The White House has withdrawn its nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency whose former chief was fired by President Donald Trump last month following a grim jobs report.
A White House official said the administration looked forward to nominating a new candidate soon.
Antoni is the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and a vocal critic of the agency’s jobs data.
The president chose Antoni to replace the former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, who was fired by Trump hours after the release of weak jobs data. Trump claimed, without evidence, that data produced under her watch was “rigged.”
Separately, a White House official confirmed late Tuesday that the administration had also withdrawn its nomination of Brian Quintenz to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a small but powerful financial regulator poised to play a bigger role in overseeing the cryptocurrency industry.
“Brian Quintenz remains a trusted ally, and the Trump administration looks forward to working with him in other capacities,” the official said.
Antoni’s confirmation appeared uncertain in the Senate in recent weeks, which had yet to schedule a hearing to consider him. The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces some of the country’s most highly watched economic data, including on job creation and inflation.
Antoni was the favored candidate among some influential Trump advisers, including Stephen K. Bannon and economist Stephen Moore, but his nomination drew criticism from Democrats and both liberal and conservative economists because of his partisan views and lack of experience.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement that he “will work with President Trump to fix BLS so it can deliver accurate, reliable economic data to the American people.”
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said in a statement Tuesday evening that Antoni “continues to be one of the sharpest economic minds in the country,” adding that “it is undeniable that BLS needs reform and E.J. was the right man for the job.”
Antoni had shared a controversial scientific theory of differences of intellect between men and women during remarks to Heritage Foundation interns last year, The Washington Post reported.
CNN reported on a social media account linked to Antoni that posted sexually degrading posts about Kamala Harris as well as derogatory comments about Trump critics. The account was deleted.
One Democratic lawmaker applauded the White House’s move.
“Not every deranged and unfit Trump nominee can get confirmed, even through this Republican Senate majority,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) posted on X on Tuesday night. “We shouldn’t put all our hopes on Republicans, but it matters when we all speak out against nominees as unqualified as E.J. Antoni.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is an independent agency within the Labor Department that produces economic data used by the Federal Reserve, financial markets and businesses to make critical decisions about the U.S. economy. Economists, both right- and left-leaning, had told The Post that Antoni had repeatedly misconstrued or distorted economic data in online postings.
Highly anticipated jobs numbers from the agency scheduled for release Friday will not come out if there is a government shutdown this week, according to plans published by the Labor Department.