The White House confirmed to FOX Business that President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
CNN first reported the withdrawal of Antoni’s nomination, citing three sources. One source said Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, declined to meet with Antoni. That signaled possible concerns about his nomination.
The BLS came under scrutiny after a weaker-than-expected July jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added, far short of the 110,000 estimated by LSEG economists. Employment in May and June was also reduced by a combined 258,000 jobs.
Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, alleging the jobs data was politically manipulated.
TRUMP ORDERS TERMINATION OF LABOR STATISTICS OFFICIAL AFTER JOBS REPORT
Afterward, Trump nominated Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, for the role. In an Aug. 4 interview with Fox News Digital, Antoni argued the BLS’s methodology, economic modeling and statistical assumptions were fundamentally flawed.
Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy told FOX Business he appreciated meeting with Antoni and was looking forward to his hearing and discussing ideas to reform BLS.
"The status quo is not working. When BLS fails to deliver accurate jobs data, it has serious implications for families’ pocketbooks," Cassidy said. "As Chairman of the HELP Committee, I will work with President Trump to fix BLS so it can deliver accurate, reliable economic data to the American people."
Trump’s choice of Antoni sparked concerns among economists about the integrity of BLS data under his leadership.
"The nominee will result in a surge in demand for private label data," Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, told Reuters in August.
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Alex Jaquez, head of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, told Reuters the nomination was a "clear assault on independent analysis" with far-reaching implications for the reliability of U.S. economic data.
In August, before his nomination, Antoni told Fox News Digital the flaws in BLS data had been evident for three years and remain unresolved.
TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD LABOR STATS AGENCY COULD PAUSE MONTHLY JOBS REPORT OVER ACCURACY CONCERNS
The BLS process includes revisions meant to improve accuracy over time as more data is collected. Each monthly jobs report revises the prior two months once additional employer information is received.
The system offers the public an early snapshot of economic conditions, followed by a fuller picture through later revisions.
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Falling response rates over the past decade have left smaller samples, increasing the size of revisions — especially during volatile periods.
FOX Business’ Nicole McManus, Ryan Schmelz and Amanda Macias, as well as Reuters, contributed to this report.
