White House withdraws nominee E.J. Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Sept. 30, 2025, 10:07 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has withdrawn its nomination of conservative economist E.J. Antoni as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the White House said on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump nominated Antoni last month to lead the bureau, which is part of the Department of Labor and produces statistics closely watched by the markets, after firing the agency's head, Erika McEntarfer, and accusing her without evidence of manipulating the bureau's figures.

“Dr. EJ Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country," a White House official said in a statement, promising the president will announce a new nominee "very soon."

The Senate committee overseeing the Labor Department never scheduled a confirmation hearing, and on Sept. 30, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she remained concerned about Antoni's nomination. A person familiar with the nomination said several other Republicans expressed similar hesitation. CNN first reported that the administration had pulled Antoni's nomination.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/30/ej-antoni-bureau-labor-statistics-nominee-trump/86449533007/