Overview

• President Trump nominated E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing Erika McEntarfer over a weak July report and alleged data "rigging".
• Antoni publicly called for suspending the agency’s monthly jobs report in favor of "more accurate, though less timely" quarterly releases to address data collection concerns.
• The White House has defended the nomination, saying it aims to restore trust in BLS figures while maintaining monthly data releases.
• Economists, former BLS officials and lawmakers have criticized Antoni’s lack of statistical experience and raised alarms about potential political interference in the agency.
• Legal mandates, career staff resistance and market dependence on timely employment data present major hurdles to any sudden pause of the monthly jobs report.