh set of eyes to oversee data collection and reporting following years of significant adjustments to the payroll figures.
“To make sure that the data are as transparent and as reliable as possible, we’re going to get highly qualified people in there that have a fresh start and a fresh set of eyes on the problem,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Aug. 4.
Last month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the massive downward revisions prove “the BLS is broken.”
“This is exactly why we need new leadership to restore trust and confidence in the BLS’s data on behalf of the financial markets, businesses, policymakers, and families that rely on this data to make major decisions,” Leavitt said in a Sept. 9 statement.
By Andrew Moran
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