President Donald Trump has named E.J. Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist, as his pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), setting off alarms among economists and policy experts who fear the move could erode the agency’s independence and weaponize economic data for political gain.
The announcement comes just over a week after Trump abruptly fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, following the release of a disappointing July jobs report that revealed a sharp slowdown in hiring and historic downward revisions to previous employment figures. McEntarfer’s removal marked a rare instance of direct presidential intervention in an agency that has long operated as a politically neutral source of economic information.
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Monday, insisted the change was about transparency. “Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” he wrote, echoing his recent accusations that the jobs report was “rigged” against his administration.
But the president’s critics see the move differently. “This is exactly what economists have been warning about,” said one former senior Labor Department official. “The BLS is supposed to be independent. If its leadership feels pressure to shape data in ways that favor the president, the credibility of all U.S. economic statistics is at risk.”
Antoni, who holds a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, currently serves as chief economist at Heritage’s Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. A vocal critic of Biden-era economic policies, Antoni is well-known in conservative circles and was reportedly a favorite of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon for the BLS post. This will be the second time Trump has appointed a Heritage economist to lead the agency; his first pick in 2017, William Beach, has since publicly criticized McEntarfer’s firing.
The BLS — which publishes key metrics like the unemployment rate, inflation, wage growth, and job creation — is widely regarded as one of the most important statistical agencies in the federal government. Its reports move markets, guide Federal Reserve policy, and shape public perception of the economy.
That’s why the president’s public attacks on the July jobs data alarmed experts. The report showed hiring had essentially stalled, with revisions revealing 258,000 fewer jobs in May and June than initially reported. Economists say the changes were the result of seasonal adjustments and more complete survey responses — not political bias. “There is no evidence the data was manipulated,” said one senior economic analyst.
Even some of Trump’s own top economic advisers have stopped short of claiming the numbers were politically skewed. Stephen Miran, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the problem was not fraud but reliability. “There’s been very little attempt to actually fix this problem and come up with creative solutions to make the data more reliable,” Miran told Axios.
Still, Antoni’s nomination is likely to face tough scrutiny in the Senate, where Democrats are expected to grill him on whether he would resist pressure from the White House to alter or delay reports. His critics point to his partisan record at Heritage as evidence that his appointment could mark a sharp break from the BLS’s tradition of independence.
For now, the president’s message is clear: he wants economic data that tells a story of strength — and a BLS director he believes will deliver it. But to economists and investors, the stakes are much higher. As one former Federal Reserve official put it: “If people stop believing the numbers, the consequences for markets, policymaking, and public trust will be enormous.”
With the nation’s economic health increasingly at the center of political warfare, the fight over who controls — and who can be trusted to report — the facts is only beginning.
